It’s back to school time!
As we come to the end of August there’s lots of people on the move! We have:
- Young children returning to school
- Older teenagers going to University, and
- Parents who are now going back to work after lockdown and the school summer holidays.
There’s no reason why anyone should pay full price for any kit, clothing or equipment they need – all it takes is a little bit of research and planning.
These are the best deals I’ve found so far:
1. School Uniforms
For young children the best place to get school clothes is the local supermarket! Most have white shirts for between £2 – £3 for instance. Both Lidl and Aldi have a back to school bundle offer of two shirts, a sweatshirt plus a skirt or trousers for £4.50.
In addition, parents can also get a PE kit for £12.76, with trainers, plimsolls, joggers and a T-shirt.
If you’re a parent struggling to buy uniform, then you could receive help from your local council. Head to Gov.UK, to see if you can apply for grants for school uniforms with your local council.
OR, If you want to go slightly more upmarket, both Marks & Spencers and John Lewis have uniform deals – for example John Lewis have back to school shorts for about £8.
2. School Shoes
Shoes can be expensive however Shoe Zone sells school shoes for under £10.
3. Stationary
We all need new pencils and paper when we go back to school or university. WHSmith have a 3 for 2 offer which covers stationery, files and pens etc. They also have a half price offer on certain items, including highlighters, maths sets and folder dividers etc.
There’s also some good deals and offers on hotukdeals.com for larger items like backpacks and printers as well as the normal stationery stuff.
4. Computer Equipment
Older children and university students will also need some computer equipment and there’s a decent search website called techradar.com where you can search for specific items – so I found a 14 inch laptop for £179.99 on Amazon through the tech radar site.
Also, for these larger more expensive items don’t forget to look on Amazon warehouse. I looked on there for the same 14 inch laptop and could get one slightly cheaper for £171.07.
NB Amazon warehouse is where they sell ‘returns’ so there may be a box damaged or opened plus there’s various levels of damaged goods for small scratches to missing pieces etc and the prices vary accordingly.
5. Travel and Train Deals
For people starting to travel back to work, firstly look at railcard options and then look for specific deals. The West Midlands railway offers free travel for ‘travel to interviews’.
In principle you get cheaper travel booking for longer periods and for booking further in advance.
If you’re driving to work, then always check for your cheapest local petrol on PetrolPrices.com. Simply put in your postcode and how far you’re prepared to travel for petrol and it finds the cheapest local fuel.
They say the average driver saves £220 per year by looking on their site for cheap fuel.
Top Tip – Every trip is cheaper if you car share!
General tips
If you don’t want to shop instore, most outlets will have an online option and there is always Amazon. Online won’t be quite as cheap as some of the supermarket options for instance but it’s still worth a look.
Finally, always check basic web sites like hotukdeals.com and latestdeals.co.uk. Also some newspapers (e.g. the Daily Mail) are currently giving away vouchers for back to school stuff and offers.
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