The summer is here, and it can become expensive getting through it, especially for those with kids. With that in mind, here are some easy money saving tips that can help ease the financial burden.
1. Children Eat For Less, or Free
Treating the whole family to a meal in a restaurant can be one of the most costly parts of any day trip.
Fortunately, some places have special deals where the kids’ meals will be heavily discounted when eating with a full-paying adult.
Start the day at Beefeater Grill, where up to two children can get a free breakfast when an adult buys one for full price.
On Sundays, Slug and Lettuce offer a £1 children’s meal when an adult buys something from the main menu.
MyVoucherCodes.co.uk have a great list of the latest voucher codes and offers for restaurants and places to eat, including deals from Pizza Express, Domino’s, Hungry House, Zizzi and more.
You can find a list of locations offer for free kids meals on HotUKeals.com or another good site to find restaurant money off vouchers and deals is MSE.
2. Cinema Mornings
Although not the most traditional time to go and see a film, it is often the cheapest.
Various cinemas offer discounted tickets for children on weekend or holiday mornings.
Meanwhile, Orange or EE pay-as-you-go customers can also take advantage of Orange Wednesday to get 2 for 1 tickets.
Check for more cheap cinema deals here or here.
3. Free Festivals
The big festivals are getting more expensive every year, but there are a host of free ones that you can go to, and they aren’t limited to just music.
Brixton Splash features arts, crafts, theatre, and music.
The Riverside Festival in Nottingham is a street fair mixed with musical performances.
The Edinburgh Jazz and Blues Festival features both free and ticketed events. Wherever you are, there will be something near you.
You can find a great list of free festivals in the UK on Martin’s Money Saving Expert here.
4. Book A Flight While They’re On Sale
If you’re planning to go somewhere a little further and haven’t booked yet, be sure to check out British Airways and Virgin’s summer sales.
Until July 20th, you can get return flights to Europe and beyond for less.
Be sure to check their last minute deals too, and always use a comparison site like Skyscanner to check if anybody else can give you a better deal.
You can find a great list of flight comparison sites in the UK here, or why not try Booking Buddy via Quidco – you get 2p for every time you search!
5. Don’t Change Your Money Too Often
Of course, when travelling outside of the UK you will need to change some of your hard-earned pounds to the local currency of your chosen destination.
While most people know never to change money at the airport, you could be paying an unnecessary commission wherever you make the transaction.
Ask your friends and colleagues who may have recently been to the same destination if they have any leftover currency that you could swap for pounds.
And if you return with leftover currency yourself, keep it.
Especially if you plan to go back to the same place again in the future.
6. Buy A Train Ticket
The Days Out Guide website offers vouchers, redeemable after buying a National Rail ticket, that offer discounts on entry to certain attractions, such as Drayton Manor or Madame Tussauds.
You need a ticket to the closest station to the attraction, but it can work out cheaper than paying full price, even if you don’t travel by train.
Did you know you can use Quidco to get a little cash-back when you buy train tickets trough TheTrainLine.com? Now you do.
7. Rent A Dress For The Big Day
If you’re going to a wedding or other posh event, and don’t like to be seen in the same dress twice, you can save money by hiring your outfit, rather than buying.
There are plenty of websites offering this service, including Girl Meets Dress and Wish Want Wear.
You can also rent a hat or fascinator to top it off.
8. Staying In
Despite the rise in popularity of online streaming services like Netflix, it is still possible to rent DVDs.
Love Film packages start from as low as £3.99 a month, and even send you a prepaid envelope for when you want to return the DVD.
This can be whenever you like, as there are no late fees. Another similar UK based service is Blinkbox.
Check out this list of 100 things to do staying in for no money.
9. Free Museums
The UK has some of the best museums in the world, and a lot of them are free.
The British Museum, the National Portrait Gallery, and the Natural History Museum are some of London’s best, but you don’t have to travel there.
Every part of the UK has a selection of free museums.
10. Frozen Fruit For Smoothies
The cheapest way to enjoy smoothies this summer is to make them yourself.
Buying frozen fruit and berries will ensure they won’t go bad if you don’t use them quickly, but you can also freeze your own fresh fruit.
Bananas in particular can easily be frozen and used later.
Making smoothies with frozen fruit also means you don’t need to add ice.
Check out this list of 100 healthy smoothie recipes!
