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Hints & Tips

COPING WITH AN EXPENSIVE NEW SCHOOL YEAR!

By 27 July 2020No Comments

The new school year can be expensive The Children’s Society’s recent survey reveals families are paying an average of £340 per year for each child at secondary school and £255 for primary school children. 

To help out here are our top seven hints and tips to reduce the financial strain of new uniforms and don’t forget we also provide both secure savings and affordable loan accounts to help parents meet the demands of a new school year.

Just Credit Union’s top seven hints and tips:

  1. Plan early, have a look at the school’s uniform list, think about what you really need and, if possible, talk to other parents.
  2. Check if your school has any specific pandemic requirements for the September return, for example some schools are not allowing school bags other than drawstring bags for PE kit and some require a labelled water bottle
  3. Be a minimalist, think carefully about how many of each item is ready necessary.
  4. Buy the school uniform early. Once you have your list, don’t leave buying the school uniform to the last minute. That’s when the shops are packed and there is little time to find those bargains.
  5. Pick pre-loved. Many schools have a service where outgrown items are donated and then sold on cheaply to raise funds for the school. Your school might also be open to organising a uniform exchange at the start of term. There may also be a local social media group set up to help parents buy, sell or swap school uniforms.
  6. Shop around. Standard items such as plan white shirts or black trousers can be bought on a budget from supermarkets or a range of online retailers. Even shop around for blazers. It may be possible to buy a school badge and sew it to a lower cost generic blazer.
  7. Label everything. Clothes are easily left on buses, lost on playing fields or mistakenly taken from coat pegs. They are all very costly to replace so make sure you have time to label everything before the start of term.

Finally if you do need to borrow use a reputable provider and make sure it is affordable you can find out more about Just Credit Union’s affordable loans and apply on line HERE