Sometime in August, most parents start thinking about back-to-school preparation. Some look forward to school commencing with excitement after a long summer entertaining the offspring; others may feel slight (or major!) trepidation at the thought of the chaotic mornings, extracurricular clubs and homework starting up again. Whichever camp you fall into, some back-to-school shopping will most likely be involved.
Parents want the best for their children and companies know this, thus school items tend to be a tad on the expensive side (to put it mildly!). Keeping up with the Joneses is not limited to the large house and luxury car. School bags, shoes and even stationery can be subject to school gate comparison. This year the start of school may be particularly nerve-wracking due to it being the first time back full-time for many children since the start of the pandemic, leading to parents spending more to help their child to feel secure and prepared. I get it. I want my children to be prepared too. But there are ways to prepare your mini-me for heading back to the books without blowing the budget and still prepare them for the best start to the school year.
1. Take inventory of what you already have
During the summer, I take out all the previous year’s equipment and uniform and try it on. If something fits well enough and is in good enough condition to see out another school year, then it continues to serve its purpose. I also ‘shop my home’ for stationery items and decent water bottles lurking in the backs of cupboards. I can often find most stationery equipment that my children would need so can add it to the inventory list.
2. Write a Specific list
Decide before you go out shopping exactly how many of each item you will need. For example, how many sets of Physical Education uniform do you need? How often will your child have P.E.? How many times a week can you feasibly wash the uniform? It might be worth putting a note in your calendar to contact the school in June to check you are purchasing the appropriate things. I usually have 3 sets of main uniform pieces and 2 sets of P.E. kit, but this will depend on your situation. Make sure you remember to make a list of all equipment, such as socks, a hat (if you are in a hotter climate), specialised items such as a scientific calculator or protractor, a lunchbox and a swim kit.
3. Buy quality items (especially shoes and bag)!
I’m all about penny-pinching, but when it comes to school equipment, the wear and tear is going to test the stuff to the max. I will always splurge for quality footwear to support my growing child, and a sturdy bag, lunch box and water bottle. I don’t care so much about brands, more quality and durability.
- I have a Bento lunchbox for my son and find it to be reliable, leakproof and keeps food fresh. It was a tad on the expensive side, but I’m sure will last several school years.
- You may have a personal favourite brand of school shoes – mine is Skechers, but Clarks is well reputed to have high quality footwear. It is super important to get a proper fitted shoe to support child development, so I think heading out to the shops rather than online shopping is a must for footwear.
- When purchasing a water bottle, I think about ease of use for younger children, and ease of cleaning. I often find that lids can be difficult to dismantle and clean and thus mould starts forming around the mouthpiece. I find CamelBak to be the best water bottle brand – reliable and spill proof. It’s definitely pricey but could last for several school years so be a saving in the long run.
- A sturdy school bag is a must, especially now that a lot of schools are allowing children to bring their own device, meaning that they potentially have books, equipment, lunch and a laptop. Eeek. A comfortable bag is a must. L.Bean and State Kane are highly reputable brands for resilient and ergonomic school bags.
4. Shop around for the best prices
Schedule some time to browse for prices in your area well before school starts. Have a look at online and brick and mortar options as well as reviews. I recommend doing research on your own first to get the lay of the land, then, depending on the age of your child, you could get them to browse your ‘top 3’ and make them feel that they are making the decision.
5. Set a hard-limit budget!
Once you’ve got a firm list and have shopped around, you’ll have an idea of what things will cost. Tally it up and set a budget and stick to it! The amount you settle on should be your hard limit. It’s useful to keep a budget line item of school equipment in your variable expenses category so that you can refer back to it next year and line them up to make sure you’re not heading off into Joneses territory! I have a great budgeting tool in my Etsy store to help you keep track of all expenses with ease.
Depending on the age of your child, sharing your calculations and the budget with them could be a fantastic teachable moment. You could discuss the importance of planning out spending within a budget and living within one’s means, even when the desire to spend more to look a certain way or keep up with fashion may be strong. Use it for a lesson on the negative compound interest of credit cards versus the positive compound interest of investing if your child is engaged in the conversation, particularly if they want more expensive items. Share the example below if it helps to give the visual!
6. Pick the optimal day and time to go back-to-school shopping
Don’t go on a day that you have other appointments or meetings scheduled, and don’t go hungry or tired! This is an important shopping day and requires focus and self-control for you and your child! Some people prefer to spread out the shopping; for example, uniform one day, equipment another, while others prefer to get it all done in one session. You decide what’s best for your family. For me, I like to make it a memorable day for my child, so if we have agreed on the budget and list beforehand and my child demonstrates adequate restraint, we go for coffee/juice and cake after shopping. Shopping trips are such a rarity for my family that I do try to make it an occasion if I can!
7. Shop year round for back-to-school season.
Finally, keep an eye out during the whole year for items which might be on sale at other times, such as January sales or Black Friday. Things like clothes and shoes may have to be purchased close to the start of school due to sizing, but bags, water bottles, equipment and lunchboxes may be on sale at different times of the year.
I hope these tips have given you some ideas to start this school year off with a bang while sticking to your savings goals. If you have any further recommendations for back-to-school savings or brands that you swear by, comment below. Wishing everyone (parents, teachers and students alike) a peaceful and successful school year. Happy shopping 😊
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