Let ASDA know your summer budget tips and have a chance to win £200 to spend at ASDA Groceries NOW CLOSED

[MichelleMumsnet]

ASDA have asked us to find out what Mumsnetters top tips are for saving money while still having lots of fun in the sun this summer.

Here's what ASDA say: "We've just launched #SaveSummer, our answer to keeping the kids entertained this summer, without spending a fortune. Every week for the remainder of the summer we will be releasing a series of ideas and activities online with which you can keep the family entertained on a budget. We would love to hear what your top tips are to enjoying the summer on a budget, whether they be games, trips or arts and crafts!"

So how do you keep the little ones entertained in the summer? What are your top tips for family fun on a budget?

However you and your family enjoy summer whilst keeping costs down, please let us know. Everyone who adds their thoughts, comments and tips to this thread will be entered into a prize draw where one winner will receive £200 to spend at ASDA's online grocery shopping site*.

Please note that any comments posted on this thread may appear in an email Mumsnet will be sending out, and potentially elsewhere.

Thanks,
MNHQ

*The £200 evoucher will be uploaded into the winner's account. This will be in the format of 8x £25 evouchers that can be used within 1 transaction or against multiple, but the evouchers will expire after 3 months. If you are not already registered with Asda Groceries, you will need to register in order to obtain the prize. eVouchers are only redeemable online within the Asda Groceries site.

[lottytheladybird]

Take a picnic, which are cost saving and fun to eat, too! Take your own drinks.

If you're planning to go somewhere a lot in the summer, it's sometimes cheaper to get an annual pass.

[QueenandKingMum]

We get a few annual tickets, i.e. Howletts/English Heritage/Wingham Wildlife and go to those a few times over the summer, and then as it's annual, it will be available for all school holidays as well.

We also look for events put on by our council, there was just one for rockpooling and Dragon fly hunting that we went on.

Picnics always, and then small treats like ice cream at the event is affordable.

[Hamwidgeandcheps]

Just marking place but today I filled a big shallow plastic box with rice and chucked some plastic cups in it. Dds (2 under 4) have played with it all afternoon. Yes it's a big messy yes it was raining today!
I love the touring parks idea I might do that soon

[GwenCooper81]

So how do you keep the little ones entertained in the summer? What are your top tips for family fun on a budget?

• Always take picnics ( and freeze the drinks the night before!)
  
  
• Annual passes, often purchased using clubcard points ( wrong supermarket sorry!)
  
  *Park trips, bug hunts, cartwheel competitions always go down well.
  
  
• Museums are usually free or cheap, our local one has a picnic room.
  
  *Family railcards save a fortune.
  
  *Gardening/cress heads/POY etc
  
  *Invest in a sandpit and a paddling pool for the garden, hours of fun for all ages.

[BustyDeLaGhetto]

Feeding ducks, nature walks, swimming in the sea. Not all at the same time!

[skyeskyeskye]

make your own lollies using moulds and a decent strength squash

take the kids to the park with a picnic

if you go to the cinema, take sweets from the supermarket with you (just hide them when you go in)

fill up the paddling pool and then to keep the water usable for a few days, just put a small capful of bleach into it at the end of each day and cover it over

look on places like Yellow Moon for clearance craft sales

look for free events at your local Childrens Centre

[FoxPass]

I always bring food from home, it saves so much money. bake cakes, juice bottles with freezable cores, and buy a selection of plastic tubs for raisins, sandwiches and wraps. chop veg and fruit and use cool pack inserts to keep it fresh. I vary the treats I pack so there is always a novelty

[ThePortlyPinUp]

We live in a rural area which has advantages like lots of different places to picnic, the seaside is their favourite day out.
Activities wise, our kids love geocaching, den building, playing in the garden and if it's hot using water to paint designs on the patio and watching them evaporate.

[afromom]

Having a plan really helps us to keep the holiday costs down. If I know we are going somewhere for the day I will plan a picnic, so that I don't have to pay for expensive meals out.

We use the net to search for free activities locally and make use of those, or plan play dates, with lots of DS's friends. Sleepovers with a pizza and movie are a great way to enjoy the holiday!

On rainy days we will have a movie day, do some baking, play games and do craft projects that we have found on the net.

I find the best way to get through the holidays,sane, is to plan something fun everyday! It doesn't have to take all day, but gives us something to look forward to!

[whattodoo]

I use voucher/discount sites such as groupon. We've recently got a great deal on a local visitor attraction.
I try to do most activities for free (park and picnic) or playdates etc. But summer is also an ideal opportunity to treat DD to a theme park or two, so I save during the year for a LEGOLAND or Paultons Park trip (also making the most of vouchers available)

[Queen0fFeckingEverything]

YY to picnics. We always make a picnic if going out for the day - home made dip (pea and mint, or houmous, or courgette and cream cheese and herb - all very cheap ingredients but really tasty) features every time.

Keep bottles of water in the freezer to take on day trips so you always have a really cold drink - buying cold drinks adds up so fast, and warm water thats been sat in the car is pretty yucky.

