Keeping it Clean with the #ACEforSchoolChallenge

School is back in full swing. This means muddy P.E. kits and paint splattered polo shirts have become regulars in my steadily growing laundry pile. Given the price that we paid in September, to have our children togged out in their smart school uniforms, maintaining the cleanliness and the quality of their clothing is pretty important. I don't want to have to re-buy uniform every term, it costs enough buying it as a one off for the new school year. Having that embroidered school logo quadruples the price of the garments, so I will do what I can to keep them as pristine as possible for as long as possible!

One way of keeping the kids' clothes lasting for longer is to use suitable laundry products that will help keep colours bright and fresh and will tackle germs, grease and stubborn stains.  ACE for Colours and ACE Stain Remover Spray keep clothes robust and clean, helping them to last longer, while being gentle enough to use everyday. So those grass stained knees, lunchtime dribbles and arty rainbow splashes can be tackled with ease.

I've been testing the ACE products for the #ACEforSchoolChallenge and have been grateful for a helping hand with the weekly washing. 

Freddy is in Year 5 of primary school and over the years we have had a considerable amount of stains to contend with. Whether it's something dropped down his front in the dinner hall (such as some tomato pasta, which is one of his favourite things to spill - why do they never spill nice, white mashed potato?!) or smudgy, charcoal fingerprints caused by messing around with his mates during art lessons (I swear there was more charcoal on Freddy than there was on his picture of the Egyptian God Anubis) there is always a laundry challenge for me to deal with.

It's not just my youngest son that has pushed my weekly washing endeavours into epic battles. My daughter once came home from school looking like a real life, walking, talking Jackson Pollock painting. When asked how she had got into such a state, she stated matter-of-factly that a boy in her class had decided to paint on her instead of on his paper. This is the kind of thing that we have to contend with as parents on a weekly basis.  I just thank my lucky stars that I live in a time of washing machines, detergents and products such as ACE. How my own mum coped living in the pre- automatic washing machine era, washing stuff by hand in the sink, I will never know! I sometimes feel a bit guilty that things are made so easy for us nowadays, but I soon get over my feelings of guilt and enjoy the ease and convenience of modern living, as I relax with a coffee while listening to the hum of the washing machine doing the job for me.

One thing that really matters to me is trying to reduce my impact on the environment where possible. Laundry is a necessity that I have to do, but I make sure I do full loads, use a faster washing time and a lower temperature setting. With products like ACE, the laundry process is really optimised helping get rid of stains and germs with ease. So I can reduce the energy and water I use, without compromising on the results. With school age kids this is invaluable. The ACE Stain Remover Spray can be used to target stubborn stains making sure the paint, tomato sauce or grass stains are tackled directly and efficiently within the wash. The ACE for Colours is gentle on clothes and helps prevent colours from bleeding or running, as well as helping shift dingy trapped dirt, grease and odours from fabrics. Whites look brighter and colours look more vibrant, even at low temperatures. My children can rock up at the school gates looking clean and smart every morning - but I can't promise they'll look so smart when they come home at 3 o'clock!

Here's a little photo collage of my littlest two in their school uniforms over the years - please note that there is not a stain in sight!

“This post is an entry for the BritMums #ACEforSchool Challenge, sponsored by ACE. Get help for all kinds of stains with the ACE Stain Helper. http://www.acecleanuk.co.uk/ or to buy head to your local Tesco’s, Morrison’s, Waitrose or Sainsbury’s.” 

Matalan School Uniform Review #backtoschool

The school year is almost over for Kizzy and Freddy.  For Kizzy this sees the end of her primary school education, and from September she will be going up to the local secondary school.  Freddy will become a Year 1 in the same class as he is in now, joined by the new intake of reception children.  He is looking forward to becoming one of the 'big kids'!  The new school year means that Kizzy and Freddy will be needing lots of new items of school uniform.  Luckily for them Matalan stepped in to help with our back to school purchases!

Kizzy was sent some lovely pieces from the range making three very different back to school looks.

