Buy small clothing items like socks and shirts throughout the year, include stationery, with your monthly groceries and recycle everything whenever possible.
These are some of the tips shared by a number of parents on how to save when buying children’s school uniforms.
On Friday, the Daily Dispatch visited East London school outfitters Strand Outfitters, Kei Uniforms and Kingons where parents were stocking up on back-to-school items.
Many said while thousands of rands were inevitably spent on school items each year, timing was everything when it came to alleviating some pressure on the wallet.
Some of their tips included:
lBuying second-hand textbooks from your children’s fellow pupils instead of getting them new. In the same vein, sell your children’s used textbooks to pupils in the lower grades if they are no longer needed;
Take an inventory of all school uniform items and stationery the children already have before going shopping;
Buy items such as books and writing pads throughout the year when doing monthly grocery shopping and put them away until January;
Buy more socks and shirts than needed and ration them out throughout the year. These are the items that are either regularly lost or wear away faster; and
Buy second-hand school uniform items wherever possible.
Sinazo Dyakalashe, whose two children are enrolled at Zwelemfundo Primary School in Scenery Park, said buying bits of her children’s school uniforms throughout the year meant she had money free to buy more exciting lunch box items in January.
“Like now, I already have everything for my children, unlike some parents who are panicking. The only thing we needed was a new gym outfit because my daughter’s old one was a little tight.”
Mdantsane resident Khanyisa Leve said her tip was to put money away monthly so she could purchase everything before school started to avoid buying incorrect sizes.
While Inge Lottering said: “Every month or so, pack two or three writing books and an exam pad with your groceries together with a pack of pens or something. To buy them separately during the year is costly but to buy all at once is pricier still.”
Strand Outfitters manager Simon Hunter said the most popular items so far were blazers, shorts and socks.
“We are normally busy from about mid-December but we do expect huge numbers this weekend too because school opens next week.”
Be savvy about back-to-school splurge
These are some of the tips shared by a number of parents on how to save when buying children’s school uniforms.
On Friday, the Daily Dispatch visited East London school outfitters Strand Outfitters, Kei Uniforms and Kingons where parents were stocking up on back-to-school items.
Many said while thousands of rands were inevitably spent on school items each year, timing was everything when it came to alleviating some pressure on the wallet.
Some of their tips included:
lBuying second-hand textbooks from your children’s fellow pupils instead of getting them new. In the same vein, sell your children’s used textbooks to pupils in the lower grades if they are no longer needed;
Take an inventory of all school uniform items and stationery the children already have before going shopping;
Buy items such as books and writing pads throughout the year when doing monthly grocery shopping and put them away until January;
Buy more socks and shirts than needed and ration them out throughout the year. These are the items that are either regularly lost or wear away faster; and
Buy second-hand school uniform items wherever possible.
Sinazo Dyakalashe, whose two children are enrolled at Zwelemfundo Primary School in Scenery Park, said buying bits of her children’s school uniforms throughout the year meant she had money free to buy more exciting lunch box items in January.
“Like now, I already have everything for my children, unlike some parents who are panicking. The only thing we needed was a new gym outfit because my daughter’s old one was a little tight.”
Mdantsane resident Khanyisa Leve said her tip was to put money away monthly so she could purchase everything before school started to avoid buying incorrect sizes.
While Inge Lottering said: “Every month or so, pack two or three writing books and an exam pad with your groceries together with a pack of pens or something. To buy them separately during the year is costly but to buy all at once is pricier still.”
Strand Outfitters manager Simon Hunter said the most popular items so far were blazers, shorts and socks.
“We are normally busy from about mid-December but we do expect huge numbers this weekend too because school opens next week.”
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