Welcome back to Broke in Bristol – the blog that helps you save money and live life to the full on a shoestring. Last week Little Miss Diva, like many other children, went back to school and I, like many other parents, felt the pinch as a wad of the monthly budget went on new uniform and necessities.
According to research by Marbles.com it can cost parents over £200 in clothes and equipment to send a child to school each year. In response, they have researched some of the most cost-saving hacks and presented the top 10 in a new infographic. The full infographic can be found here.
For example, did you know that you can keep last year’s dark clothes looking great by washing them with vinegar? Or that you can keep trainers smelling brand new with just a few teabags? Other money-saving hacks include:
- Frugal football boots – Ebay, Gumtree and Freecycle have the exact same branded football boots and they can be over £37 cheaper than buying brand new from stores.
- Tight budget – Ladders in tights are always a nightmare, but spending a mere 59p on a can of basic hairspray could be the difference between having to buy a brand new pair or keeping their uniform in check!
- Vinegar dark wash – Why spend over £22, the average cost of new school trousers and a jumper, when your kid’s dark uniform starts to look faded when you can add a bit of distilled white vinegar into each wash and keep them looking dark and fresh?
- Stain prevention – Sprinkle baby powder on the underarms and collars of white shirts to stop stains and oil seeping into the fabric. Before washing shirts, add lemon juice to water to avoid sweat marks and discolouration.
- Unlock zips with Vaseline – Dab a small amount of Vaseline onto a cotton bud to help undo zips that are caught.
- Anti-odour teabags – Putting a dry teabag in trainers can prevent lingering smells after exercise.
- Shirt button protection – Shirt buttons can come loose easily so paint a layer of clear nail polish on shirt buttons to prevent the thread from unraveling
- Charity shop chic – Marbles recommends car boot sales and charity shops as a goldmine for stationary, pencil cases and notebooks. Don’t forget to check out your local pound shop, Poundland has a great selection of kids pens, pads, notepads and pencil cases.
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