What to do about the unexpected??????

flufff

school uniform and a decent pair of shoes arent a luxury but essentials.Dont be so hard on yourself.
If things are tight ebays a good idea.I find though I generally have to budget 3 weeks in advance with ebay.Week for listing.Week to get money in then clearing time.

IWannabedebtfree

Thanks for your understanding, flufff and mariel.My DS does look smart, off to school in his brand new clobber this morning. He's at a sensitive age and might feel embarrassed in second hand stuff, so I'm glad I bought it-but just remembered that I haven't washed the sweatshirt beforehand, so his nice white polo shirt will be covered in blue fluff tonight! At least it's not PE day, so he won't be taking it off at school.

moggins

I completely agree about the school uniform. I had a childhood full of ridicule thanks to secondhand clothes and end of sale shoes, we had no uniform at Junior school so my mother used to send me in orange and turquoise socks as they were the cheapest she found and didn't start looking grubby like white ones. No matter what else I have to skimp on, my kids always get new school uniform when they need it.

Iwanna - what I do is buy spares for school uniform in the next size up whenever I have some extra cash, that way it doesn't hit you as such a surprise when they have a growth spurt.