Parents Spend £200 On Back To School Items
I have 3 children already of school age and this September will see Kia my 4 year old begin big school. While she is rather excited about starting big school, it’s yet another expensive time.
All 4 of them need new shoes, new trainers and school jumpers which must have the schools logo. Thanks to places like George at Asda the rest of the uniform has not been too expensive but kitting out a child to go back to school is a huge expense when you add it all up.
The latest report figures show that the average cost to kit your child out at the beginning of the school year is £209.72.
With an average of two children in each British family, parent is spending £419.44 each year or £5,033 over the 12 years children are in school;
School uniform accounts for £45 for each child every September;
Three quarters of parents are worried about being able to afford the basics for the new school year.
Amee Chande, MD, UK Retail and Direct at Staples, which commissioned the results, said: ”The list of things a child needs for the new school year can feel endless. Uniform, shoes, a new coat, sports kit, stationery and even a new school bag all add up, especially if you have more than one school-age child you need to kit out. As your children get older, there can also be added pressure to spend more money than usual on a certain brand or special stationery equipment, and it can be difficult to say no. But with the recession hitting families hard, many parents have no choice but to save money wherever they can, meaning the back to school shop has had to change.”
School shoes account for another £32 while a new winter coat sees another £30 added to the total.
PE kits cost almost £25, computer equipment and gadgets cost £21, while even new bags and lunchboxes add almost £20 to the total.
Finally, books see parents part with £19.02 for each child while new pencil cases and stationary supplies cost another £17.92.
I did begin buying in back to school items the first week of the holidays, last year I left it till the last minute and I have found it easier to budget weekly rather than buy all items together.
How much has going back to school cost you this year?