Money Saving Tips for the School Holidays

Money Saving Tips for the School Holidays

For most of us, the school holidays have already begun or start sometime this week and though it’s a fun time for families, it can also be quite stressful for parents as the holidays come with working out extra childcare options, taking turns having days off and, for many, a financial strain as well due to these things. If you have to spend extra money on childcare or take unpaid time off work, your spending pot will decrease quickly. Some parents will resort to Bad Credit Loans when times are tough but the best option is to try to be careful with your spending in the first place to save money wherever you can.

Here are my top tips for how to save money this summer so that you can enjoy the school holidays with your children:

• Childcare Ideas

If you’re lucky to have your children’s grandparents nearby, ask them if they can help you out during the school holidays but do so way in advance so that they can plan their summer and if you have more than one set of grandparents, see if they can have the kids for a day or two each per week or so to not overwhelm them with childcare responsibilities.

If you have friends with children, you might be able to swap childcare with each other and take turns looking after the kids while the other one is working. If a friend is not working but is willing to help you for a few days during the holidays, you can always return the favour by offering to babysit for a few nights so that they can have a meal out with their partner or something like that.

When asking for childcare favours, make sure you stick to the agreed times and provide everything that your child might need and do something nice in return.

• Borrow or Swap Toys
  

During the summer holidays, your kids will naturally spend more time at home than usual and they might get a bit bored of the toys they have. Don’t go out spending lots of money on new toys for them though. Instead check with friends if they’d like to do a toy swap and exchange toys for a few weeks (or permanently, if you wish) to give everyone something new to play with over the summer. It’s a great way to save money and it’s beneficial to everyone involved. This also works with games and books.

• Cheap Days Out

Sometimes, parents forget that kids are kids and that they love simple fun. Children don’t need extravagant holidays to have fun. Instead, focus on what they really enjoy and look to create days around that. Affordable and fun activities include a day at the seaside if you’re relatively close to one, swimming at an outdoor pool, exploring in the woods, a family bike ride or simply a picnic in the park with some games to play packed with you. Kubb is a great game to play in the park and fun for the whole family! For all your outings, pack drinks and snacks or packed lunch to save money as eating out is one of the biggest costs of days out.

Collaborative Article.