Our Top 10 Budget Friendly Summer Activities

With the summer holidays only just around the corner (I know!) I've been panicking slightly and wondering what to do with my little ones this year. Last year was such a good holiday I think we'll struggle to make it even better but I'm willing to give it a go! Here are 10 budget friendly summer activities the children and I have come up with for this year...

1) Farm Days.

Everyone will have a local farm that opens their gates to plenty of visitors during the year. It's usually free to enter the farm days and the children love petting the animals and spotting some new arrivals. We personally enjoy Trevaskis Farm which is always a great day out for all the children. The only thing that will cost you money is the fruit picking (which will depend on how much you pick) and if you decide to eat in the cafe or purchase from the local shop which has lots of tasty, organic items. I personally take a picnic for us all to enjoy to stay budget friendly!

 2) Picnics!

Speaking of picnics, how many of us still venture out for this simple yet wonderful treat? We have done picnics whilst out to make the trip cheaper, picnics in the garden and even when the weather lets us down, picnics on the front room floor! A lot of fun and so simple.

3) Beach Fun.

The beaches are free and we should all make the most of them! Sandwiches full of sand, flip flips full of sand, seaweed throwing and paddling make a really fun, typically British day out. Sometimes we buy fish and chips but usually we bring our own food with us. Beach art is good fun as is good old sandcastle building! Here are the top 10 beaches to visit in Cornwall: http://www.cornwalls.co.uk/top_ten/beaches.htm Our favourites are Marazion and Church Cove near Helston.

4) Scavenger Hunts.

A wonderfully free and fun idea is scavenger hunting. You can create your own list or hunt on Pinterest for a free printable. You all head out with your sheets of paper and tick off (or collect) the items you're looking for. You could visit a woods and look for specific leaves, twigs and woodland animals or you could look for different signs in the town, colours of cars or different shops. The possibilities are endless and the children really enjoy doing this.

5) A trip to a Museum.

 The Royal Cornwall Museum is host to a lot of Cornwall's fascinating heritage as well as being host to Egyptian, Greek and many other historical time periods. There is a lot for children to do with plenty of activity areas including: puzzles, dress up, colouring and taking a closer look at some of natures smallest wildlife. Entry is free for children and for adults entry is £5, brilliant when that is an annual pass. You can find your local museums with a quick online search which are usually free entry, donation or a similar charge to the above. 

6) Arts and Crafts Day

Having a day or even half a day of arts and craft is incredibly fun and a wonderful family activity. You could all think of a subject to focus on or you could all let your inner artist flow! We like to blow paint, dip our feet in paint and step onto a big piece of paper outside, chalk the garden path or front steps with pictures and messages plus making things out of our recycling. Crafting can be really budget friendly if you have bits hanging around at home, but popping to your local Poundland or 99p Store is a great way to save money on paints, giant chalk and paper.

7) Go Camping

Camping doesn't have to be expensive. We haven't actually ever been to a camping site to camp! We clear the back garden, pop up our 4 man tent, fill it with sleeping bags (and duvets, teddies, pillows and so on...) and have a great time! We've even camped in an awful downpour, but  didn't even consider running for the house, we just embraced the camping spirit! Camping can be as pricey as you want it or need it to be but for us, it's a really fun and budget friendly way of spending a day or more in summer. If you don't fancy the outdoors, you could even bring the bedding downstairs and enjoy an indoor family camp out on the floors and sofas!

8) Get on your Bikes

We've finally all got bikes and are really enjoying some family bike rides. So get those helmets on and enjoy your local community! We've cycled out of the town and found some wonderful back roads with fields and horses so it almost feels like I'm home again.

9) Pebble Painting

I love pebble painting but haven't done it for years. This year the children and I are going to find some pebbles and decorate them however we want. We want to keep some to decorate our garden with but also paint some happy pictures or words of kindness and leave them on walls, steps etc for people to find.

10) Visit Budget Friendly Attractions

As above, in Cornwall you can visit the museums for fairly cheap, local farms such as Trevaskis Farm and Roskillys which are great places to go for walks and to see plenty of animals. You only spend money if you choose to. We love the Seal Life Sanctuary in Gweek but make sure as with most attractions you book online because it's always cheaper, that goes for anywhere in the country! Check your local newspapers and check your children's book bags, twice we've had vouchers which entitle the children to free entry or cheap entry to Seal Life, Legoland and some other attractions. If you Google 'cheap/free attractions' and your county you'll be pleased to see plenty to do I'm sure of it! Another great place to visit if you're holidaying on Cornwall is Cornish Camels; free entry and lots of fun! 

I'd love to know if anyone else has any plans for the summer holidays? It's only a few weeks away here and although excited, we still a large chunk of the calendar to fill! 

Cupcake Mumma

*This post was inspired by Provident's Schools out for summer campaign. Links in this post are not paid links just recommendations of places we love to visit as a family!

Freebies and Prizes ~ February and March

February's Freebies

I wrote a letter to Udis with Midge and I was so surprised when a big box of goodies were handed to me from the company. We had all sorts in there, even some new products and two £2 off coupons.