The fashion empire line pinafore dress in grey, features pockets and adjustable button down straps which cross over at the back.  The material has some stretch in it for a good fit. It is available for children aged 3-13 priced from £6.00-£8.00.  It was teamed with a white polo shirt, which comes with embroidered detail and a scalloped collar.  The fit is good and the material is soft on the skin.  A two pack is priced from £5.00 to £7.00.

Kizzy's next look was a more formal approach to uniform consisting of black skirt, white blouse and black cardigan.  The skirt is lovely with an adjustable waist band and lovely embroidered detail to the front.  The material is soft and silky and the hang and movement of the skirt is very feminine. It is priced from £5.50 to £7.50. The long sleeved white blouse is a nice fit, made of crisp, easy care poly-cotton with a button front fastening. Kizzy popped on her new house tie for her new school and looked really smart.  A two pack of shirts costs £5.00 - £8.00.  The cardigan has scalloped edging detail and button fastening.  It's a simple but pretty design, which fits well and buttons up at the front.  It will be perfect under a blazer.  It costs from £5.00 to £7.00.

Her third style is the summer dress in green gingham.  The skirt is a flippy style with lots of movement, and there is a pocket and bow detailing on the waistband.  It is a very pretty design and is cool for the summer. It is £7.00.

              

On her feet Kizzy wore a nice pair of flat black pump style school shoes with flower detail on the toe and velcro straps for a good fit.  They are sensible, practical but also pretty.

Matalan also stock a range of underwear such as socks, tights, vests and pants, so kids can look smart from head to toe!  It is a one stop shop for all your children's back to school needs.

Freddy looks very smart in his grey trousers, white shirt and blue jumper.  The trousers had an adjustable waist (essential for my slim waisted little lad) and a zip fasteneing. They are Teflon coated for stain resistance, making them better able to cope with everything my little school boy will put them through.  The fit was good, but I'm going to need to take them up by about an inch.  Freddy is quite weeny!  They are £7.50.  Freddy usually wears polo shirts for school but he loved the white shirts.  At £5.00 to £8.00 for a two pack, they are good value for money.  The fit is very good and the back is darted. He looked very grown-up in them.  The V-necked jumper has ribbed cuffs and hem, and is knitted from a cotton blend fabric for comfort.  At £5.00 to £7.00 it is perfect for wearing to school.

Matalan also stock a great range of polo shirts in various colours priced from £4.00 for a three pack.  We were very impressed with the plain white vest multipack, which works out at just £1.00 per vest.  You can also pick up items of sportswear, coats and other school essentials.

I am so pleased to have made such a great head start on my  back to school shopping.  I am determined to avoid any last minute rushing about at the end of August trying to buy things I have forgotten.  I plan to be totally organised allowing me to enjoy a stress free summer where I can make the most of the precious time with my family.

Matalan's school uniform range offers items to suit different budgets and tastes.  Many items have adjustable waists, some are Teflon coated and many are easy to iron.  You can buy in store or order online for convenience.  The uniform comes in sizes from 3 up to 16 years old, seeing your little ones through their school years.

See more at www.matalan.co.uk/back-to-school

School Uniform Nostalgia

I can hardly believe that come the summer holidays, my little boy Freddy will have one whole year of schooling under his belt. Remembering back to last September, my barely 4 year old son was about to begin his journey into formal education.  He is my youngest child, my baby boy and he seemed so little to be taking such a monumental step.

I secured him a place at a small village primary school, three miles from home in a beautiful rural setting.  The intake for reception was initially just seven children, who would join the twelve Year 1's under the care of their wonderful Mother Hen of a teacher.  Getting him in the perfect school for his personality and his tender years was immensely important to me.  This decision has seen my little boy flourish into the confident, friendly lad he is today.  I couldn't be prouder of him!

With his new found confidence, my timid child has become a roughty-toughty lad who loves to play hard in the playground and enjoys Friday mornings when the children swap the classroom for the woods where they build dens, search for minibeasts and hunt bears. He loves to play with the playground equipment, jumping, climbing and clambering around.  Freddy loves school (although he has said there is one thing he doesn't enjoy...the work!!)

