With the six-week summer holidays well underway, over half of parents (58%) are experiencing greater financial pressures. Families now face a £100 rise in outgoings per week, equating to just over £600 during the six weeks. As two-thirds (68%) of parents admit that rising expenses add to family pressure, affecting 62% of parents' own wellbeing, families are increasingly more likely to turn to credit cards to fund summer activities.
Updraft's Research Highlights Key Savings
To help families ease the financial squeeze over the school holidays, research by Updraft, who helps people pay off credit card debt, has highlighted the best summer discounts that every parent should know about. Aseem Munshi, Founder of Updraft, shares five family-friendly discount schemes to help budget summer spending.
Blue Peter Badge: Free Entry to Attractions
Children aged 5-15-years-old can earn a Blue Peter badge, allowing entry to hundreds of UK-based attractions, zoos, and theme parks, with several different awards available. The blue badge is awarded to viewers of the BBC television show Blue Peter, earned by sending in letters, stories, artwork, pictures, and poems that have appeared on the show. The book badge is awarded to children who love to read, earned by writing into the show and sharing a review of a book they've recently read or drawing of a character.
The green badge is awarded to children passionate about nature and the environment, earned by writing in and sharing how they've helped protect the environment. The music badge is awarded to children who love music, earned by taking part in learning a new instrument or taking part in a musical performance. The sport badge is awarded to children who have tried a new sport or activity, earned by sharing their sporting experience. The orange badge is awarded to winners and runners-up of the Blue Peter badge competition. The gold badge is awarded to children for extraordinary achievements, including showing outstanding courage, inspiring others, and overcoming adversity.
The badge unlocks free entry to hundreds of attractions across the country, from London Zoo to The Dinosaur Museum, saving anywhere from £5 to £26 per visit depending on the attraction.
National Rail Days Out and Library Challenge
Families can significantly cut costs with National Rail days out, and they're available for everyone. The National offers a wide variety of family offers and discounts, including 2FOR1 London Transport Museum, saving families up to £23.
The Reading Agency's free Reading Challenge encourages children to read over the summer holidays, providing free entertainment, activities, and most importantly book rentals. This scheme provides families with a free source of entertainment for their children, saving up to £54 for children reading six books over the holidays, at an average of £8.99 each.
Government Programs: HAF and Great British Summer Savings
The Holidays Activities and Food (HAF) program is a government-funded initiative, targeted at disadvantaged families. This program offers free meals, activities, and childcare to benefit-related free school meal children aged 5-16 years old, helping to save families around £400 per child each year, equating to around £46 over the six-week holiday.
The Great British Summer Savings scheme is run by the UK government from June 25th to September 1st to temporarily cut VAT costs from 20% to 5% on children's meals, admission tickets, and activities. This initiative also allows children aged 5-15-years-old free travel on bus services throughout August, cutting costs and helping families enjoy a day out without the added financial strain. Over the six weeks, families regularly visiting the cinema, eating out each week, and visiting a theme park could ultimately save up to £60.
