I’m a thrifty mum who gets £5 blazers & budget packed lunches – save £140 on back-to-school with my tips
A BUDGETING mum has shared her top tips for saving money ahead of the notoriously expensive back-to-school period.
Heidi Ondrak has a following of 52,000 on Instagram, where she shares “thrifty money-saving hacks”.
The 53-year-old, from Plymouth, has made headlines before revealing clever tips and tricks to cutting back on costs – from feeding the family to covering energy bills.
Now, she has lifted the lid on how she prepares for the September return to school without breaking the bank – estimating she saves “at least” £140 following these methods.
UNIFORM SAVVY
“I always buy the logo blazer and PE kit in a bigger size and use sleeve holders for dangly sleeves – that way it’s only on alternate years that I need a replacement,” Heidi told What’s The Jam.
“I also ask friends if they are offloading blazers, if their child is bigger than mine.
“An alternative [to save money on uniforms] is to use Facebook Marketplace to buy pre-loved blazers for your school.
“I sold my kids’ ones for £5 last year – which is a lot better than £40 new!
“It’s extra money towards a new uniform, and someone else is grateful for a bargain.”
As well as this, Heidi is careful to check the old uniform to see if anything can be salvaged for the new year.
She said: “I do a scavenger hunt to see what fits and what state it is in.
“As there is often a warm spell, I rescue stained short sleeve shirts by making a paste of white vinegar and baking soda, and massage it into the armpits and around the neck to remove stains.
“If that doesn’t shift it, I use Flash Spray bleach, give them a wash and they are good to re-use.”
For knitwear, she uses a debobbler to remove any pulls.
SECONDHAND STEALS
As well as selling her own pre-used items, Heidi scours secondhand sites and car boot sales for cheap gems.
She said: “For shoes, we are lucky enough to wear black leather-look trainers, and I found a pair of Black Nike AF One in good condition at the local car boot sale for £4.
“Some polish and inner soles, and they are good and look fresh.
“As these are pretty sturdy, they last the year– although we do stuff them with newspaper when they get wet and let them dry in the airing cupboard so they stay looking in good shape.
“I have in previous years also found loafers at the charity shop that had the stickers on –brand new for £7.
EXTRA HELP WITH SCHOOL UNIFORM COSTS
IF you can't get targeted help from your council, you might have some other options available to you.
In some areas, you can talk directly to your school, which might be able to offer you clothing.
Or, you might be able to get cheap garments from low-budget shops or charity stores.
Some charities offer help to families in need too.
But bear in mind charities often have a limited amount of money to give and usually have specific criteria which must be met in order to get a grant.
Charity Turn2Us has a free grants search tool on its website which you can use to find out what help is available to you.
Meanwhile, you can always try approaching your nearest Citizens’ Advice branch.
If you don’t know where your nearest Citizens’ Advice branch is, you can find out by visiting www.citizensadvice.org.uk/about-us/contact-us/nearby/.
If you’re not eligible for a school uniform grant you might be able to get help through the Household Support Fund.
“I found a pristine puffa coat for school at a car boot sale for £3.
“Equally you can find jackets and coats for a fraction of the price on Vinted or in charity shops.”
For school bags, Heidi prefers to buy a high quality one as “cheap rucksacks break and split”.
To keep costs down, she bought them pre-used on Vinted, buying a “virtually new” one for £15 – saving an estimated £50.
SHOP SMART
When Heidi does need to buy things new, she heads to Asda for “great value” logo-less uniform pieces.
She said: “I stock up on tights and socks for school in Primark while they have good stock levels.
“The kids get through loads of pairs so I do bulk buy in August when no one wants tights – that way we don’t get caught short without any.
“As soon as the fluffy winter tights that sell out in Primark come out, I grab those too as they are great in winter mornings.”
When it comes to stationary, Heidi recommends doing a “scavenger hunt” at home before heading to the shops.
