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I’ve saved over £200 on my children’s school uniforms – I get items for free and they look brand new
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A SAVVY mum-of-two has revealed how she has saved over £200 on her children's school uniforms - and she even gets items for free.
Nikki Knight, who lives in Gloucestershire with her two kids Sophie, 11, and Toby, 6, as well as her husband Ollie, 41, knew she needed to be extra careful this year as clothing costs are rising.
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Her daughter Sophie is due to start secondary school in September.
Nikki, 39, said: "I felt this was necessary this year due to the high cost of secondary school uniforms and the fact that we can’t use generic items like skirts or trousers anymore.
"Now, we need to buy the school-branded blazer, skirts and trousers from the uniform shop, then the school-branded PE kit from a different uniform shop."
Not only that but the family also need to get extra equipment for PE lessons that they haven’t needed before such as football boots, gum shields and shin pads.
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With all this in mind, Nikki embarked on a cost-cutting mission and has managed to save an estimated £200 compared to if she'd bought everything brand new.
She has done this through a combination of comparing prices, buying second-hand and even picking up items for free.
Nikki, who runs a blog called Unicorns Dinosaurs and Me, said she never worries about others noticing the difference between her bargain buys and brand-new items.
"Not at all, in fact, there’s so many good quality secondhand items available that are virtually new that it’s so hard to tell," she said.
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Second-hand finds
Shopping second-hand or getting new leases of life out of old items is an alternative to buying everything new and likely paying more.
Firstly, Nikki hunted for free items.
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She said: "My son's jumpers were given to me by the school from the unclaimed lost property and after I posted on Facebook looking for hoodies, a parent whose child had left school gave me two as well."
Buying trousers from the secondhand school shop costs £2.50, buying trousers from Asda costs £22.50 which is a saving of £20.
She also said that reusing items such as bags and coats can save at least £60.
Nikki explained: "Our primary school runs a secondhand uniform shop that sells items for 50p each, I’ve managed to get trousers, jumpers and shorts from here in the past."
Full list of uniform savings
Nikki has totted up exactly how much she's saved on each key school essential using her tips:
Daughter
- Blouses - bought from ASDA for £36 instead of from the school uniform shop for £48. Saving of £12
- Skirts - bought secondhand from Facebook Marketplace for £30 instead of from the school uniform shop for £63. Saving of £33
- Blazer - bought secondhand from Facebook Marketplace for £15 instead of from the school uniform shop for £46.25. Saving of £31.25
- PE kit - bought new from the school uniform shop for £44.35 but will sell secondhand when it no longer fits for £20. Saving £24.35
- Shoes - Dr Martens bought new but on sale for £70, these typically last 2 years (£35 per year) instead of supermarket shoes at £21 per pair that need replacing each term coming to £63 per year. Saving of £28
- Trainers - bought on sale for £40 and again these typically last 2 years (£20 per year) instead of a brand new pair each year for £80. Saving of £40
- Football boots - bought secondhand on eBay for £5 instead of new from Sports Direct for £20. Saving of £15
- Calculator - bought directly from school for £9 instead of from the supermarket for £15. Saving of £6
- Backpack - reusing a plain black one (that can be personalised with badges or key rings) bought new for £50 but it’s now on its third year and looks as good as new (£16 per year) instead of buying a new one each year for £20. Saving of £4
- Lunchbox - reusing a good quality Sistema one originally bought for £5 and now on its third year (£1.67 per year) instead of a new £5 one each year. Saving of £3.33
Total saving: £196.93
Son
- Polo shirts - bought from Lidl for £10.50 instead of from Asda for £12. Saving of £1.50
- Trousers - reusing from the previous year. Saving of £22.50
- Jumpers - bought secondhand from the school uniform shop for £2.50 instead of new from Asda for £21. Saving of £18.50
- Shoes - bought new but on sale from Dr Martens for £50 and they last the year instead of supermarket shoes costing £20 a pair but need replacing each term. Saving of £10
- Pe kit - bought from the school secondhand shop for £1 instead of new from Asda for £10. Saving of £9
Total saving: £61.50
Most of her son's primary school uniform (excluding shoes) has been bought at second-hand shops and exchanges.
In total, she's saved £50 on his items alone by buying secondhand and reusing items.
