Local parents pay back-to-school bill using loose change and kids’ savings

22 Aug Local parents pay back-to-school bill using loose change and kids’ savings

MUMS and dads in the east of England are battling the stress and soaring cost of back-to-school shopping by hunting for loose change down the back of the sofa … and even borrowing from their own children.

A Coinstar back-to-school survey among UK parents shows 59% of parents in the east of England say they find the process of shopping for new school kit stressful – and expect to spend an average of £270 per child to return to school.

Parents in the east of England say they foot the bill for the new term by going into overdraft (22%), dipping into their own children’s savings (20%), delaying credit card repayments (20%) and borrowing from grandparents (18%).

Nearly half (47%) of mums and dads in the east of England say they would cash-in spare change found around the house to make sure their kids start school with the correct kit.

And the majority (90%) fear they will be hit in the pocket again during the year to cover the cost of school projects and trips – with an average of £360.

Parents say rising costs and peer pressure to keep up with the latest trends fuels back-to-school stress

The Coinstar survey, carried out by Atomik Research, revealed nearly three-quarters (73%) of parents in the east of England say school costs are rising and 35% say they have to cut back on household essentials to foot the back-to-school bill.

More than half (57%) of mums and dads say they and their kids suffer from peer pressure to buy the most fashionable clothing to start the new academic year.

Parents of children in the east of England aged 7-11 say their kids are the most likely (70%) age group to face peer pressure when shopping for new uniform compared to 47% of those aged 5-7.

Sixty-three per cent of parents said school clothing was the biggest expense they faced before September, followed by electronics (16%) and extracurricular fees (10%).

Nearly eight in ten (78%) parents rely on the big supermarkets to supply their back-to-school list, while 53% say they use specialist school uniform stores and 20% shop online.