The summer holidays are upon us and for those with children or whose family have children, we are all aware that the time spent working and juggling family life gets that bit harder, let alone the endless snack requests!! Or maybe that is just us adults!

We have made a quick and easy guide to surviving the holidays and keeping in budget, read on for our top tips:

1. The first part of the plan is to make a plan. That way you and everyone else knows what is going on, even your bank balance!
2. The key thing with planning is that you can budget budget budget. Look at your monthly budget for the month, what can you save on this month that means you can spend a little more on something else? Take time to really look at what your outgoings are for the month to ensure you do not go over budget but are still able to enjoy your time off – with the kids or alone. 
3. Check out the following article, Cheap and free days out with the kids this summer – Times Money Mentor (thetimes.co.uk), it lists loads of cheaper options and even some free days out and things to do during the summer. These will help keep you in budget and stick to it and remember Point 1, planning, this means you can add in the free things to pack out the days and weeks and ensure you are not over spending. 
4. If you are not able to take time off of work at all in the summer then do not forget about tax-free childcare. Many parents are not aware of the tax-free childcare scheme. Here, the government contributes 20% of childcare costs (paying a maximum of £500 every three months). This money can be used towards holiday clubs or other forms of childcare. It means a holiday camp costing £100 a week should only cost you £80 – saving you £20. The tax-free childcare scheme is available for children aged up to 11, or 17 if the child has a disability.
5. Are you going away on holiday in the summer, ensure you plan to include this too in your summer budget. What are you spending on holiday? Do you already have everything planned and know your budget? You can then adjust what you have left for the rest of the month (summer) by taking this into account too. 
6. If you are going away make sure you make use of our dark web scan tool to ensure that none of your data is put at risk while traveling. You can use our 10 day free trial to take a look at how it works. www.scoresmatter.co.uk
7. With fuel costs being at an all time high, do make sure you make use of any railcards and free travel offers available to you. Make sure you have checked the following website, Railcards | Digital Railcard and Prices | National Rail, for what options are available. 
8. If you are not looking to travel or go anywhere in particular, a great article I found recently is, 30 Cool Cheap or Free Things To Do This Summer With Kids – A Dime Saved, do have a look as it lists some really great ideas to do with the kids or simply by yourself!
9. With our quite exhaustive list, I feel there is one more thing to also say, that you should also plan some time to relax too 🙂 
10. And lastly, check your credit score with ScoresMatter to make sure your summer spending does not affect your credit score or any progress you have made in improving it. A good credit score will help you in keeping your options open for borrowing or getting that longed for mortgage in the future, 

We hope our top tips help you to survive the summer holidays and make the most of time together (or alone).