- Financial expert Lynn Beattie shared her top five money-saving tips for families
The start of the summer holidays means parents have to juggle work with keeping the kids entertained for weeks on end.
It also comes with the challenge of having to balance the books while splashing out on days out and other treats.
Fortunately for thrifty mums and dads, financial expert Lynn Beattie, otherwise known as Mrs Mummypenny, gave her top tips for cutting your spending over the summer holidays.
It comes after a survey by Boundless which unearthed the 30 best greatest experiences to have with kids on British soil, according to 2,000 parents.
Read on below for the money-saving expert’s five most helpful on how to save cash with the kids this summer.
Plan in some free fun
Sharing her first tip, Ms Beattie said : ‘Summer is the best time to get out into nature and it offers lots of fun for free. Find some green space, anything from a garden or a river, and explore.
‘Take the children out for a bike ride; go to the woods and create dens from branches; create a tick box list of 20 flowers, trees, animals and birds that the children can search for.’
Geocaching
Next up, the money-saving expert advised parents to partake in Geocaching, which can be done for free by downloading an app.
The process involves using a GPS receiver or mobile device – as well as other navigational techniques – to hide and seek containers, called geocaches or caches, at specific locations marked by coordinates all over the world.
Lynn said: ‘Use your detective skills – and don’t forget to take some treasure with you to trade for any you might uncover.’
Visit a free museum
When children are keen to embark on adventurous day out, this can often result in parents spending a lot more money than they originally planned.
There are a number of free museums across the UK – such as London’s larger Science or Natural History Museum – and smaller, local museums that eliminate any need to spend on travel.
MoneySavingExpert, the website run by financial guru Martin Lewis, has a comprehensive list of free museums across the UK, allowing to search by location.
Save on family days out
Attractions aimed at all the family can be expensive, but luckily there are ways to lower those entry fees.
Boundless membership includes a free annual subscription to Kids Pass, with a number of discounts on days out and UK attractions.
Lynn says that one way to do this is to check the balance of your Clubcard or Nectar loyalty schemes and use your vouchers on days out with the family, including tickets to a theme park.
She added that you can also save money on family days out by taking packed lunches instead of buying food on the go.
Save at the cinema on rainy days
While the cinema is not necessarily the first place you might think of going to save money over the summer, Lynn advised parents that many discounts are available at big chains for kids.
She commented: ‘It’s inevitable that the summer weather will turn at some point, and the cinema is a good bet on those dismal days.
‘Check if your local cinema does kids’ club holiday discounts – for example, Vue cinemas run ‘Mighty Mornings’ every day in the school holidays with £2.49 tickets for children and an accompanying adult.’
