Insta mums reveal how to save £300 for uniforms ahead of back to school rush

According to a recent report by The Children’s Society, the average school uniform costs parents £300 per child.

In light of this, CashLady.com has rounded up some savings tips from Instagram mums to highlight the different ways that parents can save £100 in the run up to the kids going back to school in September.

Commenting on the tips, a spokesperson for CashLady.com said: 

“Whilst many parents will agree it’s great to see the kids go back to school, often the start of the new school year can mean lots of additional costs for parents, which aren’t always factored into their monthly budget.”

“With the average uniform cost setting parents back by as much as £100, it’s great to see real-life mums sharing actionable tips on how parents can recover the back to school costs. The influencers featured have managed to save £150-180 by making small lifestyle changes which can easily be adopted by other families.”

“Reviewing subscriptions and energy bills, cutting down on non-essential grocery items and making sure you effectively budget for everything that is planned in the month, and then stick to that budget, are all great ways that parents can ensure that they have enough free cash for the additional back to school costs.”

“I easily make on average £30 a month through selling second-hand clothes on depop”

– @astylebyhgt

Nottingham mum Holly Robinson is a mother of two boys and works in a school, so she knows first-hand exactly what school uniforms can be put through – and how important it is to invest in a uniform that lasts. She says that selling old clothes can be a great way to earn some extra cash to invest in good quality uniforms.

“One of my favourite ways to save money is through Depop – I’ve found it much easier and profitable than a lot of other resale sites. It’s easy to put up items you no longer wear and because there is no ‘end date’ for the items you are selling.  It’s a great bonus when you get a notification pop up out of the blue telling you you’ve sold an item!  I easily make on average £30 a month.”

“Depop is my most successful way of saving money when buying clothes – there are so many items being sold there brand new and only worn once. It’s full of influencers getting rid of things they’ve literally worn to take a picture in! If you have a particular item in mind, Depop is always my first stop.  On average I save at least 50% on an item I’ve seen on the high street, still brand new with tags, usually spending about £20 rather than £40.”

“Every summer I go through my kids’ clothes to see what no longer fits, what needs replacing etc. I used to donate things that were in good condition to a charity shop. This year, one of my friends had a great idea – because we all have kids of different ages, shapes, sizes, we all got together with our clothes that no longer fitted and did a big clothes swap. My boys all needed new shorts and t-shirts for the summer and I ended up not having to buy anything, they even got some great swim shorts for the paddling pool! I saved at least £50.”

“Banish the booze, have freezer food ‘beige buffets’ with the kids and ditch date night to save £180”

– @emmawearsitall

Manchester mum-of-two Emma Stretton may have a busy life with two young boys, but the writer-turned fashion influencer still manages to stack up over 4,000 followers through sharing frugal fashion tips. The Manchester mum explains that cutting down on food and alcohol expenses is an easy way to save £100 to cover the Back to School costs.

“The summer holidays can be long and by Friday you can guarantee I need a drink! But for the last two weeks we’re reining it in to save money and get healthier before the cold nights and comfort food starts. A crate of beer and a bottle of prosecco costs about £20, so a couple of weeks teetotal can save us up to £40.”

“Dinner doesn’t have to be Michelin starred. When we’re cutting back I go for super simple meals. A bowl of porridge fills the kids up each morning and a bag of oats costs nothing. Jacket potatoes and beans, pasta and tinned tomatoes or good ol’ sausage and eggs are all really inexpensive foods that save us loads on the weekly food shop. We also do a classic ‘picky tea’ where we dig out what’s left in the freezer and make a beige buffet. The kids love it.”

“We all know how important it is to grab some time together, even more so during the summer holiday slog. But those fancy meals add up. Instead, get the kids in bed and do date night at home. Loads of the supermarkets do great deals nowadays. We sometimes push the sofas together to make a big bed, bring the duvet down and watch a film like we’re students again. Financial security is the modern day romance you know!”

“Sort out subscriptions and save £40” – @_mummy_moi_

London-based Moira is a mum of two girls. The frugal mum set up a second-hand clothes shop @re_style_tribe in lockdown to make some extra cash and says that cutting down on costly subscriptions and activities can help to free up funds.

“I regularly review the subscriptions I’ve absentmindedly signed up for that had a month or three free at the start that I no longer need. At one point, on top of a sky tv subscription, I also had subscriptions to Disney plus, Spotify, Netflix and Amazon Prime costing over £40 a month. I also got rid of the bank account I was paying £20 a month for as the services provided (gadget insurance etc) were already covered by existing insurance policies.”

“During the summer holidays I regularly rotate the girl’s toys. Things that they have been playing with for a while get put away in a hard to reach box and that encourages them to have fun with other toys, they already have but haven’t played with for a while. They love getting out toys they’d forgotten they had, they get the same smiley faces as something bought from the toy shop but with zero the price tag.”

“I have my own preloved women’s clothes selling page on Instagram @re_style_tribe that I set up during lockdown and I am a huge advocate of wearing second-hand clothes. That includes things for my children, for example I regularly buy them pretty summer or party dresses from Vinted or Ebay. This saves me a fortune on high street prices for clothes that are nearly new or quite often still have the tags on. It’s also a great way of generating income; consider what you already have that you could sell, you’re bound to have clothes or toys the kids have grown out of gathering dust. Set up an account on a preloved selling site and turn them into pounds!”

The influencer savings tips have been created in partnership with Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) authorised and regulated credit broker CashLady.com, an unsecured loan broker, that allows customers to access credit options from over 40 lenders to get the best APR.