Box of goodies from Udis!

I got some nappies from Pampers in the mail, I didn't think I was getting a whole pack so I was really pleased and passed them on to my friend whose little boy has just gone up a size. I got some nail stickers for Midge which are pretty funky, a Cancer Research pack which will be great for our fundraising for the Race for Life. I also got a valentines card for Mr B which was super sweet!

A mix of February and March freebies here including a Valentines card, Woodland Trust pin badge, Nail stickers, Colouring books and a perfume sample

February's Prizes

Some tasty homemade marshmallows, a children's book (Rapunzel) that I won with Midge in mind (she loves it), £50 online Amazon voucher which went towards Little A's birthday gifts plus a book voucher worth £15 which got me 3 new, fab books and lastly a £50 Disney gift card.

March's Freebies

A book about teeth, Lego Junior mag, Face cream, Seeds, Confetti and The Very Hungry Caterpillar

Just in time for Easter this tooth book fell through my door. I have no idea where it came from but I found it really funny. I got a great selection of colouring books as a Mothers Day gift from Buster Books which was so lovely. The Very Hungry Caterpillar dropped through our door which was a great surprise and a fabulous freebie, I gave this to Little A with the Lego mag that finally arrived! I was really pleased with my woodland trust pin badge, my real petal confetti and seeds for my garden.

No prizes for March sadly!

Do you have any freebies and prizes to share? Drop me a comment below!

Cupcake Mumma

Going Green-Fingered to Save Money

I've been cutting back much like most of the people I speak to these days. We rarely take a bus or taxi, we buy as much as we can value or own brand in the supermarkets we shop around in, we use charity stores (I love this one!) and genuinely just try to make things last longer clothes and food wise. The only thing I don't do and have never done is grow my own fruit and vegetables.

I'm the daughter of a gardener yet my Dad didn't pass on any green fingered genes (much like my mum who is wonderful at sewing but never sat me down to learn!) I haven't the first clue what I'm doing but I know i want to grow my own produce and I want to save money. As part of the Money Does Grow on Trees challenge from debt free direct I picked some seeds, compost and a little shelf unit (because there isn't much windowsill room in my house!) which was all kindly sent to me so I can blog our growing journey and hopefully blog about how much money we'll save when it comes to pulling our veg out of the soil!

I've planted some herbs (I bought these myself) and the children planted some strawberries with their aunt which are also on our windowsill. Here they are growing away several weeks ago:

My lavender has been moved into a slightly bigger plant pot but my other herbs died! We also planted some potatoes! I found this big tub after a toy box clear out, made a few adjustments to it with help from my Husband and planted the spuds with help from Midge.

Hopefully I'll be planting more fruit and veg (both a mix of my own purchases and seeds from this challenge.) I'm really hoping I can grow something! I've worked out I could save around £20 a month (regardless of season! In fact, in summer it would be slightly more because of all the strawberry buying!)

Do you grow your own? Do you have a nice big space, an allotment or are you on a smaller scale much like myself with pots everywhere!? I'd love to know and especially always appreciate your growing tips so my challenge isn't a total fail!

Cupcake Mumma

30 Ways to Save a £1

Whilst browsing MoneySupermarket, I found a little something that caught my eye. They are looking for a load of bloggers to blog their 30 ways to save £1 to celebrate the 30th year of our great pound coin! I like to be a bit thrifty and a £1000 prize for the lucky winner was a sure incentive to find my ways of saving a pound (or more!)

1) Ditch the weekly mag.
I had a magazine I read every single week which cost me 99p. Since I ditched the mag, I get to save that 99p and I'm also happier not reading the same old rubbish about women and their bodies all the time!

2) Buy a weekly bus pass instead of paying everyday.
My Husband recently figured out that it costs him more (£18) to get to and from work every day when paying for a return fare, so instead he purchased an all week ticket for £16 saving himself £2. Every little counts!

3) Save with PARK for Christmas.
Since I started putting money back every month Christmas has been so much easier to manage. It is the one time of year which can be quite stressful money wise and I used to be terrible with over buying therefore overspending. Now I have a set amount of vouchers and once they're gone, they're gone.

4) Meal Plan- and stick to it!

5) Don't give into the children!
Easier said than done I know, but buying a chocolate bar, a magazine or toy to keep them from screaming Tescos down isn't going to do your wallet any favours (and doesn't last that long anyway!)

6) Take advantage of reward cards.
Boots are the best for me but there are also Tesco Clubcards, Superdrug reward cards, Iceland Bonus Card and many more.

7) Instead of booking a holiday away, staycate!
Next year we're booking a holiday local to us instead of going further away.

8) Stick to your shopping lists!

9) Buy value products where possible.
There isn't a great difference to most of the foods taste wise but a big difference price wise!

10) Shop around!
I use my local superstore for 'free from' food, Lidl and Superdrug for bulk buying the children's nappies and my local green grocer for my fruit and veg. Most of the time it works out much more in my favour than sticking to one shop.

11) Repair where possible.
Get into a habit of saving the items you have by repairing them instead of throwing things out at the first sign of wear and tear.

