Poor Little Seymour Number Two.
Yes, she’s Number Two, so …
The only piece of brand new school uniform she’s had this year, as she ventures off into the world of secondary school, is a pleated skirt, of vaguely the right colour, purchased from a cheap online auction site, and clearly made of nothing more substantial than the most basic of nylons, and will no doubt give her many electric shocks over the years. If it lasts years, that is.
She’s the second child, you see. And every ounce of each fibre of my being fights against the notion of buying her a new blazer, tie and shirt when we have those items, all very usable, and already in our possession, stored carefully away so that, when the time came, we’d save approximately £50.
But I feel bad. My thriftiness is essential. Yet some might say the poor girl should have her very own, brand spanking new blazer and tie – maybe the purchase and trying on of a new school uniform is a rite of passage? One that shouldn’t be skirted around simply because cash flow is an issue. ( And that I have so many children.)
Maybe.
On the other hand, electric skirt notwithstanding, all of the uniform she set off in yesterday is of high quality. It was purchased new from THE OFFICIAL SHOP when Number One started Big School, four years ago. If we can overlook the minor issue of historical Art lesson stains, and a degree of fading, there is nothing wrong with that blazer. And what is a hole in a pocket, in the general scheme of things? There are children starving in Africa.
So, I choose to stand by my guns. The Four Little Seymours don’t seem to mind. In fact, the piece of uniform Number Two had the most issue with was the new, radioactive skirt and not the inherited, stained blazer. Funny, that.
School bag? Inherited. White shirt? Handed down from a boy down the road. Lunch box? Disinfected, deodorised and still going strong. Shoes? Last year’s (yes, they still fit!) -glued together, polished and good-to-go. In truth, I feel very pleased at the result of all of this saving. Lord knows, there will be enough to fork out for all too soon. Boy Seymour alone is about to cost me £350 as he goes on a Year 5 team-building jolly in the Sussex countryside next week. Imagine if I’d bought all new uniform, too! I’d be checking us in to the workhouse.
But I do question myself. Should I feel bad that I didn’t kit my second-born out in gear bought new, just for her? Or is it acceptable to make do? Bearing in mind, the world’s resources are being depleted, and we all waste far too much anyway…? I’d love to know what you guys think…
Go on, be honest…
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