Money saving expert reveals how to enjoy half term for less
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Read Time: 6 mins
A money saving expert has shared her top tips for enjoying October half term without breaking the bank.
Personal finance expert Maddy Alexander-Grout recommends setting a budget for the week and getting children involved in deciding how to spend it, from outdoor adventures to creative activities and new exhibitions.
Maddy said: “Instead of trying to say no to everything all week, decide what you can realistically afford and give the kids a say in how you spend it. You could have £50 for the week and let everyone choose something they’d like to do.
“It’s a sneaky way of teaching kids about money too because suddenly they’re weighing up whether they really want the expensive activity when it means less money for something else.”
Maddy also advises checking existing memberships, subscriptions and rewards, as families may already have access to discounted days out.
She said: “Memberships like Boundless provide access to savings through benefits including Kids Pass, WWT and National Art Pass. Have a proper rummage through anything you’re already paying for before paying full price somewhere else.”
For families looking for inspiration this half term, eight Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust (WWT) centres across the UK are hosting SUPER Natural October Half Term from 24 October to 1 November. Visitors can enjoy a range of creative activities, from weaving willow wands to concocting marshland magic potions. Members of Boundless – the club for working and retired public sector and civil service workers – enjoy unlimited admission to all WWT centres across the UK.
For a cultural day out, Art Fund's National Art Pass, included with Boundless Plus membership, offers free or discounted entry to hundreds of museums, galleries and historic houses nationwide. This half term, members can enjoy 50% off entry to see Renoir and Love at the National Gallery in London, free admission to Brighton's Royal Pavilion and its Dragons exhibition and many more across the country.
Darren Milton at Boundless said: “Half term means spending quality time together as a family, and making lasting memories doesn't have to come with a hefty price tag. Checking out what's on in your local area is a great way to discover new experiences, with Boundless helping to make days out more affordable.”
Maddy also recommends making the most of the free activities autumn has to offer, from library trips to seasonal walks.
She said: “Libraries are massively underrated during school holidays. Lots run free or very cheap craft sessions, story times and seasonal activities. Also check your local council website, community centres, museums and Facebook community groups. Search for ‘free October half term activities’ plus your area before assuming there’s nothing happening locally.
“Autumn basically provides free entertainment. Go on a conker hunt, collect leaves for crafts, do an autumn scavenger hunt, find the best Halloween-decorated houses or head to the beach or woods. Take hot chocolate in a flask and suddenly a walk feels much more like an occasion.”
For rainy days, a trip to the cinema is another way to keep the family entertained. New family-friendly releases include Forgotten Island and Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom. Boundless members can save up to 37% on cinema tickets through the Cinema Society.
Boundless offers working and retired public sector and civil service workers access to savings on days out, shopping, dining and more. Annual membership costs £45 for Boundless and £78 for Boundless Plus. To find out more, please visit: www.boundless.co.uk.
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How to save and have fun this half term
By personal finance expert Maddy Alexander-Grout
1. Give the kids a half-term budget
Instead of trying to say no to everything all week, decide what you can realistically afford and give the kids a say in how you spend it.
You could have £50 for the week and let everyone choose something they’d like to do.
It’s a sneaky way of teaching kids about money too because suddenly they’re weighing up whether they REALLY want the expensive activity when it means less money for something else!
2. Check what you’ve already paid for
Before booking anything, check your existing memberships, subscriptions and rewards because you might already have access to discounted days out.
Memberships like Boundless provide access to savings through benefits including Kids Pass, WWT and National Art Pass.
Have a proper rummage through anything you’re already paying for before paying full price somewhere else.
3. Have a Halloween costume swap
Please don’t spend £30 on a costume that’s going to be worn for approximately 47 minutes!
Get together with other parents and swap old Halloween costumes.
Kids grow out of them ridiculously quickly, so there’s probably a perfectly good witch, skeleton or inflatable dinosaur sitting in somebody else’s cupboard.
4. Make the boring stuff the activity
You don’t have to pay for an ‘experience’ every day. Going to choose a pumpkin can BE the activity.
Give the kids a couple of quid each to choose their pumpkin, come home, stick some Halloween music on and have a carving competition.
Add a Halloween film afterwards and you’ve basically created a whole themed day without paying attraction prices.
5. Raid your local library
Libraries are massively underrated during school holidays. Lots run free or very cheap craft sessions, story times and seasonal activities.
Also check your local council website, community centres, museums and Facebook community groups.
Search for “free October half term activities” plus your area before assuming there’s nothing happening locally.
6. Try a ‘yes day’ with a very small budget
Give the kids £5 or £10 each and tell them you’re having a YES day, but everything you do has to fit within the budget.
They could choose sweets for a movie night, ingredients to bake something, a charity-shop challenge or something completely random.
The restriction makes it more fun because they have to get creative.
7. Don’t underestimate free outdoor fun
Autumn basically provides free entertainment. Go on a conker hunt, collect leaves for crafts, do an autumn scavenger hunt, find the best Halloween-decorated houses or head to the beach or woods.
Take hot chocolate in a flask and suddenly a walk feels much more like an occasion.
8. Pick your ‘big’ day – rather than trying to make every day big
Half term doesn’t need to be five or seven expensive days out. Choose one thing you’re happy to spend money on and make the other days cheaper or free.
Kids don’t need every day to be spectacular. Sometimes the random £3 afternoon where you made terrible Halloween biscuits ends up being the thing they remember.
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Editors notes
About Boundless:
Boundless is a membership club for civil service and public sector workers who are looking for inspiration on getting the most out of their free time. With a heritage and expertise dating back more than 100 years, Boundless offers its 150,000+ members deals on hundreds of unique experiences, events, volunteer activities and things to do. It’s also mutual, so all profits go straight back into the club to benefit members.
About Maddy Alexander-Grout:
Maddy Alexander-Grout is author of Mad About Money: Managing Your Finances And Life with ADHD. Her focus is on making money management realistic for families, rather than telling people they simply need to stop buying things they enjoy!