Looking back on his first day of school, Freddy looked so smart in his school uniform.  With his grey trousers, yellow polo shirt and blue sweater, all in age 3-4, he looked the part. Seeing him as a schoolboy for the first time brought tears to my eyes.  Somehow, simply by donning those special clothes he went from being still a toddler in my eyes, to being a proper little boy.

At the start of his first term at school, even the aged 3-4 trousers were baggy and dragged on the floor.  Thankfully, Nana is a dab hand with a needle and thread and turned the hem up an inch or two.  The elasticated waist cinched in just small enough to keep his trousers from falling down if the polo shirt was tucked in.  A year on and we are looking to buy a whole new school uniform for him to begin the new school year in September, because he has grown so much.

George school uniform  from Asda is one of our favourite brands to buy.  Not only is it incredibly reasonable with boys' trousers starting at just £3.00 and polo shirts from £2.50 for a two pack, it also has a 100 day satisfaction guarantee.  This means that if the uniform fails to meet your expectations, you can return it with an original receipt for a full refund.  You really can't go wrong with that promise! 

This September also sees my youngest daughter Kizzy start secondary school, which will require us buying her the required school uniform including blazer, white shirt, school tie and regulation knee length skirt.  

It seems like only yesterday that she was a tiny little girl in an oversized school uniform just starting Infant School.

In a blink of an eye she was in Year 3 and starting at her new Junior School.

Now she is about to finish Year 6.

Looking back of photos of the kids from years gone by reminds me just how fast time flies by.  It is so important to live in the moment and make as many memories as you can, enjoying everyday of your children while they are still young.  Because before you know it, they will be grown-ups off to start their own adventures, and leaving  their schooldays far behind them.

After all. it seems like just 5 minutes ago that this was me, back in 1981, aged 12 and at grammar school.  And now I am a 45 year old mother of five!

This post was brought to you in conjunction with George but I retain full editorial control.

Back At School - Products Round-Up

We're two weeks in to the new school year and Freddy has caught his first bug.  Poor little man is riddled with cold.  My Back To School wall chart from Boots has hints and tips for keeping little ones well and recommends the Boots Cold and Flu Defence Spray as a good way of reducing the severity and duration of a cold.  It might prove a good investment!  You can find the FREE chart online here.  It has some great advice (including a little gem of wisdom from yours truly regarding keeping little ones well hydrated!)

Boots also sent me some handy items for my medicine cabinet.  This has come in handy as we have had a cut knee to deal with already after Freddy fell off a scooter.  A First Aid Kit is definitely a must-have when you have children!  The Boots Complete First Aid Kit has a great selection of bandages, wipes, plasters, dressings, tape etc. so you can deal with everyday accidents from grazes to burns to sprains.  The first aid booklet is very useful and everything is contained in a handy zip up case. (rrp £19.99)

At the moment, a clean school uniform stays looking smart on Freddy for approximately 30 seconds.  We have seen paint splodges, school lunch spills and dirty knees already.  Dr. Beckmann have helped save the day thanks to their Stain Survival Kit that I was sent to try. It can help keep the kids' uniforms clean by treating stains caused by felt tips, pens, crayons, yogurt, fruit juice, carrot, egg, ink and a whole host of other common stains using three of their specific stain removers. (rrp £3.99)  I'll be trying out the in-wash Stain Remover and Hygiene White next week (rrp £1.99 and £2.25 for 5 sachet packs) as Kizzy is off on a residential, activity trip on Wednesday where she is guaranteed to get covered in mud.  That is one load of laundry I am not looking forward to!  You can take a look at their product range, information and testimonials online.

www.dr-beckmann.co.uk

I went to the Tots 100 Blog Summit at the weekend and took part in the Cow & Gate #fruityfun blindfold taste test, trying homemade fruit purees against their new 100% Fruit pouches.  I was first to take the challenge and tried the apple purees.  My favourite one was surprisingly the Cow & Gate pouch.  It had a far fruitier taste than the homemade puree which was quite bland by comparison.  Later on I tried the Banana and Strawberry puree and again found the Cow & Gate pouch far fruitier and fresher tasting.  Maybe it is because the ingredients used by Cow and Gate is baby grade, especially sourced fruits which are of the highest quality.  Nothing is added apart from a little extra vitamin C. I picked up a few freebies from the Cow & Gate stand and will definitely be looking out for these instore.

