As the Summer holiday draws to an end, many parents may feel relief that the Summer spending now comes to a halt. But wait, it doesn’t end there, a new school year means new everything… right?
New Gel pens, notebooks, calculators (because the ones you bought last term are no longer cool).
Did you know on average, parents will spend £236 for each child per new school term in September (Uniforms included).
Isn’t it time we cut back on our spending? – We think so. But the question is how?
1. Go Bargain Hunting
With many retailers now selling back to school items such as notebooks, pencil cases and calculators, shopping around for a good deal is key to saving some extra pennies.
Taking the children to Poundland or a local bargain store can be surprisingly fantastic for back to school items, without breaking the bank.
So rather than jumping straight for the convenience item, fend off buyer’s remorse by shopping around prior to handing over your hard-earned money!
2. Order online
You may have noticed offers on online purchases, where you collect the items in store and if you ask us, receiving discount off items and free delivery is a deal not to ignore. Often there is also a wider variety of items online, which stores do not have the capacity to hold.
This also means picking up some back to school goodies that are different to all your children’s classmates!
3. Second hand is not second rate
Amazon is a great place to look for back to school items that may be classed as used but have a new condition. Especially for items that can add up quickly, such as the 143 text books that are a ‘course requirement’ do they really need to be new?
A way of re-cooping some of your money is to put the text books and other items, which are no longer needed back on Amazon when you have finished with them. Making knowledge more accessible and cheaper for everyone!
4. Should the children pay?
A debate across the parent-sphere is questioning whether children should pay for their back to school items. We aren’t necessarily talking about school uniform, but the extra smelly gel pens or super sparkly notebook that are 10 times more expensive…
For these items it really will help children to learn how quickly additional items add up and also the difference between a necessary item and something that are just craving.
If they have to part with their pocket money, will they want it as much?
We’d love to hear your ways of saving pennies on back to school shopping! So get in touch at [email protected] and let us know 