5 Back to School Hacks for Busy Parents

The summer holidays may have only just started, but I'm already thinking about the new term. This year I am going to get it together and I will NOT be one of those mums shouting at the kids as we turn up to school just as the gates are closing. This year I WILL be organised. Who is with me?? I've put together a couple of Back to School Hacks that will hopefully help (I just need to remember to stick to them myself).

1 - Buy Plain Socks 

By plain socks I mean absolutely zero decoration - no stripes, no bows, no 'days of the week' - they need to be completely plain. I recommend stocking up at Primark. You'll thank me for this tip later when you can easily pair your children's socks up and don't end up with 25+ random school socks that are all slightly different to each other. BONUS TIP: If you have more than one child, buy each child a different colour sock. This year Harry will be wearing grey, Jack black and Heidi white.

A selection of odd socks we ended up with this year

2 - Double up on PE kits

They don't tell you this in the uniform list, but I think it is definitely worth doubling up on PE kits, especially if your children are older. Last year Harry had PE twice every week and also a before school Judo club where he needed to go to school wearing his PE kit. Look out for double packs when buying shorts, joggers and t-shirts. I have bought my children their full PE kits from Debenhams this year and the plan is that one kit will stay at school whilst one will be all packed at home. Hopefully this will avoid those mornings when the kids tell you it's a sport tournament and you realise you haven't washed their kit in weeks. It's always good to have a back up kit. I have been really impressed with the quality of Debenham's Sports Kits & I'm confident they'll keep the kids warm during those dreaded cross-country sessions and will last all year.

Pack of 2 Navy Jogging Bottoms £12-14 | Children's Navy Hoodie - £11-£13 | 

Pack of 2 white T-shirts £5 - £9  | Sistema Twist 'n' Sip Water Bottles £4 - All Debenhams

3 - Create a School Fund Jar

It's a well known fact that sending your children to school is expensive. If Harry & Heidi decided to opt for school dinners, I would have to pay £22 per week which will rise to £33 per week when Jack moves up into Key Stage 2. Yikes! That's not including sponsor money, world book day, raffle tickets, school fairs, school trips, coffee mornings.......I don't begrudge paying this money at all but it is sometimes a struggle when you are presented with a letter and expected to pay £15+ within a few days. With this in mind, I am creating a 'school fund' jar where I'm going to empty my spare change every couple of days, Hopefully this will mean that there will be no more last minute dashes to the cash point or scrabbling around for change in the morning.

4 - Don't Iron Uniform

To me this is a no-brainer. Life is FAR TOO SHORT to be standing ironing school uniform every night. Just take your children's uniforms out of the tumble drier when they are still warm,  give them a little shake and you are good to go. It saves so much time and stress and nobody (well apart from my mum) will notice. 

5 - Start Planning Lunches NOW

Due to Heidi moving into Key Stage 2 (and the fact that I will now have to pay for school lunches because of this), we have decided that Harry and Heidi are going to take a packed lunch to school. I don't have much imagination when it comes to school lunches so I've already put together a Packed Lunch Pinterest board full of ideas and will be stalking the wonderful Eats Amazing website in the coming weeks for further inspiration.

I think the key is, with a bit of planning and preparation now, things will hopefully run like clockwork when the kids go back to school in September. Let me know if you have any killer tips and hacks too.

Disclosure: Items were bought using a Debenhams gift card for their Back to School campaign