I chop lemons and limes into wedges and freeze them too, then the DC have them in water at home which again works out lots cheaper than juice or squash, as well as better for their teeth.

Look at your local museum! Trips don't have to be to big name attractions to be good fun, and local museums often have some really good holiday events.

And join the local Wildlife Trust - they always have a great programme of events all year round that are really good family fun :) Its £3 a month minimum donation to become members so well worth it IMO.

[pussinwellyboots]

We're national trust members so a visit to one of their properties with a picnic is a nice day out. We also like baking and getting together with others. Bike rides and walks are also good and cheap and we're looking forward to blackberry picking. Pick your own fruit is also good value.

[Patchouli]

Sorry ASDA, I too save my clubcard tokens all year and spend them on days out in the holidays.

[missorinoco]

Lots of picnics. Park trips, feed the ducks. Bake.

Fill up the water table outside. Outdoor chalk. Paint brushes and let them paint the walls (outside).

Paddling pool for if it ever stops raining(again!)

[PeteCampbellsRecedingHairline]

We have a local free museum which have different activities. We are also lucky enough to live near the beach and the New Forest so we are able to get outside for the price of parking or public transport.

For staying at home, baking, junk modelling and a film day are all fun ways to spend a day on a budget.

Making our own ice lollies using cheap moulds is also a fun and easy activity and is considerably cheaper than buying a ice cream from the ice cream van.

[CheeryCherry]

Organise mass picnics by sending out a text to as many DC friend's parents as possible... to meet at a certain park from 11 onwards... sometimes loads will turn up, sometimes just a few.
Invite families over to play, after lunch if keeping the cost down. Hopefully they'll return the date.
Camp out in the garden one night, or even on the trampoline if its wet! Or camp in the lounge, its great fun, if a little bonkers.
Plan a trip out somewhere new each week...new park, seaside resort, new woodland walk etc.
Spend an afternoon chalking on the patio,path or garden walls.

[tanfastic]

Take a picnic wherever we go so we are not tempted to go to the cafe/McDonald's etc.

Give him some pennies for the car boot sale, my ds is 5 and loves hunting round a car boot sale for bargain toys.

[choccyp1g]

Our local sports centre has a great summer holiday scheme where under-16s can do most sports for only £1 each.

[longjane]

I buy a bus explorer ticket and we have adventures .

[ldt87]

Save vouchers for two for 1 entry on expensive days out such as theme parks

Take picnics to the park on nice days for a change of scenery

Bake with the kids to give them something to do and lots of nice treats as a result

Lots of crafts can be done for free or really cheaply

Write letters to family and friends and ask them to write back, so that they get some letters or postcards while they are off school

Sign up to free kids magazines such as lego

Lots of websites with free printouts and ideas of things to do

Have dancing and singing shows to use up some energy

Close the curtains and have a film afternoon if the weather is rubbish. Get comfy and hang out in pyjamas on the sofa.

Let the kids camp out on the living room floor in sleeping bags and watch films until late one night.

Go to the kids club at the cinema for a really cheap morning out during the holidays

Look for places where kids eat free if you want to treat them to a meal out

Go to the library for new books to read and free or cheap activities

Go swimming, nice and cheap and tires them out for the afternoon

Make your own takeaways such as pizza for a special dinner as well as some fun.

[Purplehonesty]

My friends and I (around eight of us with kids the same age) get together at least twice a week. We all met at ante natal classes four years ago.
We go for walks in the woods, do treasure hunts and splash in the streams. We all take an item for the kids group snack/picnic.
Other days we meet at one persons house and all bring food. We have on occasion hired a bouncy castle for £25 between all of us and the kids have played all day on that.
We also go to the beaches around here, parks and gardens and let the kids run about before buying a multi pack of ice creams and sitting in the sun.
We have been to the local football pitch for a giant game of rounders with all the dads and older kids too and taken picnic blankets and a picnic. We took a ball pool for the babies and toys and had a fabulous day.
Summer has been so much more fun this years with the good weather and good company. It's so much easier to entertain the kids when they are all together and the day flies by very cheaply!!

[al88]

Find as much free stuff to do as possible. Take food and drink with you. Hope the weather is good so you can send them out in the garden!

[DoItTooJulia]

I take the kids to free parks, museums and swimming sessions at the local leisure centre.

I stock up on small bottles of water to take with us, to save buying quite so many drinks out. If we are visiting a new town or similar I will often pop to the local supermarket (preferably an Asda!) to grab a snack or sandwiches.

[newbiefrugalgal]

I would love to budget to buy summer school clothes namely boys school shorts during the summer. A last minute spend late summer won't help the budget

[Cambam2010]

We look for reduced entry to events. Check websites for promotions. Recently we attended an animal farm where children got in free if they dressed as Superheros. If you already have something kicking about that would pass as an outfit then there is a saving to be made here.

Also the local Childrens Centres often do holiday activites away from teh centre. We have attended picnics in the park, summer chef sessions, craft events. All free and often the Childrens Centre provides a healthy snack.

If we go anywhere we always take a packed lunch with us. This saves so much and guarantees that you have something available for your DC that they will actually eat.