I find myself spending more money in the summer due to festivals, beer gardens and posh BBQ food so here are 10 ways to save money this summer:
Get free tickets to festivals
Most festivals are expensive however most have volunteers/jobs available in return for free weekend passes and/or money on top.
Bestival, Rewind, Creamfields, Isle of Wight, Glastonbury, V Festival, BST Hyde Park, Kendal Calling, CarFest and loads more.
Learn more: FESTAFF
Keep a set of hand-held pruners and some Tupperware in your car and pick FREE food
Less common in Summer and more of an Autumn thing but picking fruit and flowers is a very good way to save money, although we would suggest you don’t start ruining your local villages display of flowers but if you spot some fruit/flowers growing on the side of the road/footpath you’re technically OK to pick it.
You can commonly find elderberries, cherries, plums, rose hips, blackberries and apples in the UK but there are hundreds of edible plants out there just pick SOME (not all) and put it in your favourite Tupperware box.
Are you scared you will eat something that will harm you?
Buy this book titled ‘Food for Free’ and you will be fine.
What is the law on picking fruit / flowers?
The Theft Act 1968, for England and Wales, states that:
“A person who picks mushrooms growing wild on any land, or who picks flowers, fruit or foliage from a plant growing wild on any land, does not (although not in possession of the land) steal what he picks, unless he does it for reward or for sale or other commercial purpose.”
So you’re fine to pick fruit, flowers etc on any land unless there is a bye-law prohibiting it, these can be passed by councils, the National Trust and government conservation agencies such as Natural England, Scottish Natural Heritage and the Countryside Council for Wales. If such a bye-law exists it will be sign posted.
Will fruit from the roadside not be covered in dirt/chemicals?
Do something for FREE with your mates
There are hundreds of things you can do for FREE or on the cheap with your mates, partner etc.
We’ve created a few lists of things to do, including:: 100 ways to do something with your mates without spending a fortune | 21 ways to slowly annoy your friends on the cheap
Get your picnic setup on point
Having a decent picnic setup will mean you use it instead of just heading to an expensive pub for lunch after a walk etc, buy:
- A decent portable speaker
- A good solid picnic bag
- Some reusable ice packs or freeze all your drinks (as long as they’re not fizzy / too full) and by the time you’ve arrived at your picnic destination they will have melted enough to drink whilst also keeping your food chilled the whole time.
- A set of decent Folding chairs
Move your home energy provider to one that utilises all this summer sun, wind and hydro the UK has in the summer (renewable tariff)
We saved £250 moving to a fully renewable energy tariff from Bulb + this link will give you £50 off your bill (thanks to William).
Of course, it might not be cheaper for you so do your research but having a fully renewable electricity tariff is good for everyone.
Ditch Sky, Netflix and NowTV
You won’t be watching as much TV over summer so why not cancel your monthly subscription?
Visit your local library instead, most offer movie and eBook rentals on top of book lending + all should have Free Wifi.
Also, remember if you have an Amazon Prime account you get access to loads of movies for free.
Grow your own food
A pack of seeds costs a couple of quid but it can yield far more than the equivalent spent directly at even the cheapest of supermarkets.
A great idea is to build a raised garden bed, this will help to keep out weeds, then start to plant a whole summer’s worth of salad, spacing out the planting to ensure you have an ongoing supply.
Buy: Seeds with full instructions on how to grow them
Make awesome healthy lollies (some contain alcohol)
Learn more: Make your own AWESOME lollies
Get cheap insurance + pocket 2 for 1 cinema tickets for a year
I’m sure you’ve heard about this but you might not have done it yet, buy any insurance from CompareTheMarket and you get given access to an app that gives you 2 for 1 cinema tickets for a whole year. Valid Tuesday & Wednesday’s only.
Learn more: 2 for 1 Cinema Cheeky Trick = £3 or less for a year! (Compare the Market Movies) via Travel Insurance + remember to become an expert food smuggler.
Move to a mobile phone company that offers free/cheap roaming
Travelling is expensive and using your phone abroad is often a great idea if you want to spend hundreds!
Move to a company like Three mobile and you can travel to 42 different countries and not be charged anything extra!
