The constant need to keep your kids entertained during the school holidays can put a strain on both your patience and your finances.
If your house is already filled with cries of “I’m bored” and “I’m hungry”, it can be tempting to splash the cash just to keep your kids happy. But with costs quickly adding up, it can only take a couple of days for your entire school holiday budget to be blown.
In this article, we’ll provide you with some helpful tips to curb your school holiday spending for maximum fun with your family at minimal damage to your finances.
Set a budget
With UK weather notoriously unpredictable and unreliable, it can be difficult to make solid plans more than a couple of hours in advance. But with unplanned activities come unplanned costs that can see you struggling to meet your essential costs. This is where budgeting comes in.
It can help you plan ahead and set aside some spare cash for unexpected expenses, such a last-minute trip to the cinema or picnic at the beach.
The cost of overseas travel has also soared this year so if you are lucky enough to have a family holiday planned, setting a budget can prevent you from returning with empty pockets and spending months making up for cash spent.
Look for kids-eat-free deals
During the school holidays, some restaurants, supermarkets, and cafes have kids-eat-free deals so you can treat the whole family to lunch for less.
At Morrisons, for example, kids under the age of 16 can eat for free when an adult spends £4.99 and at Dobbies, kids can eat for free with the purchase of an adult meal.
This can keep your kids fed and happy and keep your spending to a minimum so you can get through your weekly food shop without breaking the bank.
Explore nature
If the weather permits, exploring nature is a fun and inexpensive way to get some fresh air, burn some energy, and spend some quality time together as a family.
This can be a simple walk in the park or camping trip in the garden with your kids guaranteed to have a great time and make long-lasting memories.
It might also be worth finding out if there are any beaches, country parks, playgrounds, or forest trails within walking distance of your home so you can treat your kids out to a fun-filled family day out without paying over the odds for fuel or public transport.
Sign up for loyalty schemes
The cost of living crisis has already had a huge impact on people’s personal finances and with more mouths to feed during the school holidays, your weekly food shop could double or even triple in price.
But by signing up for free loyalty schemes, you can be rewarded for shopping with a particular supermarket and make the most of regular discounts, vouchers, and promotions to feed your family for less.
Some brands also have paid loyalty schemes with Tesco Clubcard Plus giving shoppers a 10% discount twice a month and a permanent 10% discount on F&F clothing for £7.99 a month.
Visit free attractions
In the UK, most museums, art galleries, and castles have free admission so you can treat your kids to an entertaining and educational day out that doesn’t pull on the purse strings.
If your kids tend to prefer activities that are a little more interactive, however, some cinemas show films for as little as £1 per child before 10am and some theatres waive ticket fees for kids under the age of 16 during the school holidays.
For further savings, it might also be worth keeping an eye out for vouchers and coupons for local attractions in the newspaper, on cereal boxes, and online.
