Back to School Value for Money with Sports Direct

Back to School Value for Money with Sports Direct

It’s a momentous time in the Mummypenny household, my final baby Jack is off to school. I am venturing into that world where all three boys are at school, the same school, for 6 hours and 15 minutes each day. Yes, it’s that time of the year where I need to buy three sets of uniforms, shoes, footballs boot and name lables. This year I have bought lots of my shopping list from Sports Direct.

Back to Emotion

I am looking forward to five full days of child free time, but with a sob and a stutter. Jack is my last baby. My boy who needs lots of cuddles every day and whom tells me I am beautiful. That I look like a fairy when I wear swirly dresses. My baby is growing up and going off to the lovely Knebworth school reception teachers. I know I am going to cry, I am welling up now. It’s a ten-year part of my life ending in two weeks’ time. The pre-school years are over.

Practicalities

Of course with school comes a huge practical effort of organising and purchasing three lots of school uniforms, yes three. Here ensues me spending a small fortune on three outfits. Or rather saving as much money as humanly possible to save the pennies and pounds.

We need to tighten our financial belts and reuse as much stuff as possible. I am a hoarder and have kept as much stuff as possible from the older boys that is still reusable. Jack has a warm winter coat, trousers, shorts, school bag, water bottle, lunch box and a PE kit already. Left to buy is school shoes, black socks, polo tops and navy jumpers.

School Shoes

I have learnt the school shoe lesson in a costly way. I have been there and spent £40 on pairs of sturdy shoes from Clarks or Start-rite. Only to be ruined by the end of November. All the boys run miles every day and play football at every given opportunity. The regular school shoes do not last, go on Clarks if you are reading this, I dare you to test new shoes on my boys for wear and tare. They do not last. The past couple of years I have gotten them plain black trainers from Sports Direct and saved myself some money. There are plain black branded trainers available for around £20. Handily also doubling up for PE.

Jack has got some very smart Reebok shoes along with some plain black socks from sports direct. The plain blue (not white as it gets too dirty) polo tops and plain navy jumpers will come from the supermarket. Best get ordering online!

Dylan and Josh

Dylan is my eldest at nearly 10 and Josh is nearly 8. Being the older ones, they get fewer hand-me-downs. Their new school shoes also came from Sports Direct, and I am giving sturdy school shoes a go again. I got these smart Kangol shoes for £20 each, brothers will be matching. I also got them matching again black Karrimor warm coats, new rucksacks and water bottles. With them being older they totally kick off if one gets something new whilst the other one doesn’t. To keep the peace, they both got the same new things.

We need more polo shirts as those from last year are trashed. Shorts and trousers are still fine. They tend to wear shorts for 48 weeks of the year until extreme cold of snow time so we are fine there. Their school jumpers are still looking good and fit.

Football Stuff

There is (feels like) a constant need for new football boots, so both boys have got new Adidas football boots, why not try out Sports Direct boot finder tool to search for the best football. You would not believe how complicated football boot shopping is…firm ground, soft ground, socks, sockless, colourful, black, brands, round studs or blades. I am a football mum but still get confused by it. This tool made it simpler to chose the right selection of boots.

Name labels

I do a clever thing, I order labels with all three names on them. This saves me the ordering costs of getting three names printed and as long as the lost items get back to one of them, all is good. As us mums know things are lost every week, literally every week. What is point of spending £10 on a logo jumper when it gets lost three weeks into term, I know we have all been there!

This post was written in collaboration with Sports Direct