MUMMY TO THE MAX

A year ago today I sent my little boy on a bus to preschool. I worried if he would be okay. I worried if he would settle in. I worried if he would he make lots of new friends. I worried over the fact he could barely speak and I worried myself silly over the fact he seemed "so behind".

Maxwell is just a week away from starting school. Over the holidays, we were lucky enough to not only review some fantastic clothing from Lidl, MandM Direct and Morrisons but we also went shopping for our school essentials. Over the past few weeks I have learnt a lot about shopping for school items on a budget. Here are my top 10 tips on how to save money on back to school.

We are just a week away from Maxwell starting school and we are now prepared to head back. Over the past few weeks, we have worked hard on ensuring Maxwell has all the correct uniform to go back to school with. A few weeks ago Morrisons sent us some of their fantastic uniform range for us to review.

Maxwell and I love to go on day trips with one another. Whilst out we love to take a packed lunch with us. I find taking a packed lunch out not only saves us money but also does not limit us on where we have to eat and what time we need to eat as Maxwell can freely eat when he needs to. Maxwell was recently sent a new lunch bag to accompany him on his trips out.


Maxwell was allowed to choose a Lunch Bag from the Internet Gift Store. There was a wide range of choice and a lot of different character designs to suit boys and girls for all different age ranges. After a lot of thought Maxwell choose a Monsters University Lunch Bag which also came with a lovely sports bottle.

The lunch bag arrived quickly and it was well packaged. Once opening it I was impressed with the brilliant quality. The bag was square shaped and rounded round the edges and was a reasonable size to fit a drink, sandwich and snacks into. Inside the lunch bag, it has a insulating lining to keep the food cold and is easy to wipe clean.

The outside of the bag is very eye catching. 4 pictures of the Monster University characters can be seen and the pictures are made up of bright colours. The bag has a soft carry handle that is easy to hold and a zip fastener which is enables Maxwell to open and close the bag easily. At the back, there is a name slip to put in your child's name and details in, the name slip is only a bit of card so now and again you could make your own slip to personalise the bag a little bit more.


The bag included a metal Monsters Universtity drinking flask which has a flip-top cover over the spout. Maxwell found it easy to drink out of the bottle and although the bottle is quite small it was easy to fill up over and over again. The bottle isn't insulated but the aluminium casing will help to keep drinks slightly cooler which is a big plus in the summer.

The Internet Gift store has a great range of lunch bags, boxes, bottles, so why not pop over and see what you can find for your little one.

Set a budget - Before you even go and buy items, stick to a budget. Keep in your mind what that budget is and work around the budget. Why not include your children in this and explain if you both manage to stick to the budget and spend less then you will split the remaining money with them so they can buy themselves a small treat.

Stick to a list – Write down everything you need and don’t veer from this list. You may be tempted to buy extras or give into children's demands however do they really need it and can you really afford it? Stick to your list and shop around for the best deals.

Check your house - Before you hit the shops check that you don't have items that can be used from the year before. There may be some new pens and pencils tucked in the back draw that didn't get used last year, use those before buying new. If the old school kit still fits why not use it until they have grown out of it before buying new.

Shop the sales - Check online and high-street sales. You can save money on pretty much anything these days from lunch boxes to winter coats see if you are able to find things cheaper. Always look out for discount codes/vouchers when shopping as this can help save more money and buy stationary in bulk as it is something they will need all year.

Trawl charity shops and pre loved sites – you can often find uniform/back to school bits on there. Just because its second hand doesn't mean its rubbish. A lot of things people sale are as good as new and sometimes things can even be new.

Supermarkets - Supermarkets are often tripping over themselves at this time of year with cheap uniform deals and BOGOFs. They try and compete against each other and try and offer the cheapest price. Compare prices on the net before going on a trip to save fuel. If you find a bargain – buy the next size up too so you will save money when your child grows.

Spend a day getting funky - Buy plain items which will be cheaper than character/branded stuff and jazz it up using stickers, glitter glue, badges and even iron on badges which can be used on clothing/fabric bags. This will be a fun activity for your children and show you their creative side.

Label Items - Label all your children's belonging so they do not get lost. If your child keeps managing to loose their belongings this is going to end up making you spend a lot of money. Teach your children to look after their items and if they do go missing, make sure they are easy to identify by placing a simple label on them.

A few months ago Maxwell and I were lucky enough to work with Stuck On You. We were sent some items which we thought would benefit Maxwell on a sleepover. We really enjoyed the products and thought they were great quality, so when we were asked if we would like to review some products which would make swimming time easier we happily accepted.


Maxwell enjoys going swimming however sometimes when we are in the changing room we find it hard to identify our belongings, not only that but its hard to keep all our swimming things in one place.

We were sent -
Drink Bottle
Library Bag
Beach Towel
Iron On Clothing Labels

First up I took a look at the drinks bottle. I loved the unique style of it being stainless steel. The drink bottle features a clever design which includes a pop up lid. Maxwell found it easy to open the lid himself and found it easy to drink out of. It kept his drink cool whilst we were swimming.

The iron on labels we were sent were perfect to stick on to Maxwell's swimwear. They were easy to apply and it only took a few minutes. After Maxwell had gone in the swimming pool the labels were still attached to the clothing perfectly. You get 50 labels in a pack and they will grow with Maxwell as he ages, they are well worth the money.

The library bag we were sent has many uses, which makes it great value for money. Since Maxwell has had the bag we have used it to go swimming, on a picnic and he has taken it to his A. Rachels with a few toys in. It is large enough to include a towel, swimming trunks, water bottle, and toiletries that Maxwell would need. It would make a perfect swim bag/gym bag for children attending school.

I am in love with Maxwell's towel. It is very fluffy,soft,large and covers Maxwell when he gets out the swimming pool. It keeps him warm and is of good quality. I have washed the towel three times and it has washed up well. Being able to personalise it is great as I know for a fact Maxwell will never be able to loose it as it is unique to him. It will also be easy to find when he goes on swimming lessons and has to leave a towel out.


Overall I am really impressed with Stuck On You Products. They help children identify there belongings which is key when children are starting school/after school lessons. Stuck On You products are high quality and they are priced well. As Maxwell grows older I will be buying him lots more things from the Stuck on You range.

For more information please visit there website or their Facebook or Twitter

a Rafflecopter giveaway