Cost of Living: Summer Life on a Budget
Our second article focuses on budget things to do this summer with your kids. Plus, win a £100 River Island e-Gift Card!
Date:
4 August, 2022
Cost of Living: Summer life on a budget
Summertime … long days of sunshine and hot weather that you never want to end. That said, you’ve got the kids off for a whole six weeks – which means your job as event planner and entertainer is due and it’s not usually a cheap affair.
As our cost of living rockets, it’s more relevant than ever to be financially savvy. Going without for the whole six weeks might grow your improvisational skills but a little treat, if you can, would be good for everyone. Whatever the case: it’s making forever memories that’s worth its weight in gold.
Using (or reinventing) the space at home and enjoying gardens and courtyards helps to save money. And same goes for popping to your local community areas such as parks, youth centres, allotments or public gardens – spin it as an adventure for your children!
The UK has an abundance of free attractions. Explore the great outdoors by visiting one of 15 national parks; learn something new by dropping into a museum; appreciate art in all of its forms by finding your nearest gallery. Even with entry fees, tips and tricks can reduce the cost.
Things to Do at Home
- Edible sand. Making edible sand takes around 10 minutes and it’s cheap – ingredients are basic!
- Fun with lolly sticks. Tons of crafty DIY ideas to re-use lolly sticks – draw the best faces!
- Film night / matinee. Cinema is an expensive trip out, especially if you cave in to concessions. £10 for a tub of popcorn? No thank you! Hosting Instead, host your own film night in the comfort of your own home … Set up pillows and blankets for a cosy experience. If you can’t find anything to stream on the free catch-up TV channels like BBC iPlayer, All4, ITV Hub, My5 or paid-for such as Netflix or Prime, just remember to cancel any free trials once you’re done with them.
Things to Do Out and About in Your Area
And there's more...
Explore your local area. Have a liberated, local gander! Make an adventure of it. Map apps have pre-routed paths if you’d prefer some control, but it’s good fun to just wing it and go where your feet take you. Plus: extra bonus – think of the number of steps you’ll get in!
Visit a nature reserve. The National Trust is an obvious go-to website but you’ve also got the RSPB, Woodland Trust and the BBC’s Countryfile programme and plenty more on Google or local noticeboards.
Big days out. Look for 2-4-1 and kids-eat-free deals. Take a packed lunch to save money, and give that very attractive-looking gift shop a wide berth – self-denial is a real talent! Trust us, you don’t need to get a branded rubber to remind you of visiting a theme park.
Competition: Win a £100 River Island e-Gift Card!
For this week's cost of living article, we’ve teamed up with fashion powerhouse, River Island, who want to offer one lucky PARK customer the chance to scoop an amazing £100 e-Gift Card. How cool is that?!
As well as having 300 branches across the UK, you can easily shop online with River Island where you can create all sorts of styles and outfits whatever the occasion.
To enter, pop us an email at [email protected] telling us what you need most from River Island this summer - and why.
In need of inspo? Head over to the River Island website - https://www.riverisland.com/
Don’t forget, River Island also accepts The Purple Card, Love2shop Gift Card, and Love2shop Vouchers.
T&Cs apply – here.
PLEASE NOTE, THIS COMPETITION IS NOW CLOSED
Summer Life
Summer lovin’, havin’ a blast – below are some ways you can enjoy the sunshine on a budget (and make some cash on the side):