Clever buyers have chunks of the stationery lists sorted by

• Author: Lauren O'Connor-May lauren.oconnor-may@inl.co.za
• Published date: 20 January 2022
• Publication title: Athlone News

Buy bulk

Join together with other parents or relatives for a stationery stokvel, buy bulk and split the stock.

Buy through the school:

This applies for both uniforms and stationery. Some schools strike deals with stationers or uniform manufacturers and sell from the bursar’s office at a dramatically lower price.

Some schools also have second-hand uniform sales from stock donated by pupils who have left. This has the double bonus of benefiting both you and the school who would then reinvest that money into the upkeep of the school, which benefits your child in the long run too.

Lay-by:

Growing up, my mom did everything on lay-by. Nowadays, it is the less popular option for reasons that I cannot fathom. Shops don’t charge interest on lay-bys so it is a better option than credit.

Buy good quality:

This is a bit of a backwards tip but it makes sense only once you implement it.

Most people are tempted to buy the cheapest option when it comes to a product but this is not always value for money. The cheaper product is sometimes the inferior product, which means you’ll be replacing it sooner than the more expensive counterpart.

Often you would have replaced the cheap product multiple times before its more expensive counterpart runs out, unintentionally spending more money than you would have by buying the better quality product in the first place.

With good care, a good quality school blazer or shoe can outlive several school generations. During my high school career, my pin-stripe school blazer had had a rich and full life before it was gifted to me. I know this because uniform retailers had stopped stocking the style several years before. When I applied at the school for my eldest daughter, I was surprised to find the pinstripe still going strong, several decades after being decommissioned.

Add school items to your Christmas or birthday wish lists:

Now, I’m not saying buy your child’s school stationery as their gift (though one particularly tough year my mom did exactly that and we didn’t hate her for it) but, if you buy composite gifts, rather than just one big gift, consider adding a few stationery items in the mix.

Shop the sales:

Stationery requirements tend to change as the child progresses but there are some staples on every list; glue sticks, scissors, pencils, colour pencils, erasers, sharpeners, copy paper, etc. If you spot these on sale during the year, buy and stock.

Check your existing stock:

Today’s Parent advises that parents first check what kids...