I love the convenience of the pouches and although they are marketed for babies, my older kids still love slurping them straight from the pack.  They are excellent for lunchboxes and Freddy will be more likely to eat and enjoy a fruit pouch than he would a whole apple (which can be tricky for a 4 year old with baby teeth and the lure of a playground calling). Anything that makes packed lunches easier for him to eat get a thumbs up from me.

Sistema Lunchboxes have proven to be a godsend so far this term.  The compartments keep food separate and safe and minimize the need to pack things up into plastic food bags which is good for the environment and for my pocket.  The drinks bottle doesn't leak and is a good size.  As it's refillable we are again saving money and as we're not buying individual cartons and bottles we are being eco-friendly.  I went a bit mad before term began buying loads of Sistema stuff for all three of my school and college kids.  But I'm so glad I did as it is proving to be more cost effective long term.  The Quad lunchbox is on sale for just £2 at my local Asda so I may have bought a couple more for spares!

UK's Lowest Price Supermarket School Uniform from Aldi

No sooner than the kids break up for the summer holidays, the prospect of kitting them out for their new school term in September rears its head.  Buying the children everything they need for the new school year can cost a fortune, especially when you have more than one child at school, but help is at hand!

Aldi is taking the sting out of the Back to School bill by unveiling its one-price-fits-all school uniform, offering cash conscious parents an unbeatable bargain ahead of the holidays - the UK’s lowest priced supermarket school uniform saving up to 36% on its competitors.

Top of the class for quality and price, Aldi is ensuring parents are quids in after the school shop by offering them the cheapest supermarket school uniform in the country. Parents can pick up two polo shirts, one round neck sweater and a skirt or trousers all for £4, along with a whole host of other Back to School essentials, in stores nationwide from 25th July 2013 and available while stocks last.

Rigorously tested to ensure its whites stay white, hems don’t drop and knees don’t tear, Aldi’s Specialbuy school uniform range carries a flat price across all sizes (4-11 years), so parents can enjoy unbeatable value underpinned by excellent quality – for a fraction of the usual price tag.

Aldi’s Specialbuy Back to School range is in store nationwide from the 25th July and includes shirts, polo shirts, trousers, skirts and much more.  Stocking up early, means you can relax and enjoy the summer holidays without having to worry about any last minute panic buys and without breaking the bank.

We were sent one of their Back to School padded jackets for Freddy, which will sell at £9.99.  The thick blue and grey, zip-up jacket has elasticated cuffs, velcro fastening front and pockets and high-viz detail to make sure little ones stay safe on the school run.  The fleece lining is really snuggly and warm and I was very impressed with the quality for an item with such a small price tag.  It will be excellent for autumn/winter.

On sale from 25.07.13 and available while stocks last.  

Full Price List (correct at time of publishing)

Boys Padded Jacket £9.99
Boys Trousers £1.50
Boys Ankle Socks x 5 £1.49
Boys Briefs x 5/Boys Boxers x3 £1.69
Boys Knitted V Neck Jumper £1.99
Boys Plain Polo x 2 £1.25
Boys SS Shirt £1.99
Boys Vests x 3 £1.99
Boys/Girls PE Shorts x 2 / Skirt  £3.99
Boys/Girls Round Neck Sweater £1.25
Boys/Girls Round Neck T-Shirt x 2 £1.99
Children’s Plimsolls £1.49
Girls Padded Jacket £9.99
Girls Pinafore £2.99
Girls Pleated Skirt £1.50
Girls Trousers £1.50
Girls Ankle Socks x 5 £1.49
Girls Ballet Kit £9.99
Girls Briefs x 5 £1.69
Girls Knee High Socks x 5 £3.99
Girls Knitted Cardigan £2.99
Girls Plain Polo x 2 £1.25
Girls Scuff Resistant Shoes £6.99
Girls SS Shirt £1.99
Girls Tights x 3 £4.99
Girls Vests x 3 £1.99

