KEEPING kids entertained over the summer can see family budgets go out the window.
It costs £127 a week to keep each child busy over the six-week break, according to a study by pizza brand Goodfella’s. But Fabulous columnist Gemma Bird – also known as Money Mum – has a wealth of money-saving tips up her sleeve.
Here, she shares them with Martha Cliff so your family can have an amazing summer without breaking the bank.
TAKE THE DOWNSHIFT CHALLENGE
SAVE £170
This challenge sees families swap branded food, beauty or cleaning products for cheaper alternatives, such as own-brand products.
If you like what you’ve tried, stick to it. You could save up to £1,500 a year, according to the MoneySavingExpert website. Over the summer, this works out at around £170 over six weeks.
GRAB A GO CITY PASS
SAVE £158
With a Go City card, you can enjoy a whole host of attractions in various cities all over the world.
In London, for example, you can pay £22 per child for two days and have access to more than 50 major attractions, including The Shard and London Zoo, both of which cost around £30 to visit individually. If you visit six attractions over two days, you’ll make an average saving of £158 per child.
CANCEL SUBSCRIPTIONS
SAVE £52.95
With the sun shining, you’ll find you are watching fewer boxsets, so it could be worth axing some of your TV packages for the summer.
If you have signed up to monthly subscriptions for Disney+, Netflix, Amazon Prime and Now TV, you’ll be paying up to £52.95 for the most expensive packages.
USE YOUR LOCAL BABY GROUP
SAVE £51
Baby groups — such as Kate Middleton’s favourite, Monkey Music — can cost around £9.50 a session. I take my daughter to church groups instead.
They never cost more than £1 and I get to have a coffee and chat with the other mums while she’s playing. To find your local group search Going4Growth.com. If you go every week you’ll save £51.
USE YOUR TESCO CLUBCARD
SAVE £150
Tesco offers special Clubcard prices across a range of products in store. For example, right now a Clubcard holder can pick up a five-pack of Kettle Chips for £1 rather than £1.70.
Choose wisely and you can save up to 50 per cent across your shop, meaning you could save a total of £150 over six weeks based on a £50 weekly spend.
HANG ON TO YOUR TRAIN TICKET
SAVE £15
If you’re travelling by rail, keep your ticket as many London attractions, such as St Paul’s and the Hop On Hop Off tour bus, will offer you 2-for-1 with any valid train ticket.
TAKE A PACKED LUNCH
SAVE £300
Whether you’re heading to a theme park or for soft play, always take food with you. While small amounts of money may not seem significant at the time, they add up to a lot.
Spending £25 on lunch each day over the weekend would add up to £300 over the summer.
SHARE CHILDCARE
SAVE £800
If you’re working this summer, childcare could be your biggest cost, with the average parent forking out up to £800 per child over the holidays, according to the Family And Childcare Trust.
Reach out to friends and family to see if you can share childcare duties and save yourself a small fortune instead.
MAKE USE OF CASHBACK APPS
SAVE £140
Cashback websites essentially give you money back for shopping on purchases that you’d be making anyway.
Two of the most well-known are TopCashback and Quidco. One cashback user made £1,200 across the year by using Quidco. Over six weeks, this works out at around £140.
TOY SWAP
SAVE £50
Parents can expect to spend around £35 a month on toys, according to a study by Goodfella’s.
This works out at around £50 over the summer. Instead, try the YoungPlanet app to swap unwanted toys, books, games and even kids’ clothes with others in your area.
GRAB A FREE HOLIDAY
SAVE £2,417
Going away is the most expensive part of the summer holidays, with research from Expedia finding that the average family spends £2,417 on a nine-day getaway.
Give camping a go instead. Websites such as Pitchup.com and Campsites.co.uk have lists of areas that won’t cost you a penny.
LOVE A LIBRARY
SAVE £50
I’m always trying to get my kids into reading but books can cost a fortune, with parents spending up to £35 a month on them.
But the library doesn’t cost a thing and gives your children access to thousands of titles. Most libraries also offer free activities and classes.
SHOP AROUND
SAVE £156
Try switching posh shops like Waitrose and M&S for discount stores like Aldi and Lidl. Consumer group Which? found 45 items cost £42.67 at Lidl compared to £68.69 at Waitrose.
This means you save around £26 per shop at Lidl. Multiply this by six if you’re a weekly shopper, and you’ll save £156.
TRAVEL WISE
SAVE £289.80
Families travelling in London could save a small fortune by using the Zip Oyster card. It lets kids aged 11-15 travel free on buses and trams rather than forking out £6.90 each day for a TFL travel card.
You could save yourself £289.80 by the start of the autumn. Manchester City Council offers concessionary travel passes for qualifying kids under 16 and Leeds offers a zero-fare pass to children in need across the Metro.
GET A SPARKS ACCOUNT
SAVE £228
Sign up for a free M&S Sparks card to access a three-month Kids’ Pass when you spend £20 on kids’ clothing online.
The pass offers discounts including at cinemas, on meals out, and on admission prices to major UK attractions. Based on the average saving of 30 per cent, over six weeks you could save £228.
FREE DAYS OUT
SAVE £180
Many museums and parks offer free entry. These include The Science and Industry Museum in Manchester and The National Maritime Museum in Cornwall.
Lego has announced its first ever Lego Pop & Play tour — a free, interactive pop-up experience which will tour five UK cities over the summer. For details visit lego.com/stores/pop-and-play-tour.
TOTAL: £5,207.85