Last month, the lovely team from Sainsbury's sent Spud a large box full of fabulous back to school items to try out ready for not only a brand new school term, but also a whole new year. You may of read that first sentence and thought why are you writing this post now, in the middle of October? There is of course, a valid reason for this.
I'll be the first to throw my hands up and admit I am tired of replacing uniform and shoes only a few weeks into the start of a new school term, so I thought I would give this year's lot of school items a real thorough review, I wanted to see how long the shoes went un-scuffed, how long those beautifully white polo tops stayed white, and how long the jumpers would last for before they started bobbling!
The Facts:
- Sainsbury's sell an amazing selection of clothing (available at selected stores) through their clothing label TU.
- TU school uniform really does cater for children of all ages, the smallest sizes are from 2 years and the biggest 16 years.
- The quality is brilliant, with every item from the TU uniform range having been rigorously trialed, ensuring garments will withstand the daily wear and tear of school life.
- Sainsbury's cater for many school uniform colours, from shades of blue to grey, red to green, yellow to white and black.
What We Received;
Grey school trousers - pack of 2.
White polo tops - pack of 3.
Sweatshirt - pack of 2.
Socks - pack of 5 pairs.
Shoes.
Lunch box & bottle.
School Bag.
Stationary.
Snacks.
Snacks.
What We Thought;
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School trousers:
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| TU school uniform; sweatshirt, polo top, trousers and shoes. |
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School trousers:
I was pleased to see that the trousers we was sent was a pack of two, saving even more money then buying individual pairs. Spud is so tall, I have to order every pair of bottoms in a size bigger then his usual size, to ensure they fit him in length, but then I'm often left with him having too much room around his waist. Thank's to Sainsbury's smart technology, I had no worries with the trousers giving a nice snug fit.
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I hate ironing, and usually leave everything until the last minute, so when it comes to school trousers, my hatred of ironing is actually saved a little! If I hang the trousers straight onto the airer after a wash, nine out of 10 times, I'm lucky and will not need to iron the trousers with the crease staying in next to new good shape!
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| After a wash, and no iron. |
I've washed these trousers so many times now, they're Spud's most comfortable school trousers and they've really impressed me with the overall performance and price!
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Sweatshirts:
The official school jumpers really do annoy me, not only do they cost a small fortune (£12.95 at Spud's school), but they're thin, fray easily and stain with the smallest bit of paint or ink! These sweatshirts have been brilliant with the colder weather settling in, they're thick, comfortable and a steal at just £4 for two!
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| Polo top and sweatshirt after a number of washes! No bobbling sweatshirts! |
I don't usually dry school jumpers in the tumble dryer but I had too when I forgot to wash the uniform one weekend and needed a quick wash and dry! I was dreading the thought of getting Spud's uniform out, but was really impressed when the jumpers appeared to be in perfect tact! I prefer these sweatshirts to the official school jumpers, and have already picked up another two myself.
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| Polo tops still looking fresh and white after a month of school! |
Polo tops:
I feel like I cant really ever complain about polo tops, as to be fair they're relatively cheap. However, cheap just isn't something that really occurs these days, every thing cost money and every penny does add up. These polo tops are unisex, so not targeted just for boys, or just for girls and have survived about seven washes so far.
TU sell a number of different polo tops, including styles for girls, a number of different multiple packs as well as a large range of colours as seen at the beginning of this post.
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TU sell a number of different polo tops, including styles for girls, a number of different multiple packs as well as a large range of colours as seen at the beginning of this post.
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Socks and shoes.
I was surprised to see a smart pair of school shoes tucked at the bottom of our box of school uniform items. When it comes to shoes, you automatically think of a shoe shop, so I'm impressed to see that you don't have to shop all over the place to complete your childs school look!
The shoes Spud was sent, Unfortunately, I decided to get the school shoes in a size bigger, and so can't give a real detailed review of the shoes themselves until Spud has put them through the test! However, they're slip ones, which are great for Spud as he's not learnt how to do laces properly just yet.
The socks have done us well, for five pairs costing £6, it does work out £1.20 per pair, so 60p a sock but the comfort and quality of the socks is worth the price. I don't like compromising with Spud's clothes, and make sure he is as comfortable as can be. The socks have started sadly to bobble a little bit, but what socks don't? Especially after being work for long school hours!
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Lunch box accessories.
As the above section, I'm pleased Sainsbury's sell a wide variety of goods and not just groceries. We was kindly sent a Transformers 4 lunch box with a matching sports/drinking bottle which put a big smile on Spud's face!
The lunch box has a shoulder strap, which Spud isn't finding any more harder then carrying a normal lunch box because mummy carries everything. I'm pleased to find the inside insulated helping to keep food and drinks fresher for longer and the bonus is it's easy wipe material! The amount of half eaten yogurts that get left in their on a regular basis means it's so easy to wipe off!