12) Get outdoors instead of using the gym.
Unless you really get your moneys worth from the gym, there's no point in paying out every month. Instead walk, run, cycle, jog and take in that fresh air!

13) Buy your books from boot sales, charity shops or even borrow them from your local library. You can even download free books from your Kindle if you own one.

14) Use white vinegar to clean your house instead of expensive chemical brands

15) Use newspaper to clean your mirrors instead of polishing them!

16)Look after what you already have!
The more you don't care for something, the quicker they will wear out and eventually become broken. So take care of what you already own and you will save pennies in the long run.

17) Save baths for those real 'treat yourself' moments.

18) Don't bin your leftovers!!
There are plenty of recipes out there to help you use your leftovers! Sometimes I just have what's left for lunch the next day.

19) Make gifts and cards.
A lot of the time there are items in our home we could make nice and give away as gifts. A cheaper and  very thoughtful way of showing someone you care

20) Grow you own!

21) Pack a lunch instead of buying in town or at work.

22) Bake!
I always have the ingredients in my cupboard to make cakes and cupcakes which are bigger and better than store bought packs. Biscuits are cheap and simple to make too, especially in bulk!

23) Swishing!
Taking your old, clean belongings to a Swishing party means you can socialise and get some new clothes in exchange for your old ones.

24) Use your own bags!

25) Look out for money off local attractions in your local newspaper.

26) Ditch take aways.

27) Quit the cigarettes!
My husband switched from cigarettes to roll ups and now he's cutting down I'm pretty sure we'll see the difference money wise very soon!

28)Use your library and possibly local school for free toddler groups.
The school my daughter goes to runs a free toddler group every week with the library offering the same the next day. Most council run places and nurseries will charge up to £2.50 for a session so if you can find a free one, make use of it!

29) Buy second hand, so much cheaper and nothing wrong with it.

30) Carry around snacks and water with you (especially if you're with children) to avoid the sudden spending of money.

CupcakeMumma

Does Being Thrifty Always Make You Happy?

Recently things have been getting on top of me. Money things. Last year I didn't really feel it so much. I was loving bargains and thrifty finds but with the pinch of the pennies, watching what you're spending is becoming a right old bore!

Finding a bargain has to be justified. I used to find something in a charity shop and feel pleased as punch but now that has all changed. I just seem to have to justify everything to myself! Even at 50p! I know what people are thinking, 'but you're planning a wedding, you're going to feel the pennies pinching'. Not so my friend. Okay so there are bigger things like paying for the reception and our hotel suite that we are facing but truth be told there are so many gifted people in both sides of our family, and some very generous people too so our wedding is going to be a beautiful day made even more so by knowing that so many people have spent time, money, effort even all 3 to help us.

It's the other things that get to my budget much like everyone else. The South West has one of the highest water rates, I'm on one of the best gas and electricity boards but still find myself totally paranoid as those little digital numbers dwindle down. Then there's the checkout..anyone else slightly recoil upon waiting for the 'final total' to be read out?

I know I am most definitely not alone. I'm sure given the option we would all like a little more to play with. It's not that I'm broke. I am still better off than a lot of people out there. I don't have to imagine that because I know. For a start I'm not queueing up in need of food kindly being donated week in and week out by generous shoppers.

I just wish I could be happier with my thrifty finds again! I follow a lot of frugal bloggers who love what they do. Maybe it is that I haven't fully adapted to this way of living? Perhaps I'm still a little attached to the more frivolous lifestyle? I have bought some new things recently but these have been bought second hand, locally and on payment plan. The best way for new laptops and phones!

I think it's that in this society it seems almost insane to not spend money. There's always something to 'have'. I'm really not one for jumping on the gadget bandwaggon. I'm not saying I don't lust over an Iphone now and then but do i really want one? Not really. I can't think of anything worse than a Kindle, many people claim to read so much more but what is really the difference? A gadget on your lap or a book on your lap..no I'm sorry I'm not getting it! As long as I can text and have a fully functioning lappy I am a happy woman!

Anyway, I seem to have gone off on a tangent slightly. I'm going to leave you with some images of past finds, more in the hope of making me feel better than anything else. Go head and indulge lovely readers.
Cupcake Mumma

Here comes the justifying voice 'Why do you need a plush chicken for goodness sake Hannah? I mean what will it do!? Sit there, look pretty, not be lonely...she was only a pound! (and she wasn't lonely but don't tell OH)

£2 I'm sure a lot of people have these type of books in their house? £2 probably better spent considering I haven't really tried out much from this book! Oops..

These are immense. They hang in my bedroom and were from the charity shop. Justification: Art!

A quid for this beautiful dream catcher (brand new, handmade nobody else's nightmares coming free)  

Overlook the grumpy muffin and focus on the sleeping bag. £1.99 it's huge and does have a nice teddy design. That is a thrifty find where baby items are concerned.

Hello Kitty toy found, still boxed in the charity shop. We gave this to Little Miss for Christmas as it really was a great find. I think it cost £2.50. Think of me what you will.