Keep the cost of your children’s extra-curricular activities down with our tips

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CLUBBING together for the new school year? Encouraging your kids to sign up for extra-curricular activities is a great way for them to learn skills — but it doesn’t come cheap.

You can “lesson” the stress (and the cost) of the new school term with my ideas for keeping spending down.

Keep the cost of your kids’ extra-curricular activities down with our top tips

SHOP SECOND-HAND: From sports equipment to musical instruments, going second-hand can save serious dosh. It’s always worth doing a local eBay or Gumtree search or asking parents at school.

You can rent items too — get a tennis racquet for £5 a day at fatlama.com, compared to buying one for £27.99 at Amazon.
SAVING: £22.99

STRIKE RIGHT NOTE: Music lessons are expensive, usually around £30 an hour. But fear not, the internet is full of free resources teaching a variety of musical skills.

Snag a second-hand instrument and tune in to YouTube. I searched “guitar for beginners” and found lots of free tutorials.
SAVE: £30 per hour

FREEBIES: Make sure you check out your local council’s website — a range of activities are often run for free in certain areas. Your child’s school might also offer activities without a cost – so it’s worth checking in with teachers to see what is on offer.

Nothing available? Try arranging activities with other parents or family members — if you have the space and time, you could offer to have outdoor crafting sessions as a cheap way to keep your kids entertained, safe and learning new skills.

DISCOUNTS ADD UP: Joining fees and fixed sign-up rates for clubs and classes can be a money minefield — so it’s worth checking if there is a free trial available so your child can try the activity and see if they like it before you financially commit. Often, there are early bird offers available for parents to take advantage of.

Or you could you get a group of your child’s friends together, where social distancing allows, and ask if the club offers a group discount. According to the online tuition service Maths Doctor, the average gym class costs £7.73, so it’s worth trying to make savings.

  • ALL prices on page correct at time of going to press. All deals/offers subject to availability.

Deal of day

You can now save £20 when buying the Fitbit Charge 3 Fitness Tracker at argos.co.uk

THE Fitbit Charge 3 Fitness Tracker is now on sale for £79.99, down from £99.99 at argos.co.uk.

SAVE: £20

Cheap treat

CHRISTMAS has come early at Tesco. Get a sharing tub of chocs for £4, including Celebrations, Heroes, Quality Street and Roses.

Get a sharing tub of chocs for £4 at Tesco

Top swap

There’s no need to spend £14 on this unicorn lunchbox from Accessorize…
…when Mountain Warehouse has a similar lunchbox for just £5.99

LITTLE ones will like this unicorn lunchbox from Accessorize, but it costs £14. Save cash and get this similar lunchbox on sale for £5.99 at mountainwarehouse.com.

SAVE: £8.01

Shop & save

Buy this cushion at Matalan for half its original price

ADD some character to any room with this chenille striped cushion, now £4 at Matalan, down from £8.

SAVE: £4