We've been using the bottle as Spud's main break time and lunch time bottle, filling it to the top with diluted squash. Spud's an active and healthy eight year old who does run around a lot, leading him to become thirsty. I use to pick Spud up from school and he would be thirsty and wanting a drink straight away, now he comes out of school with drink left over due to the decent bottle size!
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Snacks.
Sainsbury's is one of the top well known supermarkets here in the UK, we're lucky to have a few Sainsbury's in my town and I'm often popping into the smaller stores for smaller shops. We was sent a great selection of snacks, acceptable for school snacks and lunches!
These cereal bars sold in packs of five are great for not just breakfast time but also for snack or lunch times at school and even as an after school snack! A box of five cost just £1.40 and is available in both raspberry & yogurt, and strawberry & yogurt.
It's not always that easy getting the recommended five a day into your child, especially on school days, luckily Sainsbury's sell a selection of dried fruit and veg including these jumbo raisins & cranberries priced at just 60p for a handy 35g bag, or these corn thins sold in a multipack of four - with each pack containing four thins for just £1.
Spud is loving the corn thins and I've been asked to promise I'll get some more when I next visit our bigger Sainsbury's! These two items are just two of many dried snacks that Sainsburys sell, other dried fruits include apricots, mango's, prunes, figs and berries and cherries.
These fantastic little pots of fruit in jelly cost just 40p each and come in a large variety of flavours and fruits. They're great as a lunchtime treat in a lunch box, or as a after school snack at home! Spud's favourite is the diced peach in mango jelly as mango is his favourite fruit!
These fruit slurps contain 75% juice, and 25% water giving your child that little bit of extra goodness whilst also giving them a treat. Priced at just 95p for three cartons and available in two varieties (apple, raspberry and grape & apple and mango), these drinks are great for lunch boxes or for refreshing drinks at home!
Spud loves these smoothies, they was demolished within a few days and I've already re-stocked on these a number of times! Spud loves smoothies, and I think they're a great way to get good stuff into your children, but usually, they're from the chilled aisle and need refridgerating making them not the bestest of snacks for packed lunches.
However, these orange and mango smoothies, priced at £2.70 for five can be found down the usual grocery aisle making them great treats for home time and school time! They taste yummy, and don't need to take up fridge space, what more could a mum and child ask for?
These cereal bars sold in packs of five are great for not just breakfast time but also for snack or lunch times at school and even as an after school snack! A box of five cost just £1.40 and is available in both raspberry & yogurt, and strawberry & yogurt.
It's not always that easy getting the recommended five a day into your child, especially on school days, luckily Sainsbury's sell a selection of dried fruit and veg including these jumbo raisins & cranberries priced at just 60p for a handy 35g bag, or these corn thins sold in a multipack of four - with each pack containing four thins for just £1.
Spud is loving the corn thins and I've been asked to promise I'll get some more when I next visit our bigger Sainsbury's! These two items are just two of many dried snacks that Sainsburys sell, other dried fruits include apricots, mango's, prunes, figs and berries and cherries.
These fantastic little pots of fruit in jelly cost just 40p each and come in a large variety of flavours and fruits. They're great as a lunchtime treat in a lunch box, or as a after school snack at home! Spud's favourite is the diced peach in mango jelly as mango is his favourite fruit!
These fruit slurps contain 75% juice, and 25% water giving your child that little bit of extra goodness whilst also giving them a treat. Priced at just 95p for three cartons and available in two varieties (apple, raspberry and grape & apple and mango), these drinks are great for lunch boxes or for refreshing drinks at home!
Spud loves these smoothies, they was demolished within a few days and I've already re-stocked on these a number of times! Spud loves smoothies, and I think they're a great way to get good stuff into your children, but usually, they're from the chilled aisle and need refridgerating making them not the bestest of snacks for packed lunches.
However, these orange and mango smoothies, priced at £2.70 for five can be found down the usual grocery aisle making them great treats for home time and school time! They taste yummy, and don't need to take up fridge space, what more could a mum and child ask for?
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Stationary.
And if you think Sainsbury's has already covered all the back to school buys, think again. Sainsbury's sell a huge selection of stationary, and not just for children too! I always look down their home aisle when I visit our superstore and love the styles and brands of stationary they do.
Satisfying buys for the whole family, Sainsbury's sell a great selection of their own brand stationary as well as some top leading stationary brands such as Crayola and Stabilo.
Satisfying buys for the whole family, Sainsbury's sell a great selection of their own brand stationary as well as some top leading stationary brands such as Crayola and Stabilo.
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So there we have it, for all your back to school needs, all under one roof, do pop down to your local Sainsbury's to stock up on all those school related items.
That is another thing I love about Sainbury's, unlike the other well known supermarkets who seem to rush the school items out of the way once September has come, Sainsbury's are still selling the items now in October, I think school uniform should be sold all year round, you never know when that growth spurt is going to hit!
Until next time,
Jada x
Visit larger Sainsbury's stores or check the Store Locator at www.sainsburys.co.uk. For further information call 0800 328 1700.
