With this year so far bringing us the energy price cap increase, higher National Insurance payments, rising council tax bills and petrol prices that, somehow, haven't gone down despite the Chancellor Rishi Sunak cutting fuel duty 5p a litre in his Spring Statement, the dawning of the school holidays is another financial strain for many families.
There are, of course, plenty of free things that families can do together, but depending on the age and attention span of your children there's only so many walks and trips to the park that they'll muster up enthusiasm for - even assuming the weather holds out to make that possible.
But help is at hand, thanks to a little-known hack using Tesco Clubcard points. If you regularly shop at Tesco and use a Clubcard then every three months you get sent money off vouchers based on how many Clubcard points you've collected across the quarter, with you getting 1 point for every pound spent either in store, online or on petrol.
You can, of course, use these vouchers to get money off your shopping, but instead of taking a few pounds off you can trade them in for three times the value on fun family days out nationwide. So basically instead of taking £5 off a food bill you were going to pay anyway you can £15 to spend out and about.
To use them, log into Clubcard Plus, check how much you've got to spend and then choose your holiday highlight. Some venues will accept partial payment while others will need you to have enough vouchers to pay in full for your fun, so make sure to check the terms and conditions for the individual place before you spend your points on them.
Either way, there's plenty of options, with more than 150 venues accepting them across the UK. So whether you're looking to chill or wanting to be thrilled, here a roundup of six things you can do this Easter for free using your unused Clubcard points:
Head to an amusement park
Assuming the weather is decent and you can cope with school holiday crowds, nothing exhausts kids more than an adrenaline-filled full day out enjoying an amusement park. Get £15 for every £5 you spend on tickets for dozens of options nationwide, everywhere from Legoland to Alton Towers, the Eden Project to Warwick Castle.
Do you want something a bit more chilled out? How about an afternoon tea cruise? It's the perfect option if you've got grandparents in tow, read our review to find out why. There's also a lot of independent and smaller tourist attractions signed up for the scheme so take a peek at the attractions taking part in case your favourite local soft play or zoo is on the list.
Pass the popcorn
The latest film in the Fantastic Beasts franchise, The Secrets of Dumbledore , hits cinemas on Friday and alongside Sonic the Hedgehog 2 is a solid family pick while The Batman is still brooding his way around multiplexes nationwide. For every 50p in Clubcard vouchers you swap for tickets at Picturehouse or Cineworld cinemas you'll get £1.50 off the price of admission.
Enjoy the outdoors
If you are a family who enjoy exploring the great outdoors but have fallen into a lockdown rut of the same nearby walks, then this will help mix things up nicely. Why limit yourself to one day out when you can choose a reward to last all year? Pick up English Heritage membership and take your pick of places to go nationwide - over and over again.
Watch a movie and have a duvet day
If the weather is bad, everyone's exhausted and you don't want to leave the house at all, don't worry we've still got you covered. Marvel's Moon Knight has just hit screens, Oscar-winning films like Spielberg's West Side Story are available, and - should you wish to - you can absolutely talk about Bruno (and the rest of his family) as immortalised in the latest Disney classic Encanto . All of this and more is available with a free three month subscription to Disney+ by spending £8 of Clubcard vouchers.
Forget the washing up
The cost of a meal out has been creeping up as restaurants try and claw back their increased costs from customers. But you can at least offset these costs, if not eliminate the bill completely, using your points. Italian food fans get the most choice with Pizza Express, ASK, Zizzi, Prezzo and Bella Italia all included part of the triple points deal, but Chef and Brewer and other pub and restaurant chains are involved too. See the full list here.
Make sure to check the small print though as sometimes certain options are excluded, for example set menus or alcoholic drinks.
