Summer holidays are nearly here and is a wonderful time to take some time off, go away or just relax at home. However it can be a time of stress for many families who are already struggling to the rising costs of inflation, food and fuel but help is available.
To help our members make the most of the summer, we have come up with some ideas for free days out (or in) and we gathered some information on support available for families in the summer holidays.
Holiday Activity and Fun (HAF) is a scheme run by local councils for children who receive free school meals – just click on where you live and you will be directed to the correct website.
Here are some ideas for free or cheap days out (or in) this summer.
- Plan a Day Out
If you get organised and prepare a packed lunch then your day out doesn’t have to be expensive as there’s many places in the area that you can go to for free such as the local park, beach or visit a friend’s garden. If you are travelling further afield, kids travel for £1 on Stagecoach in East Sussex and Kent when they are with a full paying adult (up to 4 kids can travel with one adult) - Declutter your home
With the kids at home, it can be a great opportunity to have a sort out of old toys that aren’t played with or bag up those winter clothes. If you’re able to then you may even want to get a few neighbours together to arrange a garage sale to help earn some of those pennies back. - Get crafty
If t=you like being crafty, how about seeing what you can recycle in your home and get everyone involved? You can just about recycle anything and you’ll no doubt find videos on Youtube to help you learn how to do it. - Learn about cooking outside
With the light evenings, how about visiting a local herb garden or go foraging for berries and plan a family activity around a favourite meal with a few extra herbs that you’ve picked?
There are lots of things you can do without spending a large amount of money over the summer holidays. However if you’re planning a big trip, want to expand your home or looking to create some outdoor space then look at our affordable loans to see how you can make regular monthly payments and start saving at the same time! If you are a member of Wave Community Bank, or interested in joining then we are running a Summer Loans Sale so you can save interest on your loan (offer expires 31st August 2023).
Don’t forget our Family Saver Loans that help you spread the cost of school uniforms should you need any extra help this year. Payments will be taken from your child benefit making it easy for you to make repayments.
And remember our Chorus Scheme helps members to access cheaper loans when you make repayments through your payroll – find out more about this here. It’s free to run for employers and there are many benefits to joining.
