Simple ways to save money on kids holidays, day trips and weekend breaks – from supermarket deals to litter picking

WHEN it comes to entertaining the kids, it’s all about keeping costs low while out and about, without compromising on family fun.

Here’s three everyday ways I save money when I’m planning days out and breaks with my three boys aged 12, 10 and five.

Supermarket loyalty schemes

If your wallet is bulging with supermarket loyalty cards, now’s the time to work out how the money you’re spending to feed the family could work harder when it comes to days out.

Tesco Clubcard, Nectar points from Sainsbury’s and Argos, Lidl Plus and Morrison’s More Card all have slightly different benefits, so make sure you know which will work best for you.

Lidl is great if you’re going abroad as you can set the app to the country you’re visiting and get two-for-one deals on local theme parks like Portaventura in Spain or Legoland in Denmark.

Tesco Clubcard points double in value if you use them on days out or towards LeShuttle or ferry fares. Nectar points can be spent on Eurostar.

And while Morrison’s More Card points can only be spent in store, that’s great for stocking up for a family picnic while you’re out and about.

When it comes to what’s in your basket, check out promotional packs of cereal, chocolate or crisps that could get you money off theme park entry.

Kellogg’s and Cadbury products often have a deal that gets you discounted entry to Merlin attractions like Alton Towers or Warwick Castle, so it’s worth spending an extra quid or two on your supermarket shop if it’ll save you far more on days out.

If you’re reading this, you’re already signed up to the Sun Club and one of the perks of membership is two tickets to various Merlin sites, with different deals released across the year.

So far this year, I’ve bagged free tickets for Chessington in the summer holidays and Alton Towers in May.

As you only get a pair of promotional tickets per household, I’ll be looking for deals on packets of groceries to get the other members of my household cut-price entry for our days out.

Litter picking

One man’s trash is another man’s treasure and that’s certainly true when it comes to litter picking.

It’s a fun free activity that kids seem to love, as I discovered when we found communal litter picker stations on a trip to Gorleston in Norfolk and my boys spent hours wandering along the sand on an impromptu beach clean.

When we stayed at Center Parcs Zandvoort in the Netherlands, one of the free activities was an organised beach clean, with vouchers for the on-site shop given out as a reward to participants.

Litter picking is a great way for kids to earn a free Blue Peter green badge by writing in to the BBC show.

The badges and accompanying ID card get kids free entry to visitor attractions like the Eden Project, as well as zoos, castles and museums across the UK.

I’ve even found cash lying around when I’ve been litter picking in my local park, which is known as womble wages. It’s nice to get yourself a little treat after looking after the planet!

Council schemes

It’s worth making sure you’re signed up to any offers in your local area as lots of councils aren’t great at promoting what they offer to families, so you sometimes need to do a bit of digging to find out what your council tax entitles you to.

In my area, schools are signed up to a points scheme which pupils can use at the local leisure centre to pay for swimming and other activities.

Last year, Everyone Active, which runs more than 230 leisure centres nationwide, offered cheaper family swims at our local pool over the school holidays, which only cost £2 per person instead of the normal prices of £5.60 per adult and £3.60 per child.

We love a trip to the library and there’s often free craft events that everyone can access.

If your children sign up to take part in the summer reading challenge, then you can get into council-run visitor attractions like Bosworth Battlefield in Leicestershire free using their book log or certificate.

One thing I have noticed in the past year is that lots of local authorities are now using the Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) programme, funded by the government for children eligible for benefits-related free school meals, towards offering fun days out for families, as well as school holiday clubs.

For example, children living in Coventry can access free HAF sessions at the Wave waterpark, which usually costs about £15 per person in the school holidays, while other areas have offered free family ice skating for those who have a HAF code.

Some schemes also discount prices for those who aren’t eligible for the free sessions, so it’s definitely worth giving this another look if you’ve not done so recently.

Social media sites can be a great way to access some of this information, so follow your council’s Facebook or Instagram account to keep up-to-date with what’s on offer.

The shorter Easter break is a great opportunity to try out some of these holiday hacks to see which work for you ahead of the longer time off school in the summer.

If you can find a couple of ways to save now, it’ll help you over the rest of the year.