I was gobsmacked by the uniform prices at my son's new school – so tried Aldi's range to find the hits & misses
But as September approaches, my son is gearing up to start secondary school - and when it comes to uniform, it's a very different kettle of fish.
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His current uniform consists almost entirely of supermarket bargains, bar a couple of pieces with the school logo on them.
So I got a big shock when I looked at the prices of uniform for his new school - with ONE plain V-neck jumper selling for a whopping £19, while I won't get much change from £40 for the blazer.
And as any parent knows, you need to have more than just one of each item - to cover any accidental damage or misplacing.
But instead of forking out for the much pricier items direct from the school supplier, I decided to hit Aldi - after hearing good things about their cut-price uniform.
Their new back to school range hit stores on July 29th, meaning that by the time I made it to my local branch, I'd missed the first stock drop.
It's a good idea to check the best days to find the best SpecialBuys in the middle aisle before you go, but I still managed to snap up some brilliant bargains.
Shoe in
Lily & Dan boys' leather shoes, £8.99
Football boots, £9.99
Black/pink trainers, £6.99
I hadn't been anticipating buying school shoes from Aldi, but was pleasantly surprised by the selection in store.
Of course it's difficult to predict what size shoe your child will be in by September, but at £8.99 a pop, you can afford to buy a couple of pairs in the next few sizes up.
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I make the UK's most controversial school uniform
They're also leather - meaning they're more likely to last longer than other cheap options - and super comfy, according to my son.
Another thing I wasn't prepared for is the fact that I need to buy football boots for him for PE lessons at his new school.
But luckily, Aldi has once again come to my rescue, with a pair for just £9.99.
And my daughter didn't miss out too - they've got cute black and pink trainers sure to delight even the girliest girl, and they're just £6.99.
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.
Bag it
Lily & Dan backpack, £11.99
Premium lunch bag, £5.99
Water bottle, £3.49
On the bag front, there were some brilliant choices - with my daughter struggling to pick between a pink and orange ombré style lunch bag, £5.99, or a doughnut-themed one.
There are also backpacks (£11.99) in the same designs, and they're really roomy too.
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After MUCH debating, she eventually settled on the doughnut-themed set, so we also picked up the matching £3.49 water bottle.
I'll be very interested to see how the bottle compares to others we've tried before, as my kids seem to get through them at an incredible rate.
There wasn't as much choice for boys - with a black and white checkered design or a football-themed one.
Given that my son isn't a football fan at all, we went for the former, once again getting the backpack, lunch bag and matching bottle to deck him out for September.
Getting shirty
Shirt, three pack, £3.69
One thing I struggled to get hold of was some shirts for my son.
I think they must have been among the most popular items in the range as the shelves were bare.
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However, in the interest of testing out the shirts, I picked up the last remaining pack in a size five to six.
They come in a pack of three for just £3.69, which works out at £1.23 each - an incredible price considering how many he's likely to get through in a term.
They washed well, and came out having retained their shape on the collar.
I tumble dried them, as that's what I will probably be doing the most, and they did come out wrinkled - meaning I'd have to iron them before he could wear them to school.
And as ironing is my most despised job, I think I'll invest in some crease release spray for his shirts!
Grey day
Jersey pinafore, £6.99
Jersey skirt, £3.49
Tights, pack of three, £3.99
For my daughter, there was a lot more in stock in my local Aldi.
I managed to get a few bits for her school wardrobe for September, including a jersey pinafore dress, a skirt and a pack of tights.
Tights is one thing I find we go through a lot of in the winter - probably because of the fact I do tend to use the tumble dryer a lot, and they shrink.
So getting a pack of three for £3.99 is an absolute steal.
I washed the tights, pinafore and skirt to see how they fared, and was pleased to see that they all looked as good as new when they came out of the washing machine.
And another bonus is that they can be popped into the tumble drier.
Seeing red
Sweatshirt/cardigan, £1.50
I also nabbed a sweat cardigan for £1.50 for my daughter.
Again an epic price, especially if you consider the fact that a similar cardigan in Marks & Spencer is £7.
While the jersey cardigans are arguably the most comfy material for little ones to wear, it can be a nightmare when they're washed, as the super soft inside fabric often sheds and goes over everything else in the machine.
But that wasn't a problem for the Aldi cardigan, which didn't have any kind of shedding when I washed it.
However, where the cardigan fell down in my estimation is that it can't be tumble dried.
And while I do try to dry clothes outside, or on airers inside, as much as possible to save money, there are times during the winter when I have no choice but to use the tumble dryer.
Either it's too cold to dry them outside, or I've left it too last minute to dry them inside.
So I need something that can be tumble dried.
Saying that, the cardigans are an absolute bargain, so are good to have in the cupboard as emergency spares.
Final thoughts
As a parent whose always looking to save money, Aldi's uniform range left me very impressed.
The only downside is that there isn't a huge variety when it comes to colours.
My son, for example, needs black V-neck jumpers for his school, which aren't available in Aldi.
Likewise, the polo shirts only come in white or pale blue - not ideal if your child needs green, yellow or navy, for example.
But with prices this low, it's definitely worth a trip to your local store to see what you can stock up on.
And I'll be trying my luck at other branches in the coming months to see what else I can grab in preparation for the new school year.
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