Name Labels for School Uniform

Freddy starts school in September.  I can't wait to buy him his teeny tiny school uniform and a lunchbox ready for his very first day in Reception.  However, with so many other mummies doing the same thing for their little school kids, we need to make sure that our children's things are clearly labelled so they can be returned in the very likely case that they get misplaced.

I was contacted by Ikast Etiket (or Label Yourself), an online company specialising in high quality tags, wristbands and clothing label solutions.  They provide an excellent choice of clothing labels that are perfect for the new school term.    Iron-on Labels and Transfers, Woven Labels, Name Stamps, Tapes, Fabric Pens and Stikins are all available to order, personalised to suit your needs.

I was pleased to receive a selection of products to label up both Freddy and Kizzy's uniforms for this coming September.

The Iron-On Labels will attach to items on clothing quickly and easily using an iron for 10-15 seconds. 

• Iron-on name labels recommended for marking all forms of clothing e.g. vests, woollen hats, gloves, sweaters, trousers, rubber boots, rainwear, etc.
• No sewing required. The labels stay on securely.
• Iron-on name labels can tolerate washing temperatures up to 90º degrees and tumble-drying.
• Soft, user-friendly quality. Does not cause irritation to the skin.
• Room for 2 lines of text (25 characters per line) and an image
• Dimensions: 30 x 10 mm
• All labels are white with black text.
• 20 pieces cost £4.95

The Stikins are iron-free sticky labels that have multiple uses for both clothing and items such as lunchboxes and pencil cases.

• Stikins have been tested to withstand 30 washes at 40 degrees.
• For best results, stick on the care label of clothing.
• Size 15 x 30mm with rounded corners
• Room for 2 lines of texts (22 characters maximum)
• Prices start at £6.30 for 30 pieces.

The Fabric pen offers a quick and easy solution to labelling clothing instantly or in an emergency and is considered the best textile pen on the market.

• Quick and easy
• Very cheap solution
• Perfect for clothing that isn't washed frequently
• Just £3.00

So whatever your clothing labelling needs, Label Yourself has a solution.  Postage is a flat rate of £2.95 and orders take between 5 - 10 days for Iron-On Labels and 7 - 14 days for Stikins.

http://www.labelyourself.com

Tights Please!

Cosy Tights for School from tightsplease.co.uk

The Autumn Term has well and truly begun and the weather is getting noticeably chillier.  Kizzy was delighted to test out a pair of Little Ladies Soft Thermal Fleece Tights for school from tightsplease.co.uk. 

Kizzy was instantly impressed saying they were "soft and fluffy inside" and "the warmest thing I've ever put on my body!"  She looked great in the tights that look sheer from the outside.

Available for ages 3-4 to 9-10 they cost £3.50 and are available in black, grey or navy and will keep your daughter warm and snug.  The Little Ladies range stocks great value, quality hosiery for young girls that are made to last, and which come in several designs.

For all your hosiery needs from fashion tights to shapewear to tights for your little ladies, Tights Please is a convenient online destination that offers free UK delivery.  The range of colours and styles is huge and the positive feedback from customers shows just how good the service is.  It certainly beats traipsing around the shops trying to find the perfect pair of tights!

Asda Back To School 'Little Designers' Challenge

CHOSEN BY MUMS; TESTED BY KIDS; GUARANTEED BY GEORGE

We are always impressed with George school uniform.  The prices are extremely competitive, the styling is good and the quality is great.  With September fast approaching we have been getting some new back to school essentials for Kizzy and so when we were invited to take part in the Asda 'Little Designer' Challenge we were happy to accept.

Kizzy was supplied with a plain white rucksack and a selection of fabric paints to create her own design.  She also received some items from the George range to model with her finished rucksack!  