Knowing where to shop
Knowing where to shop is also key to saving yourself the big bucks.
Prices, of course, vary from shop to shop, and the quality of the items will vary, too.
Nikki said: "Plain white short-sleeved blouses from the school uniform shop would cost £42 but from Asda, they only cost £19.50 which is a saving of £22.50."
She also pointed out that if you buy school shoes from Schuh, you can get £5 off if you take back your old shoes to be recycled, they don’t need to be from Schuh and don’t need to be in good condition.
Schuh also has another offer, she said, where you can get £10 off a second pair of shoes which is great if you need to get more than one pair of footwear.
Polo shirts from Asda cost £12 but from Lidl cost £10.50 which is a saving of £1.50
Quality over quantity
Nikki explained that for items like bags, coats and shoes, it’s often a "false economy" to buy cheaper.
She said: "We’ve all heard the phrase 'buy cheap, buy twice' and for shoes especially this is true.
"But the best quality you can afford to avoid having to replace them when they break multiple times a year."
For her daughter's shoes this year she decided to put this into action and picked up a typically more expensive brand, that she knows will last.
She explained: "Dr Marten’s shoes cost £70, they last all year and they are worn outside of school for fashion, on the other hand, shoes from Asda cost £21 but need replacing each term which costs £63 for the year.
"They are not worn outside of school so a second pair of footwear is needed costing an additional £20. This is a saving of £13."
Make your cash back
Another tip Nikki puts into practice is to go through her kids' uniforms from last year and see if there's anything she can sell to get some cash back.
She said that selling unwanted items after they have been grown out can earn you back "some decent money".
For example, she found secondhand blazers can sell for £30 - which is more than you'd get if you chucked it away.
This works for all sorts too, Nikki recommends buying non-personalised pencil cases and lunchboxes so that you can easily sell them.
Shops to head to
Of course, some shops are better for school uniform bargains than others.
Many have sales on at this time of year, such as Sainsbury's and M&S, but for Nikki, it's the discounters that are the best for savings.
She said: "For primary school uniforms, if you can find the right sizes places like Aldi and Lidl offer the best value but they don’t always have the size I need."
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Although she did say that they don’t usually have the right colour jumper that she needs so we have to go elsewhere.
She added: "For the basics for primary and secondary I find Asda the best value, the items wash really well and tend to last all year unless there’s a growth spurt!"
Nikki's top tips for saving money on back to school shopping
Nikki has revealed her top tips for saving money on back to school shopping:
- Carry out a uniform audit. See what can be reused to save money. Kids don’t need an entire new wardrobe every year if what they already have still fits and is in good condition.
- Make a budget and stick to it. There are some items like school-branded clothing that are non-negotiable but you can pick these up secondhand for a fraction of the cost of new.
- Buy secondhand. Our primary school runs a secondhand uniform shop that sells items for 50p each, I’ve managed to get trousers, jumpers and shorts from here in the past.
- Shop smart. Keep an eye out for sales, special offers or coupons. Stationery is usually available at half price in supermarkets at the start of the summer holidays so buy these items then. If you need specialist items like scientific calculators then speak to the school, they can often bulk buy and then pass that saving on to the parents. The calculator our school recommends retails for £15-£20 in the shops but the school sells them for £9.
- Quality over quantity. For items like bags, coats and shoes, it’s often a false economy to buy cheaper. We’ve all heard the phrase “buy cheap, buy twice” and for shoes especially this is true. But the best quality you can afford to avoid having to replace them when they break multiple times a year.
- Use cash-back apps. If you know you’re buying things from a certain shop, see if you can use a cash-back site like Jam Donut to get some money back on your purchases.
- Think about reselling. Sell items that are still useable and get some cash back to use towards replacements. Try to avoid getting items personalised so that you can easily do this.
- Spread the cost. Put money away each month to use for school shopping. Stock up on supplies like stationery throughout the year when you see offers. Buy seasonal clothing in bigger sizes in the end-of-season sale and put them away for next year.
- Label EVERYTHING. If items are clearly named then they are more likely to be returned if they go missing. This will save you a small fortune on replacements.
- Buy generic brands. Things like coats, stationery and bags don’t need to be brand name, buying store brands will save you lots of money.
- Make packed lunches. Not only will this maximise your child’s free time at lunch but it could also save you £££.
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