The back-to-school period can be a stressful time for parents and carers, and the ongoing cost-of-living crisis is only adding to their stress. Looking to understand the situation facing families this September, affordable footwear retailer, Wynsors, has carried out their annual survey of 1,000 UK parents to understand exactly how rising costs are having an impact on their lives.
The results do not paint a positive picture for households across the UK:
- Nearly 3 in 4 (73%) parents agree that the cost of buying school uniform and supplies puts a strain on their household budget.
- 73% of parents feel stressed due to the cost of purchasing new school uniform each year.
- Over half of parents (56%) spend less on new things for themselves (such as clothing) 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 second-hand to save money.
With over two-thirds of parents agreeing that financial pressure has increased over the last 12 months, households across the UK are struggling. So much so, that 1 in 3 (37%) parents stated that they receive no financial support with the cost of new school uniform, but are in need of it. So, how can this problem be solved? 50% of parents think that abolishing school uniform is the answer to help them save money.
To help parents on a budget with their back-to-school shopping, Wynsors has also put together six handy tips to help find a little bit of calm in the spending storm:
- Seek help with school uniform costs – Individual schools or charities may also run their own schemes offering financial support, so it’s worth researching what help might be available.
- Try to delay some purchases – You don’t have to buy every item straight away, as chances are, your child won’t need or use all the supplies on the first day. Stagger the payments, as it’s likely that there will be items that can be purchased later in the year!
- Set out a budgeting plan – Having a pre-planned budget in mind before the first day back rolls around will save you the hassle of stretching your budget that month for everything else. Having a rough idea of how much you want to spend on each item will allow you to adjust your spending accordingly.
- Shop the sales – Keep an eye out for any of the back-to-school supplies you need leading up to September and buy them when they’re discounted or on offer.
- Decide between needs and wants – Make sure the essential items are taken care of first and then see if there’s any budget left for new, less essential items.
- Get organised and start early – Write down a list of everything you need to buy and don’t wait until the last minute.
The full study, including more information on parents’ attitudes to school uniform and tips for saving money on the back-to-school shop, can be found on-site here: https://www.wynsors.com/blog/true-cost-of-school-uniform/