Today, Kizzy sat down to get creative and crafty with her rucksack.  She decided on a Jigsaw Puzzle design using the coloured paints and pens to add splashes of colour.  She pencilled on her design first then used the brush with black paint to go over the lines. She finished off by adding colour to some of her jigsaw pieces.  I think she did a great job!

Here is her finished design.

Kizzy's school uniform items that she was sent to try out include a green school cardigan (£4), ruffle front polo shirt (£4) and black bootcut stretch trousers (£7).  I love how grown-up the trousers look and the fit is great for Kizzy who is tall and slim.  The ruffle front shirt is so much more pretty than a plain polo shirt, and Kizzy loves it.  I really like that she looks fashionable and will feel confident, but that her clothes are still practical, easy to wash and good quality.

Bottle Green School Cardigan

Ruffle Front Polo Shirt

Teen Bootcut Stretch Trousers

Kizzy tried on the clothes and everything is a great fit.  She even got quite excited about going back to school, which is a good thing!

The idea of personalising a rucksack or bag for school is a really nice idea.  Having a unique bag amidst a sea of identical One Direction rucksacks will help Kizzy identify her possessions in the cloakroom.  The activity itself was a lovely way to spend a couple of hours and gave Kizzy a project to unleash her creativity on.  Fabric paints and pens are a great way to stamp your individuality onto things, something that is really important to youngsters who are keen to establish their own unique identity!

If you need convincing that the cheap prices of Asda's school uniform do not mean compromising on quality, give this video a watch.

George school uniform is covered by George’s ‘100 day satisfaction guarantee’ allowing parents to return it up to 100 days after purchase if they aren’t completely satisfied.  

Kizzy's design is now entered into the 'Little Designer' competition with all the other blogger's children's personalised rucksack designs.  I look forward to seeing all the other budding designers' creations!

Back To School Savings Challenge

As the Summer Holidays race on, thoughts are turning to the big Back To School shopping trip to prepare for September.  The shops are filled with all types of back to school gear which can be a bit overwhelming.  It is tricky knowing where to start and decide exactly what your children really need.

The Back to School Spending Report surveyed over 2,000 people to find out how people are spending in these cash-strapped times and how they fit the new school year into their finances. The key findings from the report found that 35% of people feel burdened by the expense of kitting kids out for the school year and 15% always spend more than they expected on back to school.  However the stand out stat was that it costs a whopping £121 to send one child back to school every September. This figure includes the cost of shoes, uniform, stationery and school bags.

Most Wanted is the lifestyle magazine from UK's #1 money saving site Vouchercodes.co.uk.  They are dedicated to smarter shopping and are looking for ways to bring down the cost of the Back To School spend! By asking  parents to share tips and guidance on saving money and challenging bloggers to seek the best high street back-to-school basics, all for under £80, they are looking to find the best uniform, shoes, trainers, sports kit and stationery sets on the high street.

Kizzy is about to go into Class 5 next term.  She loves to be involved in the back to school shop and enjoys picking out new things for the new term.  I have been kitting out my kids for school since my eldest started Infants back in 1993!  So I have had lots of practice and have lots of experience in this field.  I love getting bargains and saving money is very important to me as a mum to five children.

Ready For School

• My first school uniform buying tip is to forget designer labels!  The supermarkets stock uniform must-haves for incredibly cheap prices.  If your kids are like mine, their polo shirts get discoloured and dirty very quickly, thanks to spilled lunches and messy art lessons. Asda stocks a two pack with lovely scalloped collars from just £2.50.  A few packs will see Kizzy throughout the whole academic year.  You only need to have enough in use for one to wear, one in the wash and one in the wardrobe.  They wash up really well.   Asda's Teen Bootcut Stretch Trousers start at size 10-11 years making them a really trendy option for young girls who want to look and feel grown-up at school and cost just £7 a pair.  PE shorts, T-shirts and tracksuits are also available at low prices.  You don't need to kit them out in Adidas and Nike...if your child is like mine, they will lose half of their sportswear throughout the school year anyway.  It is much less galling to replace a £2 PE sweatshirt than one that cost £25!

