Parents can buy school uniforms from 50p on little-known website
It might only feel like weeks since you last updated your child's uniform, but I have bad news: they've probably already grown out of it. Luckily, there's a website that can help.
Unfortunately, there's really no way to avoid buying new school uniform items.
Between rips, stains and accidental misplacements, combined with the fact that kids grow at an unbelievable rate, it's just got to be done, and parents can end up spending hundreds on new items.
But just because each new item is new to the child, doesn't have to mean it's fresh off the sewing machine.
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That's where the website Uniformerly comes in. An award-winning online school uniform marketplace which allows parents and PTAs to recycle primary and secondary school uniforms that have been outgrown, but which still have a good few years left in them.
Users can both buy and sell uniforms, and they can also be given away for free to those in need.
The best part is, the site is free to use and listed items cost much less than buying them brand new, with prices starting at just 50p.
More than 4,900 UK schools are registered on the site, meaning you can quickly see whether there are any items for sale specifically for your child's school.
The localised aspect of the site means that parents can have the item delivered to your door, or arrange collection in person at school.
Everything from jumpers, shirts, skirts to shoes, coats and scarves can be found in the site, which has helped parents save more than half a million pounds in the last 18 months.
If you can't find what you're looking for immediately, you can also set up alerts so you're notified when a new item is added to the site.
Uniformerly has been praised for recycling uniforms rather than letting them go to waste, with one approving Twitter user writing: "Every school should have an effective and well utilised second hand uniform shop - total no brainer in terms of resource reuse and fundraising.@uniformerly is a great way to get started!"
Laurence Robertson, the Conservative MP for Tewkesbury, has also celebrated the website, saying: "Helping parents with cost-cutting whilst also promoting recycling is a terrific initiative, especially when coupled with a passion for the environment."
With a new school year fast approaching, why not see if you can save - or even earn - a few pounds by checking out the second-hand site?
Emily Brown