HOW TO MAKE A BIG DEAL OF YOUR KIDS’ HOLIDAYS

The summer holidays can be tough. Endless days of trying to entertain kids who are off school for weeks can be costly. And it doesn’t help that the weather can leave you trapped indoors for days at a time. Here are some tips for making the most of the hol

1 USE YOUR PHONE

MOBILE phones are great, but they’re even better if they can bag you free stuff.

And for a few people some simple tricks could save you hundreds of pounds – with free coffee, sweets and movies all at the click of a button.

Launched in 2011, O2 Priority lets customers on the O2 network grab a few goodies via the app.

As well as free coffee every Tuesday – where you can pick up a free hot drink after noon on Tuesdays at Caffè Nero – you can also bag a £1 lunch deal on a Monday.

What better way to start the week than with an (almost) free lunch. Although O2 got rid of Boots from the meal deal earlier this year – to outrage – there are still plenty of options. WH Smith, as well as Caffe Ritazza, Pumpkin and Upper Crust all offer the deal – but it’s normally restricted to a set “menu” with only certain drinks and snacks included. But, considering the cost of the drink alone would often be worth more than £1, it’s a great deal.

There’s also the option of grabbing a personal pizza for £1 at Domino’s, if that’s more up your street. But be quick, as they are time restricted (11am-3pm) and sometimes there’s only a set amount to give out, so go earlier rather than later.

The app also runs vouchers for dining out, free books and films and, from time to time, free goodies.

From a free scoop of Thornton’s ice cream, to bags of Minion Haribo to Malteaser Merryteaser reindeer chocolate bars at Christmas, it’s often worth checking in to see what goodies are running if you’re out in town. But, again, be quick. The best ones tend to sell out, as there’s only a limited amount that can be given out.

2 HALF-PRICE SWEETS

DURING the school holidays, for selected dates, supermarket chain Wilko offer half-price on pic ’n’ mix in store. All size cups, from small to extra large, are half the cost – meaning if a cinema trip or day out is on the cards, you could save a few quid or two. With the discount, a regular cup is £1, a medium cup £1.50 and an XL cup is just £2. But be quick, because the deal finishes on Monday.

3 CHEAP CINEMA TICKETS

OVER the holidays, certain cinema chains offer discounted or cheap tickets to go and see selected films. Vue runs tickets for £2.49 for children aged two to 12 for their Mini Morning offer on selected weekends and certain morning screenings, with accompanying adults able to get in for £2.49 too – so there’s change from a fiver. Odeon and Cineworld offer a similar scheme, where on weekends and holiday mornings, you can buy £2.50 tickets for adults and kids. You can turn up on the day, but it might be best to book online – but that does mean there will be a booking fee on top.

4 FREE THEME PARK TICKETS

ONE simple trick to halving the cost of what can be a pretty pricey day out at one of the UK’s major theme parks is to always look out for vouchers on cheap food items from the supermarket.

This summer there are promotional packs of Cadbury sharing pouches – including Dairy Milk Giant Buttons, Chocolate Orange Minis and Crunchie Rocks – with a voucher on the side to get two-for-one entry at Merlin attractions such as Legoland, Thorpe Park, Chessington World of Adventures and Madame Tussauds.

They also run Sea Life centres around the UK.

For the price of up to £2, you could save up to £60 on entry using the voucher, which gets you one full-price adult ticket free when you buy one on the gate.

The deal can’t be used online to pre-book, but it does mean you can go when the weather is looking good.

And if chocolate isn’t your thing, certain packs of Kellogg’s cereals and snacks – including Rice Krispies, Frosties and Crunchy Nut – are also offering the deal, for around £3.

So if you’re heading over, it could be worth stopping off at a supermarket on your way.

And the vouchers are valid until 2018, so stock up if you know you’re planning a trip.

5 USE A FREE TENNIS COURT

WHY not stage your own Wimbledon and use one of your local tennis courts for free in your area? Simply type in your postcode online at https://www.tennisforfree.com/ to see courts in your area.

6 MAKE THE MOST OF YOUR LOYALTY CARDS

AT the moment you can use your Nectar card to get cheap cinema tickets or a meal out. For every 1,000 points, you can get two tickets for a screening at Vue or two main meals at Pizza Express.

With two cinema tickets alone worth around £20 at peak times, it’s quite a hefty saving.

7 HALF- PRICE ENTRY TO ALTON TOWERS OR SEA LIFE CENTRES

GRAB a bottle of Carex handwash or shower gel on your next trip to the shops and you can use the free voucher to get half price entry to the attractions. Again, the offer runs until 30 May 2018.

8 FREE SWIMMING LESSONS FOR KIDS

SIGN up to SwimSafe online and you can get a free outdoor swimming and water safety course running for kids aged seven to 14.

Each session, which focuses on water safety, runs for about an hour, followed by a half-hour tuition from a qualified swimming teacher.

There are 20,000 spaces available nationwide, and there are two locations in Wales.

Cardiff International White Water is running courses in July and August, as is Plas Menai in north Wales.

Visit https://swimsafe.org.uk/ for more information.

9F REE (OR REALLY CHEAP) KIDS MEALS

IF you’re hoping to go out for a meal, why not bag a free meal? Chains such as La Tasca, Harvester and Prezzo all offer deals to get a free or kids meal for £1 when an adult buys a full-price meal from the main menu.

Chain Giraffe even offers a free main, drink and desert for each child with every full-price adult meal purchased. Check the terms and conditions before you head out to make sure you get the deal.