Whether you love your little ones being off for six weeks during the summer or you dread it, there is one thing that cannot be denied; the summer holidays are an expensive time of the year.
The kids being off school often means one of two things; either you have to think of daily ways to keep them entertained or you have to go to work say will have to pay someone a large amount of money to look after your children.
We have put together some handy tips for this summer that will save you some money and ensure you enjoy the holidays.
If you are going abroad
If you are lucky enough to be jetting off on a family holiday this summer, there are a lot of ways that you can make sure you save money. Firstly, try to book in advance, this way you get the best deals, so if you are too late for this year, you could book for summer 2015. This way you will have more time to pay off the holiday as well. Alternatively, there are some excellent offers and last minute deals that can be had if you book last minute. Pack your bags with an idea of your desired destination and save a small fortune.
Flying at night time can save you hundreds of pounds on the cost of your holiday. It might not be particularly pleasant to fly at 2 am if you have small children who might be put out a little bit by the strange timings, but just remind them that they are going on holiday and they will see it as one big adventure! Flying during the week is almost always cheaper than flying at the weekend or towards the end of the working week, as this is when many people fly for weekends away.
If you are staying in England
Take a look on your local council’s website for activities they may be running. Many councils will put on free day clubs for children, activities and events to keep them active. If they aren’t free they may cost a small fee.
Look out for vouchers online or in the newspaper. Often big attraction parks and zoos will provide money off vouchers or 2 for 1 on entry. As well as this, going in a family can often save you money as buying a family pass is cheaper than paying for everyone individually.
Kids are an expensive business, raising little people with no income of their own is undeniably a huge financial cost, and dare I say burden, to bear. There are some government schemes that are designed to help you with the finances of raising children, but like all things government, they come with rather strict terms and conditions. Head to gov.uk to read up on the latest childcare and child support schemes.
Author: Oliver Curtis
Hi there. I’m Oliver. I’m just a young boy from the outskirts of… Okay, that’s a lie, I’m not a young boy anymore, although I certainly feel that way at heart.