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How much? The true cost of school
With the summer holidays in full swing, parents around the UK will no doubt be noticing the looming back to school adverts grazing TV, shops and websites.
While parents claim to spend £70 on school uniforms, Provident asked 2,024 parents in the UK to list all the elements that go into sending your child to school.
Cost breakdown of sending one child to school for a year
As the new academic year gets closer, parents should expect to pay approximately £1,519 to send a child to school, these cost vary based on the academic year your child will be in.
Some of the main costs throughout the year include: Childcare: £220 Uniform: £70 Tech: £85 After school clubs: £106 Packed lunch: £585 Commuting: £60 School social events: £55…
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Summer family deals at Odeon cinemas
A family of four will be able to visit ODEON Cinemas to enjoy a film, food and drink for just £30*, until September 8th. At selected sites across ODEON Cinemas, this price is as low as £25 for a family of four!
ODEON are also running their continued ODEON Kids screenings every day throughout the Summer holidays at participating cinemas across the country – with tickets from just £2.50** each for all guests. For more information, families can visit: http://www.ODEON.co.uk/kids/
ODEON’s family offering for summer includes:
- Families of four can enjoy a visit to the cinema with a film, food and drink for just £30
- Families of three can also visit the cinema with a film, food and drink for just £26
- At certain ODEON Cinemas, including those in Manchester, Edinburgh & Birmingham, these prices
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Lidl vs Aldi in school uniform wars
Lidl is currently running a school uniform TV campaign where some of its items are £1! Today, Aldi and Lidl have undercut Asda, previously the cheapest supplier of school uniforms, by more than £3.
The German discount supermarkets Lidl and Aldi are in the middle of a school uniform price war, with each discounter offering an entire outfit for less than £4.
Lidl is offering four primary school essentials – two polo shirts, a jumper and trousers or pleated skirt – for £3.75 from today.
While Aldi slashed its earlier offer of £4 for its Back to School uniform to just £3.69.
The moves undercut other high street retailers by as much as 80%.
Tony Baines, managing director for corporate buying at Aldi, said: “In order to deliver outstanding quality at unbeatable prices, we have …
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HSBC launches 2016 student account with £3K interest-free overdraft
HSBC today launched its 2016 student account, offering an interest-free overdraft of up to £3,000 as well as a £60 Amazon.co.uk Gift Card plus a year of Amazon Prime benefits, and what’s more, a range of exclusive offers and discounts across top brands.
The new HSBC Student Bank Account is available from 22nd in branches and online and includes:
- Up to £3,000 interest-free overdraft with no fees (subject to status and account conduct)
- £60 Amazon.co.uk Gift Card
- A year of Amazon Prime benefits
- Optional student credit card with a limit of £500 (APR 18.9%)
- Credit interest paid on balances up to £1,000 in the first year of study
- HSBC Mobile Banking app, including Paym
- Contactless debit card and access to Apple Pay and Android Pay
- Text alerts: customers set their own limits and we’ll text
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Cost of raising girls higher than raising boys
New research and analysis into the cost of families from Sainsbury’s Bank has found that some children come with a heftier price tag than others. Parents of children under the age of 18 estimated that a daughter is more costly to raise than a son, across all age points(1).
The survey, which was conducted for the bank’s second Family Finance Report launched today, suggests that it is around £300 a year more expensive to raise a girl at ages 0-5; around £400 a year more at 6-13 years-old and around £600 a year more at 14-18.
Average cost of raising a child by gender and age group, 2016
Age Cost of Son Cost of Daughter 0-5 £5,475 £5,767 6-13 £6,414 £6,794 14-18 £7,172 £7,747The reasons for this may be varied but government data …
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Boots Opticians launches free clever eye check storybook
I take my children for eye checks every year, but I still love the idea of this neat, free, fun eye check storybook called Zookeeper Zoe that launched last week.
Up to 80 percent of what a child learns is through their sight, so this innovative book contains a range of interactive eye check activities to help understand if a child might need support with their vision. The book is also designed to remind families that all children should have a regular eye health check as research shows 53% of children2 have never had their eyes checked.
350,000 printed copies are being given away in Boots UK and Boots Opticians stores, so get your skates on and grab yourself a copy. It is also available as an interactive app and can be read online and …
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Grants not loans – how can low income families send children to university?
When I was younger…which is quite a few years ago, my tuition fees were paid and I got a grant…not a full one but a fairly decent grant. Well last Thursday, the government decided to axe student maintenance grants, with what may leave up to half a million 18 year olds no longer able to afford university.
The government is turning these grants into loans you see. Unfortunately, we can protest all we like, but this legislation is being pushed through without a vote. In this time of austerity, I can understand why maybe some subjects aren’t top priority, but removing this funding from youngsters who want to be doctors, engineers, or teachers is crazy.
The loans (£3,387) are for accomodation, food and other necessities, and are essential for students who can’t ring the bank …
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January 2016 giveway – win tickets to The Baby Show at ExCeL, London
January is such a hard month, so I want to help my readers to have a little treat by organising as many giveaways as I can for you. We’re starting off with a pair of free tickets to the Baby Show, worth £40.
The Baby Show with MadeForMums, the UK’s leading pregnancy and parenting event, will be returning to ExCeL, London from 19th – 21st February 2016. The Show is a must-attend event for new and expectant parents with over 200 exhibitors showcasing the very best baby and infant essentials. It’s the only show to feature all the major retailers alongside well-known brands including iCandy, Stokke, Philips Avent and Chicco who will all be selling amazing products with equally amazing discounts! Everything you need for bump, baby and beyond…
The Baby Show highlights
• Over …
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Pretty tin of Conte colouring pencils – gift idea
Another gorgeous Christmas gift idea for the artist in your life. Master Bargain Hunter was over the moon when he recently got these pencils, so I thought I’d share with you.
Firstly, the colours are so bright and vibrant so fantastic for someone who loves drawing or even for a new adult colouring book fan. They come in a nice tin, so great for carrrying them around if the user doesn’t have a pencil case, and you can get them in packs of 12 or 24.
The quality is excellent, so rather than buying a cheaper pack that doesn’t last, these are a better option. They look great too as they are black except for the coloured leds.
Master BH informed me that as they are quite soft, it’s easier to build up colour with …
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A cashback site that helps you save for your kids
So today, I heard about KidStart – a free shopping club for families that enables you to save money for your kids while you shop.
It’s a bit like a rewards card or a cashback site, but across thousands of retailers – a lot of which you probably already shop at – Amazon, John Lewis, Achica, Boots, M&S, Ebay, Argos, Next, Waitrose, Saindsbury’s etc – and you get actual money rather than points.
KidStart is a similar service to TopCashback and Quidco, the difference is that it is all about saving for your children rather than just ‘cash back’, which has benefits…it means that the service is able to work with different retailers who are less keen to work with ‘cash back’ companies. Partners such as John Lewis, Amazon, eBay, Waitrose and Sainsburys are working …
