HUNTING for schoolbag essentials these days means more than picking a few coloured pens and pencils.
With prices at tween stationery store Smiggle reaching £18.50 for pencil cases and £45 for a kids’ backpack, you can soon be left with a hefty bill.
Here are some school necessities that won’t blow the budget.
Take note: Poundland is a life-saver for back-to-school pieces. They stock everything from themed pens, pencils, highlighters and binders to revision cards and notebooks.
You could make a huge saving, compared to Paperchase, where unicorn-themed notebooks cost £7.50.
SAVING: £6.50 on a notebook
Keep costs cool: Aldi is a must-visit for lunchboxes, backpacks and sports gear. For packed lunches, there is a fun emoji lunch bag for only £5.99 — it even has two tiers of storage so you can separate your snacks. Similar bags cost £14.99 at Amazon.
SAVING: £9
Revised prices: Check out local Facebook groups and Facebook Marketplace for educational books — parents are often keen to flog last year’s kit.
For example, I found six Key Stage 3 Science CGP revision guides for £10, which cost around £35 from WHSmith.
Collect them in person to avoid postage fees. You can also find second-hand text books on eBay and Amazon — just make sure they are the up-to-date.
SAVING: £25
Keep tab on spending: Amazon’s Fire 7 Kids Edition tablet, £99.99, is safe, fun and affordable. You can pay in instalments of £20, it comes in three colours, has a case and one-year subscription to Fire for Kids Unlimited, giving access to thousands of apps, games, videos, books and content from Disney, Nickelodeon and Sesame Street. Plus you can set screen-time limits.
Compare that with Apple’s cheapest iPad Mini at £302.99 and you have bagged a bargain.
SAVING: £203
- PRICES correct at time of going to press. Deals and offers subject to availability.
Deal of the day
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