It was my youngest daughter’s 4^th birthday at the end of last week and we had great fun spending a few nights away in a hotel and visiting Legoland. And the best part of it was that it hardly cost me a penny! I won some hotel vouchers through Take a Break and used some of my Tesco Clubcard vouchers for the entry to Legoland, so we were able to have a few nice meals in the restaurant and treat the kids to some spending money without feeling the pinch.

And as the school summer holidays loom ever closer, I’ve chosen some great family competitions for you. So if you’ve got kids, or are just a big kid at heart, get entering to win some fab prizes!

Win a family ticket (2 adults and 2 children) to a zoo of your choice in the UK. Ticket must be used before 1^st October. Entry via the rafflecopter form (several ways to do this – leave a blog comment, follow on Twitter etc., the more you do the more entries you get). Closing date 10 July.

Win a family ticket to Beaulieu – voted one of England’s best visitor attractions. Answer the following question and fill in your details; Beaulieu has a large collection of how many vehicles? Answer C) 250+. Closing date 12 July.

Win four Alton Tower Resort tickets by answering the following question; ‘If you pick up a two, six or eight roll pack of Plenty The Original One for a voucher that gives you 2-for-1 entry at…’ Answer; Alton Towers Resort. Leave your answer as a blog comment and get bonus entries via Twitter and Facebook. Closing date 12 July midnight.

They say the best things in life are free but school summer holidays can prove an expensive time for any parent, grandparent or adult that is looking after children. I’ve found a few ways to entertain on a shoestring budget.

Visit the cinema for free by registering with seefilmfirst.com Tickets are usually allocated on a first come, first serve basis, but this offers a way to get tickets to previews of films before they open for general sale.

Cities and towns often host events during the summer months. For entry to events such as festivals, carnivals, parades, shows, fireworks etc. check out the website free-events.co.uk. They give out information about events in your area – many of which are free.

For educational fun you can discover lots about our country’s historical and political landscape completely free of charge. There are countless heritage sites that give out tales of our history, look at visitengland.com for more information. You can also visit the Houses of Parliament to watch debates or judicial hearings. Prime Minister’s Question Time is free but, you must obtain tickets from your local MP so you will need to make arrangements in advance. You can even arrange to climb the clock tower (Big Ben) by contacting your local MP too. Look at Parliament UK for further information.

Plus, now is the perfect time to be looking out for competitions in your area. In local newspapers and on local radio you’ll often find competitions to win family days out, cinema tickets, passes to local attractions etc over the summer. And because they are local competitions, they’ll have fewer entrants so you’ve got even more chances of winning!

Hopefully the school holidays will bring us lots of enjoyment and sun, and there really are lots of things to do with the children without breaking the bank. If you have any of your own tips on this, please feel free to share them with us!

Until next time, happy comping and good luck!

Sammy