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The cost of living squeeze is biting hard and whoever ends up becoming Chancellor will have their hands full.
But that doesn’t mean there aren’t simple tips and tricks to help navigate your way around it, especially as the school summer holidays roll around.
Each Friday, one of our expert team of personal finance journalists round-up five tips we think are worth noting that can go a little way to helping you save money, or make money in the midst of sky-high inflation and rocketing bills.
This week, it features £1 lunch time menus, 2-4-1 tickets to your favourite theme parks and some retro summer activities that will take you back in time.
You can find two for one tickets to some of the UK’s biggest attractions, from Alton Towers, to the York Dungeons to Shrek World, when you buy a box of Kelloggs cereal or individual snacks
1. 2-4-1 adult tickets to major UK attractions
One of my favourite trips to take during the summer months is to an action packed theme park, full of sickly sweets, nauseating rollercoasters and water rides.
But I certainly wouldn’t take a trip to Thorpe Park or Alton Towers without finding some sort of discount code.
Kelloggs are currently offering their seasonal promotion for 2-4-1 adult tickets to a wide range of UK attractions from Legoland and Chessington World of Adventures, to Madame Tussauds to Blackpool Tower: perfect for kids under 12 years old.
If you fancy something to entertain your big kids, the vouchers can also get you into The Dungeons, which you can find all over the UK, including London, York, Edinburgh, and Warwick.
Instead of paying £250 for a family of four to Alton Towers, you could cut the cost down to £120.
You can currently find the promo codes on select £1-£3 packs of Kellogg’s products, including Corn Flakes, Coco Pops, Crunchy Nut and Rice Krispie Squares.
If you’re looking for a budget option, single Nutrigrain and Squares bars are included in the promotion, and you can buy them for under £1 in most supermarkets.
2. Throwback to your beloved retro playground games
BBQs are a great way to spend the summer days and I’m finding myself reminiscing of old-school summer holidays.
You can bond with your kids, all the while getting them involved in more exercise and fresh air, by introducing them to some of the retro playground games you might have loved as a child.
Throw your own old-school sports day event the next time you throw a BBQ to keep the kids entertained and allow for even more bonding time as a family, this summer holiday
Try spicing up your BBQ with an adults vs kids summer sports day and introduce them to a range of sports-day activities with objects from around the home.
You could also make medals out of foil to heat up the competition and keep scores.
Deputy editor Lee Boyce says his toddler’s favourite game at the moment is ‘the floor is lava.’ It involves him chucking cushions around the garden and getting her to use her imagination, pretending the grass is lava and he tries to get her to beat her time each time she goes around. She does it for hours and it costs nothing.
If you’re feeling like a quiet night in, why not show your kids some of your favourite board games – I like to hunt these down in charity shops or Facebook Marketplace for a few quid. They can also be a treasure trove of good toys.
3. Grab 40% discounts with a £1 trial of Little Bird
I’m a fan of subscriptions that give you discounts. A family-oriented subscription pass with Little Bird could be the key to cutting back on your expenses for days out this summer holiday.
Little Bird’s Family Pass offers discounts on a range of everyday activities from 40 per cent cinema tickets, 50 per cent off attractions and even kids eat free discounts.
You can get the pass for £35, and it lasts throughout the year, but they are also offering a 30 day trial for only £1 – the summer holidays are a perfect time to try it out to see if the discounts benefit you and you can cancel if it’s not.
You can also get some minor savings on your summer trips, with £50 off Haven holidays, or up to 60 per cent off Eurocamp trips.
You can start a rockband in your kitchen or host a free karaoke night with the family this summer holiday, to help save you money on expensive and busy days out
4. Kids eat for less than £1
If you’re fancying a date night, but not the expensive baby sitter, check out the numerous child discounts at your local pubs or restaurants.
Sizzling pubs are offering a kids meals for £1 with every adult meal, every Monday to Friday throughout the summer holidays, while Bella Italia offers £1 kids meals every Monday to Thursday between 4-6pm.
If breakfast is more your thing, why not check out your local Beefeater, Brewers Fayre, Cookhouse, and Hungry Horse pubs.
Select chains are currently offering two free kids breakfasts with every adult meal purchased, while Hungry Horse offers a free breakfast for every adult meal.
Pubs and cafes are offering huge discounts on kids meals this summer, with some offering free breakfasts or £1 pub grub for kids throughout the school holidays
If you need to take your kids out shopping, you can also take advantage of a number of supermarket cafes.
Currently, Asda and Morrisons are offering for kids to eat for £1 in their cafes, which could free you up to finish your grocery shop while your kids fill their bellies.
Ikea are also offering two hot kids meals, jelly, fruit, and a drink for £5 throughout the holidays.. if you can brave it!
5. Superfast broadband for £13.45 per month
Vodafone at the moment have one of the best superfast broadband deals we’ve seen.
You can get download speeds of up to 38Mbps with a 24 month contract with Vodafone’s Superfast 1* plan, which is available for £22 per month.
And for the next week, Vodafone is increasing its voucher incentive to £205, which can be redeemed at Tesco, Sainsbury’s or M&S, or online with Amazon.
With this voucher, it cuts the overall cost by almost 40 per cent, or the equivalent of £13.45 a month over two years.
The deal ends on July 15, so customers will need to act fast to take advantage.
