Share your parenting money-saving tips - £200 voucher to be won

[CeriMumsnet]

Whether it’s new toys and gadgets, after school clubs or family days out, keeping your children entertained can be expensive. That’s why we want you to share your best money saving advice. Do you set yourself a budget for kids’ activities? Maybe you shop around for the best deals? Whatever your hacks are, please share with us below.

• Post your tips/hacks in the thread below to be entered into a prize draw
• One lucky MNer will win a £200 voucher for a store of their choice (from a list).

Here’s what Klarna has to say:
"It can be expensive keeping kids entertained, the list of requests can seem never-ending, from the latest toys, trips to soft play or the farm and everything in between. We’ve developed our app so that shopping doesn’t become a burden and take up too much time. With our new app features, you can spend less time searching and more time enjoying yourself - whether you’re shopping for birthdays, Christmas or everyday essentials, we’ve got you covered. Shop smarter with our range of tools from price comparison, to price drop alters and delivery tracking, we’ve got it all to ensure you get great value for the money and time that you spend."

Thanks and good luck with the prize draw!
MNHQ

Insight T&Cs apply

Make a list of free seasonal activities together. Put in a tin. Draw out apparently at random though with a parental tweak due to weather

A lot of the best days out with my children have involved picnics and woods.
Treasure hunts with small snack to find.
l always google for discount codes before I buy anything new and gather bits in sales/discounted through the year for birthday gifts and Christmas

We have lots of national trust properties with an hour's drive. We've found membership very good value as we have visited so often. Over the summer there was lots of extra activities included in our membership. With a pack lunch it's a very cheap day out

Look for free activities run by children's centres, libraries etc. We go to a weekly playgroup, weekly rhyme group and have just signed up for baby massage through ours. A really great opportunity to bond with baby/children and meet new friends.

Look for places with free return visits. There are quite a few of these including aquariums, science centres and museums etc. where you pay for a day pass and get free returns - well worth the money if you are local.

I recently purchased a national trust card too. It works out great value and lots of places offer events during the holidays for kids.

In the run up to Christmas I look out for the half price toy events (on now!) which are quite early. Buying presents early on these events saves quite a lot of money.

For days out I don't find there are many bargains to be had, but we take pack lunches to keep the costs down. And try and avoid the gift shops if possible

take your own water and snacks when going anywhere. saves the endless "i'm hungrrrrrrrry" wails and the panic bought ££££ rubbish

Trains are free for under fives, and they don't care where they go as the ride itself is exciting. Go somewhere cheap, have a picnic lunch on the train, bit of a wander round the station then home again!

Buy second hand as much as possible especially when children are young and really are not aware or care. I bought my oldest son a massive box of happyland for his first birthday for £35. He and his younger brother played with it for years!

Browse your local Council website for free/cheap things to do with kids, or if there is toy library you can go to.

Use cashback sites when buying anything on-line (there are ones you can add to your browser which let you know if you can get a percentage back) and save this up for Christmas and Birthdays - if you compare your utilities once the contract is up (broadband, insurance, power) they can give you ££ for swapping also. If you book a holiday with a cashback site - we got 10% back with Expedia.

Get onto google before setting off on days out, see there are any free sessions, 2 for 1's, and take a packed lunch in a cooler bag. Use a cashback site when making purchases on-line - all small cashbacks add up to some cash for treats.

My tips would be to google low cost family meals - adding vegetables, passata and herbs to pasta, and baking your own bread in an airfryer has been a game changer for us. You don't have to eat poor quality food if you are on a tight budget.

My hack would be to use a toy library, see if your local children's centre has one, book a birthday party at your local community center and set up team games to keep them busy, and make your own buffet of vegetarian, vegan, and cater for everyone. Use Olio - to give and donate food which is due to reach is use by date.

Buy the majority of clothes second hand on Vinted or in charity shops

It's easy to think that kids need lots of entertaining with expensive things all the time - but with a bit of imagination and setting time aside to play with them then that can prevent the need for buying expensive toys. When I think back to my childhood, the most fun I had with 'toys' wasn't with Barbie dolls or other toys bought for me but it was spending time with my auntie who made a doll like shape out of some sea shells with a face drawn on and wrapping a napkin around it as a dress. The magic happened when she would make up incredible stories with these shell dolls as characters and it was such an inexpensive thing to do but kept us entertained for hours. So I try to use that principle with my own kids - sometimes it is using old packaging and boxes and a little imagination that can save on toys and activities and enable us to spend time together being creative.

Get a membership to a different local attraction each year, take your own food. Look out for free or cheap events at local libraries and leisure centres.

Buy everything online so you don't have to take them in shops!

If you are out and they see something they like say you will put it on a list for Father Christmas/relatives/their birthday.

Check your bank account to make sure you are not paying for memberships or streaming services, phone contacts which have expired.

I use an app called biscuit when I walk my dog- I earn national trust vouchers which I then use in the cafes. So between paying for my NT membership at the start of the year and biscuit I haven’t had to pay anything for our days out this year! We also have English heritage membership, and then use free museums too. The two memberships are our family days out budget for the year. It’s worked really well.
the family know as well that we will only spend money if we have the vouchers and have turned it into a bit of a game. If we don’t have vouchers then no hot chocolate on that outing or we take a flask. It’s made us realise how much the odd £2 hot drink adds up!!!

Always check the local library for activities they are doing, they usually have lots going on in the school holidays which are free and my kids love them.

a trip to the park is always a good shout and is free, take a picnic so you don’t have to spend money on food while out.

one of my girls favourite things to do is a bingo walk whether it be round the local estate or a woodland walk. I make simple bingo sheets at home with things for them to find such as a birds nest, yellow leaves, a bridge etc it keeps them entertained and engaged while on the walkand they get a little treat at the end for getting a full house! 😄

Set up a movie night for your DC, with PJs, hot chocolate, cushions and blankets and £2 of popcorn. Works just as well on a weekend afternoon as evening, and super cheap.

Thanks to everyone who shared their money-saving tips. The winner of the prize draw is @voyager50 - congratulations!😆