• Tesco also stocks a great range of cheap school uniform essentials and if you take advantage of the Summer Clubcard Exchange you can get £10's worth of clothing for every £5 Clubcard voucher!

• Our biggest uniform cost is the compulsory dark green, logo school sweatshirt which costs £15, but in true frugal style I bought Kizzy the larger size last year, making it fine for another year!  If any of your child's uniform still fits, then carry on wearing it!

• Shoes can pose an expensive problem for us as Kizzy has fallen arches and needs good support meaning that  many off the shelf cheap shoes are inappropriate for her feet.  Deichmann shoe shops sell a huge range of branded shoes and their serve-yourself policy allows us to try on as many pairs as needed to find a pair that supports Kizzy's feet.  The great thing is that they always have great prices and they also have a Buy One Get One Half Price offer on their Back To School range, meaning we can get both Kizzy's school shoes and PE trainers (non-designer of course) for less cash!  I don't go for top designer labels as their feet grow so fast.  And if her shoes from last year still fit her feet, we give them a quick polish and she is happy to wear them until she needs the next size up.

School Shoes!

• Making sure that all your purchases can be returned to your child if they end up in the Lost Property basket at school  is a really important money saving idea.  You can buy iron-in or sew-on labels, but I opt for a laundry marking pen which costs just 98p in Morrison's.  Most school uniform items have a label inside for putting on the owner's name, so a quick session of name writing will have your child's name prominently displayed on each garment.  

• Stationery can be expensive if your buy one of everything for each of your children.  I have learned however, that at Primary School children really only need a pencil case, a couple of handwriting pens, a couple of pencils, a sharpener, a rubber and a 6" ruler.  Forget the geometry sets, calculators, glue sticks, felt tips, highlighters, fountain pens, Sharpie markers and other paraphernalia.  They are not needed at this stage.  Most stuff beyond the basics are supplied in class if needed.  Plain versions of the essentials cost pennies, but if your kids want something a bit fancier then Wilkos current stationery range includes some great designs such as Photography, Nostalgia, Geo and Sweet Shop and currently have a 3 for 2 offer!

• Another trick I have learned is that after September, shops like Asda and Wilkos sell off their Back To School stationery with prices up to 75% off.   I stock up on all the bits and bobs we need, keeping them in a big plastic box in the garage.  I then have a constant supply of pencils and rubbers to give the kids all year round.  (My supply of fancy pens and pencils also make great party bag gifts or birthday presents throughout the year.)

• Lunch boxes can be really expensive.  I have paid loads of money for the latest, zip up, padded design in the past.  But one thing I have discovered is that they get really dirty, really quickly and end up having to be replaced just as quickly as a cheaper version.  Nothing really beats a plastic tupperware box which can have the lid  customized with stickers to make it personalized and easily recognisable in the pile of One Direction lunchboxes that will appear in the classroom come September.  The box can be properly washed every night keeping it hygienically clean.  Popping in a frozen insert will keep the food inside safe.  Drinks bottles are the same, don't waste a fortune buying a fancy one...kids will still chew the top off!  You can buy a cheap one from Poundland for £1 and replace it regularly keeping it hygienic and safe.  

• School Bags can be another big expense if you let them be!  Up until secondary school, children don't have much to carry to and from school.  They do not need something as big as a suitcase!  A simple zip up rucksack, tote bag or a messenger bag is perfect for school.   Wilkinsons, Primark or Asda are great shops to pick up a bag for about £6.

Sending your child back to school needn't be a huge expense.  A sensible , thrifty approach needn't mean that your child misses out on looking good and feeling confident walking through the school gates for a new school year.  Involving them in the shopping and extolling the virtues of saving money is an opportunity to teach them some valuable life lessons.  Remind them that by spending less on their uniform means more money for the fun things in life!!

Disclaimer:  I received payment for contributing editorial input for the back to school report.