School uniforms! I will not spend $30 on a pair of shorts!!!
A lot of you probably don’t have this problem, but for those whose children have to wear a school uniform, I’m sure you will be able to relate.
I now have 4 out of 6 children attending school, with that comes expenses. First obviously you have your school fees, then all the school supplies, then you have excursions and fundraisers and of course uniforms.
Uniforms are starting to become a major problem in my house. It is not that my children have to wear them, I fully support uniforms in schools. My problem is with the cost. It is just becoming absolutely ridiculous.
To offset the cost of the school shirts that have the emblem and are required under school rules to be worn, I purchase all of their other items, shorts, jumpers, hats and pants from our local Kmart, instead of the school uniform shop.
This has just recently turned into a problem. For the last 6 years, since we moved back here from Western Australia my children have all attended the same school, and they have always had the school shirt purchased at the uniform shop and every thing else purchased elsewhere.
Now I understand that their shorts and my daughters skirt when she was still in primary school, do not match the exact colour of the school, they are a few tiny shades darker, but, they always go to school in school colours and looking presentable.
My annoyance is coming from a few members of the P and C who have started to complain about students not wearing correct uniforms, not just my children either, there are lots of us that don’t buy the school pants and jackets for the simple reason that they are just to expensive!
Why are these members of my school community complaining? Because, the uniform shop is apart of their revenue raising for the school! A percentage of every item sold goes to the P and C. Now I also have no problem with the this, except for the fact that I can’t afford their prices, and like anything in this world, if you can’t afford it, you either go without or you find it someplace else cheaper.
I understand that all the profits made from the P and C go back into items needed at the school, and I buy something at every bake sale and book club, we attend every disco and event that they organise and contribute as much as we can, but having to spend absolutely huge amounts every six months or so on new uniforms is just not a possibility.
My boys grow like crazy, and they are not small lads either, it is ridiculous to ask parents to buy school shorts at a cost of $30 a pair made in a fabric that has no room for them to stretch and move, when I can buy a very similar pair at Kmart for $4 made out of soft stretchy fabric that will last a lot longer.
If they get torn or lost or painted on, I don’t care, I can replace them in five seconds, now if a pair of $30 pants gets destroyed, my kids are gonna have to go without something else in order for me to replace them.
The same goes for hats and Jackets, I buy each child a new hat at the start of the year, once it is lost (or stolen) or damaged, they get the plain blue $2 hat from the shop, who on earth can afford $18 everytime a hat goes missing and in this house, and that happens a lot.
Now Jackets I have a major problem with, they are insanely expensive, $40 is far to much to spend on one item of clothing for a 5 year old! It, like everything else, will get damaged, lost or grown out of and I for one am not spending that kind of money on my own clothes let alone my children. I also find the cost absolutely ridiculous when you can buy the exact same jacket from the store, minus the school logo for $7. Now you can’t tell me it cost $30 to print a tiny picture on a jacket.
While I’m happy to support our school, I know what a wonderful job they are doing looking after and educating my boys, I just can’t afford to do it through overpriced school uniforms!
As far as I’m concerned as long as my children are wearing their school shirt and all other items are colour matching to the uniform, they are in uniform!
Thanks for reading.
Totally agreed that it is overcharged. Will you or your children be in any trouble if you don't buy from the school. If you go and tell them your problems, can they subsidized the cost. Hope things work out at the end for you.
@jackpot
Technically, yes, they could give the boys detention for not being in uniform, however, they haven’t done so yet, trust me, if they do it will not end well.
Lol, kids and their abilities to misplace things, my younger ones are always looking for one thing or the other every blessed morning of school: pencils, assignment books, water can that was carelessly not placed in the appropriate place in the kitchen
Following your blog is actually giving me the experience I’d need when I have my own kids in the nearest future
Oh, don’t get me started on lunch boxes and water bottles, I now have a back up supply in my pantry because someone has lost something the day before lol.
Good to see the plastimake getting some playtime. How great is it?
It is fantastic, we use it all the time for therapy, and the kids just think it’s playtime lol.
I totally agree to this
The prices you have spoken about there are quite preposterous, especially considering the fact that growing boys grow at the speed of light, moreover, what happens when the so expensive uniform gets damaged, what will one do? Buy another expensive set? Quite ridiculous i think
Exactly my point, I just can’t afford to replace items that cost that much, and kids grow so fast! Master 5 has gone up 3 shoe sizes just this year alone!
You are really a good mother that caters for her kids, they must be a good kids for you too because you really deserve happiness from them, they are all looking good. I will like to receive more of positive response from you concerning them, the money will surely come, you only have to hope for better things coming your ways soon. I could see they are all happy.
Money is money, but happiness is more important! Hopefully one day I will be in a position to spend more money on such things as uniforms, but today is not that day.
So Adorable and Cute baby! baby love good quality inform so everyone should buy baby choose uniform :p
Thank you
You are really a good mother. It is understood to saw in their eyes, how much you keep them happy. Because someone's eyes cannot lie.
We feel your pain. Two of our kids go to a school where the students are required to wear uniforms. While I have no issue with the idea of uniforms, the cost is outrageous. Sometimes it feels like it would be cheaper to buy the latest in style brands. We are constantly looking on the swap shop and resale forums because buying these things brand new is just too expensive. It really makes no sense to me how they can charge so much.
I love the resale shelf at the uniform shop, i also use hand me downs, the little boys are wearing their big sisters old uniforms, unfortunately Master 10 is a big lad and we have to order his shirts in seperate and the shorts don’t even come in his size! I’m hoping the boys don’t completely destroy their shirts and I will be able to use them for my girls when they start school.