Deals of the Week!

Deals & TipsSaving Money
Written By The Budgeting Mum

Deals of the Week!

Deals & TipsSaving Money
Written By The Budgeting Mum

If you're anything like me and are obsessed with a bargain you’re in the right place. But I know that searching out the best deals can take a lot of time, something we don’t always have. The good news is that I will hunt out the bargains that will save you money every single week so you don’t have to!

I only recommend products and businesses I use or would use myself and all opinions expressed here are our own. Some links in this blog are affiliate links or sponsored by the companies I use and recommend. This means I may earn a small commission but at no extra cost to you.

It’s the start of April and bills are rising as of this week. Here’s an overview of the ones you need to keep an eye on:

  • Energy bills: The energy price cap has risen by 6.4%, leading to an average annual increase of £111 for households.​

  • Water bills: An average rise of 26%, adding about £123 per year to household expenses.​

  • Council tax: Approximately 5% increase, equating to an additional £109 annually for a Band D property.​

  • Broadband and mobile services: Price hikes of up to 6.4%, varying by provider.​

  • TV Licence: The annual fee has risen by £5, bringing the total to £174.50.​

  • Vehicle Excise Duty (Car Tax): Introduction of a £165 annual tax for most electric cars, with high-emission vehicles seeing first-year road tax doubled.

It’s time to set that budget you’ve been meaning to do, whether its on a piece of paper, spreadsheet (I have a free one on the website) or an app like Snoop which I highly recommend.

The Easter holidays are looming and Hollywood Bowl is offering 50% off bowling before 11am with code: BUNNY50.

Surely we all agree that Lindt chocolate is the best right?!

Amazon is currently stocking this egg for a fiver, and if you’re buying more that 4 you’ll get an extra 5% off.

Have you spotted any of these Lego sets in Farmfoods?

I’ve not seen them offering these before but they’ve got limited stock of a range of sets including:

  • Palace of Agrabah – £19.99

  • Maleficent BrickHeadz – £15.99

  • Classic Box – £34.99

  • Jade Rabbit – £14.99

  • Pinata – £12.99

You can stack these deals with vouchers from signing up for their emails and the vouchers are accessible straight away.  

The vouchers include £5 off a £60 spend and £2 off a £25 spend.You can use both vouchers together for larger shops!

National Trust is hosting a range of Easter egg hunts on various dates up and down the country for as little as £3.50.

Before you set off, you'll receive a trail sheet to guide you on your adventure and Easter bunny ears to wear along the way. You can choose from either a chocolate egg, a vegan one or a Free From one.

If you’re on O2, you can get the following Pizza Express deals through O2 Priority rewards:

  • Get £20 off a £40 spend

  • Get £10 off a £20 spend

  • £6.95 for a classic pizza 

These offers are valid 7 days a week, all day, no annoying cut off times. 

500 codes will be released in the O2 Priority app every day. You’ll need to be ready to pay when you access the code as it will expire within 120 minutes.

If you’re looking for Easter egg alternatives for the kids I’ve rounded up a couple of ideas:

  • This Lego set is in the sale with 20% off.

  • Some of the kids favourite Easter books here, here and here.

  • Giving the an Easter crafting basket will avoid loads of extra sugar as well as giving them some activities to do whilst off school.

The £9.50 Sun Holidays are back and I’ve got the codes for you so you don’t need to!

You can use these to have a cheap break abroad as well as the UK. We stayed in the South of France on a Sun Holiday which was the best value-for-money break we’ve done. Read more about it here.

Codes:

Code 1: WAVE

Code 2: STAR

Code 3: SONG

Code 4: G7H3

Bonus Code: WARM

I’ve also got a blog with everything you need to know about the Sun Holidays!

If you follow me on Instagram you’ll know we’re on a trip to Denmark at the moment, as we’re visiting Legoland Billund.

We got an insane deal on this trip because prices on flights are so low at this time of year. We paid £33 per person each to fly out here this week!

