Uniform anxiety

And a survey from affordable footwear retailer Wynsors confirms the impact that the cost of school uniform is having on many families. It found that:

• Nearly 3 in 4 parents agree that the cost of buying school uniform and supplies puts a strain on their household budget.

• Over half of parents (56 per cent) spend less on new things for themselves so they can stretch their household budget to cover the cost of buying new school uniform.

• 1 in 5 parents are buying school uniform and supplies secondhand to save money.

• 50 per cent of parents think that abolishing school uniform is the answer to help them save money.

Wynsors have put together six handy tips to help make the money stretch further:

1. Seek help with school uniform costs: individual schools or charities may run their own schemes offering financial support.

2. Try to delay some purchases: you don’t have to buy every item immediately, as your child almost certainly won’t need or use all the supplies on the first day. Stagger the payments if you can.

3. Set out a budgeting plan: a pre-planned budget saves you the anxiety of blowing your normal monthly budget. Having a rough idea of how much you want to spend on each item will allow you to adjust your spending accordingly.

4. Shop the sales: keep an eye out for any back-to-school supplies you need leading up to September and buy them when they’re discounted or on offer.

5. Choose between needs and wants: make sure essential items are taken care of first and then see if there’s any budget left for less essential ones.

6. Get organised and start early: write down a list of everything you need to buy and don’t wait until the last minute.

Visit www.moneyboat.co.uk and : https://www.wynsors.com/blog/t...