10 tips to make parenting cheaper

What shall we do today?

Don’t feel guilty if expensive days out are reserved for birthdays only. In these cash-strapped times, few of us can afford extortionate entry fees - and fortunately, we don’t have to.

For ideas for free or cheap trips (plus discount vouchers) check out family-friendly websites such as letsgowiththechildren.co.uk. In the UK, we’re lucky to have hundreds of free attractions.

With everything from the National Football Museum in Preston, to Green’s Windmill and Science Centre in Nottingham, you can enjoy a memorable day without being fleeced.

Present tense?

When your child’s birthday’s approaching, consider asking grandparents and family friends to chip in for one major present. It’s far more useful than showering your child with more gifts than he knows what to do with.

Sure, opening lots of parcels is part of the fun - but you can tick this box by picking up inexpensive bits and pieces over the weeks leading up to the big day. Sharing the cost of his main present sure helps to reduce the ‘ouch’ factor.

Cooking up a storm

While cooking for scratch works out cheaper than buying ready meals or take-aways, it can also be time consuming - so consider a batch-cooking approach.

Chef and author Allegra McEvedy is a whizz at this: in her book Economy Gastronomy (published by Michael Joseph), she offers recipes for staple dishes which can then be frozen and transformed into a myriad of different meals.

Delia’s Frugal Food (Hodder & Stoughton) is another gem - a 70s classic still guaranteed to put smiles on your kids’ faces at dinnertime.

Dive right in

As the cost of children’s activities mounts up, do your homework and find out what your local authority offers for free (while some still offer free swimming for under 16s, particularly during school holidays, regions vary so check with your local council).

Bear in mind, too, that much of what children enjoy is actually free such as playing in parks and woodland. In one study, when asked about their favourite activities, primary-aged children cited going to the beach or visiting grandparents. Bless…

Your support network

With babysitting costing an average of £4.74 per hour, according to a survey by financial firm MINT, a night out can seem frighteningly costly.

That’s where your friends come in - now, more than ever, we all need reliable mates who are happy to babysit (everyone needs the odd night out, after all). Babysitting circles range from the highly organised, with ‘token’ systems, or operate on a more relaxed basis.

The important thing is knowing that you and your friends are happy to swap favours and that childcare won’t ramp up the cost of your night out.

Not new…but who cares?

Likewise, get together with friends to swap toys which are no longer needed. ‘Last birthday, all of my daughter’s presents were either passed on by friends, or from charity shops,’ says mum Simone, 31, mum to six year-old Grace.

‘I found a beautiful musical box which was in perfect condition for £2.50, and a friend passed on a whole pile of Playmobil too.’

Do bear in mind that, while a pile of presents is thrilling, those gifts don’t have to cost the earth. Our fear of ‘disappointing’ our children often leads to us spending more than we can afford - on gifts which are soon cast aside and forgotten.

Just you and me

It might sound corny, but so much of raising a child isn’t about showering them with gifts and possessions, but enjoying being together. ‘Whenever we reminisce about when the boys were younger,’ says Marian, 48, mum to 15 year-old twins Aaron and Michael, ‘it’s always, “Remember that time we built that fire on the beach”, or, “Remember the time we all camped out in the garden?”

Recently, I asked Michael if he could remember the fort we have him when he was about four - and he had no recollection of it at all!’ Although we’re all time-starved these days, do try to carve out time to simply hang out together, as shared memories are something money can’t buy. 

Pitching in

Exotic hols might be off the agenda right now - since 2006, the number of families who can’t afford a week away has risen by a third. Yet you can still enjoy family time away from home.

If the thought of wrestling with a tent makes you shudder, consider that camping has been found to make families feel closer and less stressed - 77 per cent of campers are happy with their quality of life, compared to just 59 per cent of non-campers, according to researchers at Liverpool John Moores University.

Time to dust down that camping stove and brew up, perhaps?

Play away

While we battle to keep on top of finances, it’s easy to forget that most of what children enjoy is absolutely free. With so much emphasis on ‘doing’ and going places, children often lack the chance to play imaginatively with friends - which doesn’t cost a bean.

Having a small number of toys can actually boost a child-imagination (think of how overwhelming she can appear at Christmas, when she’s surrounded by stuff). It also helps her to value and take care of what she has - and takes the pressure off you. Luckily, a child’s rich imagination comes with no price tag attached.