Legoland is actually closed but you can still stay on site, the hotel is fantastic for the kids. And most importantly you can still visit Lego House which is AMAZING! 

I’ll be doing a full write up on this trip soon but if you’re looking for a last minute fun getaway with the kids, Holiday Pirates has some deals here.

I’ve recently got myself a Cricut (FYI its pronounced ‘Cricket’ like the insect, rather than ‘Cry Cut’ - who knew!)

I did some crafting for my friend’s hen do last weekend and I loved adding a personal touch.

I have got so many plans on what I’m going to use this for - there are literally millions of things you can make with a Cricut! I have a feeling I’ll be labelling every item in my new kitchen!

Amazon has got an offer on this bundle in the Spring Deals sale!

I get so many messages saying surely there must be a catch when it comes to getting cashback and, honestl,y I felt the same in the beginning.

I’ve got an entire blog answering all your questions here but the short answer is - no, it’s not too good to be true!

I had several messages from people last night saying they’ve saved literally £1,000s from using cashback apps, it really does work!

Gousto has increased their refer a friend programme again, meaning you can get 70% off your first box!

You can get a box to feed a family of 4 for less than £20 (this is for 4 meals).

You’ll need a referral code to get the discount - there’s a few below - but they’ll only work for the first 20 people. Check the comments for other codes shared by others!

Referral code 1

Referral code 2

Referral code 3

I’ve been so tempted to invest in a Merlin pass but are they worth it? In case you don’t know, a Merlin pass offers families unlimited access to over 30 UK attractions, including Alton Towers, LEGOLAND® Windsor, SEA LIFE centres, and The London Eye.

They’re running their annual discount meaning you can get an annual pass from £79pp for a year! It can be hard to figure out if a Merlin Pass is worth the cost so I’ve done the research for you which outlines the costs for each tier of pass, how many visits to Merlin attractions you’d need to do a year for it to be worthwhile and the areas of the UK where you might be better off if you purchase one!

You can read more here.

Easter is fast approaching (Sunday 20th April), and supermarkets are already rolling out huge discounts on Easter eggs! But with so many deals, it can be overwhelming to know if you’re actually getting the best price. Here's where to find the best bargains and avoid decision fatigue while shopping.

I’ve been hunting deals and you can read the price comparisons here.

I mentioned last week I was starting to think of ideas for my daughters first birthday (and struggling!). I included the wrong link to the flower building toys on on last weeks email - sorry! Here are the ones I was talking about.

Some of the others suggestions i had were a Baby Annabel (I can’t believe these are still going, I remember having one as a kid!) and a portable camera.

My kids are still LEGO obsessed and I’ve got to say, since they’ve started spending more time doing LEGO, their writing has improved considerably. 

I like these 3-in-1 sets so that they can take them apart and make something different.

I’ve found a deal here where you can get 2 for £30!

Thinking of switching bank accounts? If you switch to Lloyds’ Club Lloyds account, you can get a free £175 as well as six free Odeon or Vue tickets a year or 12 months Disney+.

The account is fee-free as long as you meet its £2,000 a month minimum pay-in – there's a £3 a month fee (rising to £5 a month from 2nd June) if you don't.

Get sorted for Easter for a fiver!

This cute set includes an Easter bonnet and everything the kids would need to decorate it. 

Nothing like getting organised!

Whilst I was on Statutory Maternity Pay, I was earning well under my tax free allowance for the year. 

I put in a claim for Marriage Allowance, which meant I could transfer a portion of my tax-free allowance over to my husband. This can save you as a couple up to £252 per year. 

You can also back date your claim by up to four years, which meant we also got a tax refund of over £700. More information here.

You can check your eligibility on the Government website.

Here’s a great holiday deal for the May Half Term. You can stay at our favourite Haven site in Devon for just £349! I have done a little video of this site which you can see here.

