Seeing your little one dressed up in their school uniform for the first time or at the start of a new term can be such a proud moment for parents and guardians. It's lovely to see our loved ones with big smiles on their faces heading off into the classroom or playing with friends on the playground.
But our little ones won't stay little forever - so getting their school photos done each year often feels like a necessity to mark the moment and to give us something special to look back on for years to come.
Whilst they're lovely keepsakes, unfortunately, those annual school photos can come with a hefty price-tag - especially if you want to buy more than one photo of your child or if you have more than one child to buy photos of.
Read more: Teachers threatening strikes told Welsh Government simply can't afford to pay what they want
One leading photography company charges up to £36 for a pack of different sized school photos, while others charge between £20 and £30. Amid the cost of living crisis, this can be an expense too far for some parents.
Fortunately, one mum has found a way of saving more than £20 on her children's school photos. Taking to popular bargain hunting group, Extreme Couponing and Bargains UK group, on social media, she explained that parents could take their own photos of their children and send them to an app to have them printed and shipped to them - including 'bundles' of different sizes.
"My two children go to separate schools and the school photo bundles were going to be £30 each," she wrote. "We just couldn't pay that but we do love a school photo so [we've] done them ourselves on FreePrints. It's £6 for a bundle - take child's photo and you can change the background. So it came to £12 [for two bundles, one per child] instead of £60."
"[I] just thought [sharing this tip] might help someone out if they're struggling with costs," she added.
What is Free Prints and what's in the school photo bundle?
FreePrints is a free photo printing app you can download to your smartphone via the App Store or Google Play. You do not need a subscription to use the app and typically pay just postage and packaging for any standard photos you buy - though framed, canvas or bundles of photos can cost more.
Most users are offered 45 free prints per month (just pay postage and packing). WalesOnline understands that after placing two orders, users can access "special deals" - this is where the School Photo Bundle option comes up. New users can print their school photos as part of their free images, if they wish.
Read next:
- The one thing people want to say to schools after warning pupils could be sent home to study this winter
- Huge numbers of children in Wales are still missing school this term
- Betty Campbell's granddaughter helps launch anti-racism training for teachers in Wales
- Children could be sent home to work remotely again this winter, headteachers in Wales warn
- Teachers baffled by how to assess pupils in the new curriculum
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