How do you save money, keep a budget and still make the most of the school holidays with kids?
It’s hard to know where to start sometimes. The busy life of a parent means that we don’t always pause to stop and consider how much money we’re spending.
Guest blogger Maddy, creator of the Mad About Money app, shares her top tips for having fun in the school holidays on a budget.
Hey, I’m Maddy from Mad about Money!
I’m a mum of two Harriet (4) and Ben (7) they always want to be out and about, and like most parents I have had to learn to say no (sometimes!) when they ask for things!.
But, also, I am a bit of a penny pincher when it comes to spending. I previously struggled with a spending addiction and got myself into £40,000 of debt in my early twenties.
I learned the hard way and spent six years paying it off…
Don’t worry, it all ended well!
My experience taught me lots of new things, and I have been a consumer money specialist for the last six years. And, excitingly, I have just launched the UK’s first ever social media app dedicated to helping people with money called ‘Mad About Money’ (you can find out more at the end of this post).
Now that you’ve gotten to know me, let’s get onto how you can enjoy the school holidays with your kids while on a budget.
Day-trips
Let’s start with days out. A great source for free things to do are local “what’s on for free?” Facebook groups near you. It’s a super easy way to find out about local events and fetes. And most of them are run to help fund schools or charities so at least if you are spending you know it’s going to a good cause.
Here’s a few of my suggestions for when you’re thinking about taking a day trip:
Visit free & cheap museums
Now this is going to depend on your children’s ages, but mine love to go to museums. They are usually free, very cheap or just ask for a charity donation. They are educational and they take up the majority of the day.
Go to Your local library
Once you have registered, you can take up twenty books at a time. Again a great alternative to screen time. Libraries also tend to do events for little ones, so have a look at your local library for info on what is going on.
Ditch the cinema and watch the blockbusters at home
The cinema is really expensive even if you do get a discount. So why not plan a movie day at home?
For your snacks, try ‘pop at home’ popcorn. It’s way cheaper than bagged stuff. In Sainsburys currently, a pack of 3 is £2.25 (which works out at 75p per bowl), whilst 3 packs of ready popped popcorn is £1.80 per pack totalling £5.40. That’s a price saving of £3.15!
Popping it becomes part of the experience and you get it warm. You can snuggle up and enjoy without having to worry about kids making noise or asking for things.
Bring your food and drink from home to save money in your budget during the school holidays
When you are out and about take plenty of snacks, water bottles and wet wipes. If you decide to grab food while you’re out, be sure to keep an eye out for for kids-eat-free deals.
You can actually save money on wet wipes by cutting up some old towels, wetting them and putting them in a sandwich bag. It saves so much money on buying wipes
Parks
Local parks are always a great activity on the nice sunny days of the summer. And, for the most part, they’re a completely free activity. Especially if you bring toys, food and drink with you. Just remember the suntan lotion, sun hats, and spare clothes!
Here’s my budget-friendly tips for going to parks during the school holidays:
Parks (local or a bus ride away)
My kids love going to the park, but recently we have become really bored of the local ones, so now we go on adventures on the bus! It’s cheap and we can go anywhere. Recently I found a ark with a giant sandpit! That kept them occupied for hours.
Or, if travelling locally, bring the bikes! Bike rides are great for kids, it gets them off their screens and outside.
Niche parks
Niche parks are usually a bit different to local parks. You might need to bring extra gear or a change of clothes for these ones, but they are still good fun.
The skate park is one my kids really love. It occupies both of them for long enough for me to sit and have a nice tea break.
We also love going to the local splash park. It’s council run so, again, it’s free! Check on your local council websites to find out if there’s a splash park near you.
Walks and treasure hunts
Going for walks and doing treasure hunts are fab. Where I live there is a great Mr Men mosaic trail where you can find the Mr Men on your trail. Check online (through local Facebook groups and on the National Trust site) for more information about what’s on near you.
Geocaching
Geocaching is an outdoor recreational activity, in which participants use a Global Positioning System receiver or mobile device and other navigational techniques to hide and seek containers, called “geocaches” or “caches”, at specific locations marked by coordinates all over the world.
It’s a really fun activity, and I would recommend looking it up to see if you can spot any locations near you.
Leave your own creations for others to find
This is a cute activity to do without bringing more clutter into the house. Collect rocks and paint them. Then go to the park and leave them locally for other children to find. There are tons of pages around so you can see who else is doing it locally on Facebook. If you can’t find one, start your own!
Toys
Some ways to get new toys without breaking the bank.
Do a toy swap
Kids get bored of their own toys. Have you ever noticed how when they go to friends houses they just play with everything when they ignore their own? Why not do a toy swap with friends to refresh what you have.
Buy toys second-hand
Last year I picked up a scooter for £6 and a bike for £8 at a car boot sale. If your child doesn’t have a bike or a scooter, they usually have dealers there. But, remember to haggle if you are buying more than one. If you don’t ask you don’t get! And whatever you pick up you can always re-sell when the kids get bored or outgrow it. You can also check out charity shops for second-hand bargains on board games and toys.
Spend a couple of rainy days decluttering, then sell what your kids don’t want anymore
If you have a rainy day (and let’s face it, we live in the UK so it’s highly likely to happen), why not spend it decluttering, sorting out your toys, books and games and do a car boot of your own?
Alternatively, look at Facebook marketplace. I’ve made over £1k in the last six months from selling things we no longer needed! And it really helps you to create space.
Holidays
Prices for a lot of holiday parks or vacations, in general, are most expensive during the school holidays. But you can still take the kids on holiday while on a budget.
Here’s my advice:
Plan in advance your budget before the school holidays
If you can, try to plan your trip in advance, searching for discounts online well before you leave.
Tips if you want to travel last minute
If you are booking last minute, check out sites like planschange.com, where people sell rooms at a discount because they are no longer required. If you’re using AirBnB, make sure to check out reviews from other families so that the property is suitable for your children.
Family passes
If you take day trips regularly, then it’s often worth the initial or annual fee for a loyalty membership or pass. Here’s a couple that I recommend:
National Trust
National Trust are not very expensive and they give you lots of places to visit, you will more than get your money’s worth.
Kids Pass
If you are looking for theme parks , zoos or soft plays on a budget I highly recommend Kids Pass , you can try for a month for just £1 and cancel afterwards. Even if you sign up for the month just to book then cancel you will save more than your £1 investment.
Remember to keep a budget during the school holidays
Budgets don’t have to be boring. I make sure that I budget for both the everyday costs, and the fun stuff too! I have a binder where I take out cash at the beginning of the month , and I pop money in pockets and allocate to fun things. I even include, “pub” “self care” “days out” and “takeaways”. It really helps!
This way I know when I’m making plans that, if there is nothing in the envelope, I can’t do that thing, or that I need to reschedule. I make sure to allocate the money so I can treat myself guilt-free.
As parents and guardians, it’s hard to prioritise ourselves. Making sure you add “you” to the budget will mean you don’t forget to take time out and look after your own mental health.
Where to find Maddy
Thanks Maddy for the brilliant money-saving advice for those of us wanting to do the school holidays on a budget.
Mad About Money is the UK’s first social financial education app , helping both consumers and business owners to spend less and earn more money.
For more money saving tips, follow @Madaboutmoneyapp on Instagram or TikTok
And you can download the Mad About Money for free on the Google Play and Apple.
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