Five ways to have a cheap Easter holiday with the kids including RENTING toys and £1 meals

ENTERTAINING kids during school holidays is expensive. Parents spend on average £147 during the Easter holidays, according to NerdWallet UK.AlamyWe reveal five ways parents can cut costs over the Easter holidays[/caption]But there are ways to lower costs while keeping the family entertained over the Easter break.

Don’t buy toys, borrow themTry renting toys instead of buying new ones.Mum-of-three Rosey Davidson, a sleep and parenting expert who posts tips at (just_chill_mama), is trying out subscription box, Whirli, in time for the Easter holidays.The 42-year-old lives in north London with her husband, Dan, and their three children, aged 12, eight and three.



Rosey said: “It costs £9.99 a month, and that gives you access to a huge range of the latest toys.”If the couple were to buy these items new, over a year, the cost could easily run into hundreds of pounds.

Rosey added: “As the kids develop so fast, it’s easy for toys to become redundant pretty quickly.“But with Whirli, we don’t need to worry about them getting bored.“This feels like a cost-effective and planet-friendly way for my kids to play.

”For an even cheaper option, see if there’s a local toy library you can visit. Larissa Hazell, 33, who lives in Essex with her husband and three-year-old son, used a toy library last summer.She works as an emergency nanny and is the founder of The Childcare Guide, a site which helps parents find the right childcare provider.

She said: “It only costs £5 a year to sign up to the library, then 50p to ‘borrow’ each toy for two or three weeks.“I’ve rented items including stickle bricks and musical instruments for my son. “I wish more people knew about these great resources as they allow you – and your children – to try before you buy.

”Grab a deal on mealsLots of chains do discounts for kids during holidays. Morrisons Cafe is giving away a free bowl of cereal and portion of fruit when you ask for a “Kellogg’s Breakfast”.At Sainsbury’s cafes, kids eat for £1 when you purchase an adult meal.

At Burger King little ones can eat for free when adults buy a meal. Download the Burger King app to get access to this and other offers. Kids aged 12 and under can also eat free at Côte Brasserie this Easter when family members sign up to Côte’s newsletter and spend a minimum of £20.

If your child is eligible for free school meals, they may also qualify for free holiday food – and childcare – under the “Holiday Activities and Food” (HAF) programme. Check with your council.App, app and awayMembers of MoneySuperMarket’s SuperSaveClub app get a “free days out annual pass”, which gives access to thousands of venues, such as zoos, bowling and swimming.

There’s no cost to sign up but you will need to purchase a “qualifying” product such as broadband or insurance to access the free ticket. Take out an eligible product via Compare the Market and you can benefit from a year of Meerkat Movies.Download the Meerkat app to access two-for-one cinema tickets every Tuesday or Wednesday.

Get your hands on free food and other offers by signing up to apps – and newsletters – for outlets such as McDonald’s, Pizza Express, Greggs and Costa.Activities and apps that help kids learnMake a trip to your local library this Easter and borrow books so you won’t have to buy them.Many libraries also have free craft events – and free computers for you to use.

If you want books you can own, The Works offers a brilliant “10-for-£10 picture book bundle.”There are often some great bargains for budding bookworms at budget supermarkets such as Lidl and Aldi, too.A host of stores offer classes during the holidays that can be both fun and educational.

Head to Pets at Home for its My Pet Pals workshops which includes the chance to learn how to handle hamsters, rats and other small animals. Download the official “geocaching” app and you can keep kids entertained searching for hidden goodies using GPS coordinates – giving you a good reason to get little ones out on walks this Easter.Arrange a childcare swapIf you’re struggling to juggle childcare and work during the school holidays, and seeking a cheaper alternative to g a babysitter, why not get together with a few local parents and organise a childcare swap.

Take it in turns to be in charge of the kids for an afternoon or evening.Or, work out a system where you earn a ‘token’ each time you babysit for someone else – and hand over a token each time you get another mum or dad to babysit for you. Money saving tips for parentsWE'VE put together six top tips to cut costs, nab freebies and to make sure you're not fined.

Free prescriptions and dental care – Prescriptions cost £9.15 a pop in England, while NHS dental costs vary by location. You can get both for free while you’re pregnant and for 12 months after your baby’s due date.

Ask your doctor or midwife for a maternity exemption certificate (MATEX) to claim the free care. Free milk, infant formula, vitamins or fruit and veg – Under the Healthy Start programme, you may be entitled to the freebies if you’re at least 10 weeks pregnant or you have a child under four and you’re on certain benefits, such as Universal Credit. £500 free grant – In England, Northern Ireland and Wales you may be entitled to a Sure Start grant of £500 if you’re on certain benefits and expecting your first child or expecting more than one baby – such as twins.

To claim, you need to fill out the following form on Gov.uk and get your doctor or midwife to sign it.Register the birth in time or face a £200 fine – You need to register the birth within 42 days of your baby being born with your local registry office.

This costs £11 in England and Wales.Update a will or update it – If you don’t have a will, in England, Northern Ireland and Scotland, where one parent dies, children will only inherit cash if the estate is worth more than £250,000 – otherwise all the money will go to the surviving spouse. If you don’t want that to happen, you need to get a will stating your wishes.

Consider getting life insurance – No-one likes to think about death but if something happened to you, could the family survive without your salary? If not, you many want to consider life insurance. Use a comparison service to find not only the cheapest, but the most suitable cover for your needs.Do you have a money problem that needs sorting? Get in touch by emailing money-sm@news.

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