The beach is in walking distance and there are loads of activities on-site for the kids included (although the ones you do pay for are really reasonable!)

One of the biggest game-changers for our family budget was moving our joint bank account to Monzo and here’s why… the Pots feature!

You can set up a ‘pot’ for all of the different things you’re saving for or need to buy - it’s like cash stuffing envelopes but digital!

I love it and its the first thing I ever recommend to anyone looking to improve their finances. I’ve written a blog on Monzo and it’s features - check it out here.

As you may have seen on Instagram, we visited CBeebies Land last week during Half Term!

I’ve put together some money-saving tips for your visit to CBeebies Land or Alton Towers.

If you’re looking for a great deal during the Easter holidays, you could stay at the Stargazing Pods for just £130 for a family of four. This price includes accommodation, breakfast, parking, and a round of crazy golf!

By then, the main park will be open (it wasn’t last week) so this would be better for older kids or thrill-seekers. 

You’d need to add on your park tickets to this too as they aren’t included but you might be able to snag a discount with 2-for-1 offers or Clubcard vouchers!

Have you ever stopped to think about how much money you waste each year?

Taking the time to review your spending can be a game-changer for your finances. It’ll allow you to identify problem areas, spot patterns, and create a plan to overcome bad spending habits.

The best tool I’ve found for this is this app - and the best part? It’s completely free! With just a few taps, you can generate a full spending analysis and start making smarter choices.

Have you noticed how expensive holidays have become for Easter?

If you’re looking for a more affordable alternative, France is a great place to visit in May Half Term.

Their school holidays don’t align with ours do, so you can get a great deal - like this one in a Eurocamp.

You can stay at Eurocamp L’Orangerie de Lanniron, a 5-star campsite in beautiful Brittany, for just £265 for a family of four during May half-term.

A great getaway at a fraction of the cost!

And dont forget, I’ve got a full guide on Eurocamps here.

One of our biggest joint financial goals for the next decade is to overpay our mortgage, here’s how we’re making it happen:

  • Automated savings: Every month, I use Plum and Sprive to automatically set aside money. These apps take small amounts from our account without us even noticing!

  • Cashback for overpayments: I earn cashback on shopping and eating out through Sprive, which goes straight toward our mortgage overpayments.

As soon as the savings between the two apps total £500, I make an overpayment  (this is the minimum repayment amount required by our lender). 

For us, our main goal is to pay less interest. If you do a quick mortgage overpayment calculator you see how much you could be saving in interest by making even small overpayments! We’d also like to become mortgage free as soon as possible! (wouldn’t we all?!)

This is the one adult purchase that’s worth every penny!

Drying clothes in winter can be a nightmare, but this airer is an absolute game-changer!

I’ve tried heated airers, but I don’t rate them - clothes need space to dry properly, and cramming them together just doesn’t work.

Instead, I use this extendable airer over my radiator, and it dries clothes SO fast!

Highly recommend!

Here’s how to get a free £10 to spend at B&Q:

  • Join the B&Q Reward Scheme next time you shop in a B&Q store

  • You’ll get a £10 voucher sent to you to spend on your next purchase

  • You’ll need to spend £75 to get the £10 discount but it’s perfect if you’ve got some DIY planned as we go into the spring

You’ll also get a couple of vouchers giving you £5 off when you spend £30 or more if you sign up for their emails.

 

TOP TIP! If freebies are your thing, don’t forget to head over to my freebies blog too!

 
 

Disclosure: Some of the links in this blog are affiliate links. This means we may earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase, at no additional cost to you.

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The Budgeting Mum

Hi, I’m Beth, aka the Budgeting Mum! Like many families, my family and I have felt the financial pinch since becoming parents.

One thing I'm incredibly passionate about is affordable family travel and truly believe that you can explore the world with children in tow, no matter your budget. So, if you’re tightening your purse strings, looking for money-saving advice for families and bargain deals, follow along for more! 

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