She said: “Look in old bags, pockets, drawers and rucksacks for stray stationary – check what you find against the list of equipped that the kids need and then just buy the missing items.”
Back to school deals to be had
SEVERAL major supermarkets and retailers are set to launch their sell-out uniform deals.
Prices for the bundles and offers start at just £5
Among the chains offering bargain deals on kids’ uniforms are Aldi, Marks and Spencer, and Tesco.
Asda
Asda’s George range offers the following key pieces:
Boys Uniform
- 2-pack polo shirt – regular fit or 2pk short sleeves shirt – from £3
- 2-pack slim leg adjustable waist trousers – from £8
- 2-pack basic sweatshirt – from £5
- Black double strap cupsole school shoes – from £10
Girls Uniform
- 2-pack scallop polo shirt – regular fit or 2 pack short sleeve shirt – from £3
- 2-pack pleated skirt – from £8
- 2-pack basic cardigan – from £8
- 2 pack short sleeve shirts – from £5
- 2-pack white short sleeve school polo shirts – from £3
Peacocks
Discount fashion retailer Peacocks is offering its cheap uniform range in all stores with 20% off from July 28.
Its kids’ uniform goes from age 2-3 up to age 14-15 years, which is a new age range for this year.
Among its key items are:
- Kids blouse – £5/£6/£7
- Kids polo 2-pack – £6/£7/£8
- Kids skinny trousers – £9/£10/£11
- Kids bootcut trousers – £9/£10/£11
- Kids Bengaline super skinny trousers – £8/£9/£10
M&S
M&S has held prices on its school uniform since 2021 and has confirmed the return of its popular 20% off school uniform early bird offer from July 2.
You can get the discount by shopping online or in stores where uniform is stocked.
Some examples of its range include:
- From £7 for a 3 pack of 100% responsibly sourced cotton unisex polo shirts, featuring stain-resistant technology
- From £11 for 2pk Boys’ Slim Leg School Trousers
- From £12 for 2pk Girls’ Pleated School Pinafores
Tesco
Tesco is bringing back its 25% off uniform deal again this year, the sale starts on July 23.
It doesn’t tend to run for a long time, so it might be a good idea to stock up while you can.
You need to ensure you have your Tesco Clubcard or app when you get to the till so the discount is applied.
Tesco is yet to reveal the exact items available in the offer.
Sainsbury’s
Sainsbury’s says it has maintained its 2022 prices on its school uniform.
It is said to be introducing its 25% off sale on June 19.
Last year you could pick up two packs of polo shirts starting from £3, trousers from £4 and two packs of gingham dresses from £10 both online and in stores.
PACKED LUNCHES
Finally, the budget mum recommends steering clear of costly school lunches, and packing your kids a cheap version instead.
She said: “School galley food is expensive – I mean who wants to pay £2.50 for wedges and £1.90 for a bottle of Radnor Splash?
“I give mine plain water in metal bottle to keep it cool.
“Packed lunches take a battering in a school bag so I find bagels stay fresher for longer than bread and also don’t end up misshapen and soggy.
“Buying a pack of frozen sausage rolls means that there is always an emergency snack that you can cook.
“Instead of cheese strings and pricey snacks I will wrap cheese chunks and crackers and make my own snacks.
“I will prep the week’s lunches and have them in the drawer in the fridge in bags ready to grab every morning.
“[They have] cooked meats for the first three days and then cheese for the last two days as it doesn’t go off.
“I will also put cherry tomatoes in bags and pepper chunks, and homemade popcorn in bags.”
Heidi previously made headlines sharing how she feeds her family for a week using one roast chicken.
Challenging herself to stretch her pennies to the limit, the thrifty mum found buying one large chicken could make lunches and dinners for the entire week, bulked out with frozen vegetables and potatoes.
She also revealed her clever tip for saving on energy bills ahead of the new year last winter – putting aside £1 a day to help with any nasty surprises.