Budget Lincolnshire
Budget Lincolnshire – A blog by LincsConnect in an attempt to save you money…
Budget Lincolnshire
The Budget Lincolnshire blog is here to help you Navigate holidays or any other trips. Let’s face it, they can be a financial challenge! With that in mind, the Budget Lincolnshire blog is here to offer some help.
The blog will never be complete of course so please feel free to recommend more tips and hacks. If you would like to recommend new entries please email me at martin@lincsconnect.co.uk
There are lots of national offers on at the moment and some of them are permanent all-year offers. Take a look at the supermarkets to see what deals they have. Many of them are offering free children’s meals during holiday times so they are a good option if you’re planning a day out on a budget.
Tesco have their ClubCard deals which allow you to collect points when you shop with them. They may not always have the cheapest prices in store or online though so be prepared to shop around. However, the ClubCard points can be accumulated and easily converted to vouchers. The vouchers can be redeemed for days out, membership (including English Heritage) at some chain restaurants including Pizza Express, Cafe Rouge and Ask amongst others. Be warned though, not all of the restaurants accept the vouchers so check before ordering your meal.
The club card offer is subject to changes of course so check before downloading. I believer that for every £pound that you have in your club card account, the downloaded voucher will be worth double.
The Club Card may change design from time to time and is also available on an App as well as a physical card.
Keeping It Local With Budget Lincolnshire
While there are many national deals and offers to be found on the internet the aim of this blog is to highlight the availability of ‘local’ offers. Hence the title ‘Budget Lincolnshire’. I have no doubt that I’ll miss some but with your help we can make this blog better by including more. You can help by emailing your suggestions. I guarantee that I’ll do my best to read them all and include as many as possible.
More Budget Lincolnshire
There are many different sites to explore on the internet to grab yourself a bargain. You could try Money Saving Central and Groupon who may have some local deals and vouchers for you.
The American Express Platinum Everyday Cash Back Card gives you cash back on every purchase with no membership/admin fee. In addition to the cash back offer it also gives daily discount offers. Several times a year it gives special ‘local’ deals to encourage you to spend locally. Typically the offer will be something like ‘Spend £10.00 at shop XYZ and receive £5.00 cash back. Other credit cards and bank accounts/debit cards will do similar so shop around for the best deal for you.
The Defence Discount Card is available for Armed Forces veterans. There is a small initial charge for the card but the local and national discounts available for card holders are significant.
These are just some of the deals and ideas I know about. If you have more to share please let me know by email martin@lincsConnect.co.uk
Major stores/pubs/supermarkets: Asda Cafe, Future Inns, Table Table, Yo Sushi, The Real Greek, Sizzling Pubs, Beefeater/Brewers Fayre, Dunelm Pausa Cafe all have special meal deals for children during holiday periods. In addition you’ll find childrens’ meal deals during the holidays at Whitbread Inns, Morrisons, Hungry Horse, Bella Italia, Cafe Rouge and Angus Steakhouse. Some offer free meals for children while others offer substantial discounts. However, they all expect the adult to pay full price in order to get the deal. It’s always worth shopping around to get yourself the best deal.
WARNING – If you can’t afford to PAY THE CREDIT CARD BILL IN FULL every month DON’T apply for an account. Interest rates (even 0%) on credit cards can soon spiral out of control. A 0% interest rate doesn’t last forever so make sure your bill is settled before the 0% offer expires.
#TopTip For Budget Lincolnshire
Putting fuel into the family car is getting ever more expensive. I’ve found a handy App which may be worth considering if you have a smart device. The PetrolPrices App does exactly what its title suggests. It doesn’t give you discounts but it does show you what the fuel prices are in your area. You can set the distance from your location and tell it to search for either petrol or diesel. It’ll help you to make an informed decision when setting out to buy fuel. You’ll find it in your preferred App Store:
A handy App to help you find the best petrol/diesel prices wherever you are in the country.
Once you’ve filled your car with fuel and decided where to go for your day out I recommend being prepared for a short walk. If walking is an option for you I suggest researching the area (Maps or Google Maps are handy Apps) to find the best places to park. Roadside parking is FREE but look for the signs to make sure you aren’t in a Residents Only area or restricted parking zone. Street parking isn’t always an option, especially in busy towns and cities so local council websites may help you find the cheapest car parks.
Walk, Cycle & Picnic Areas
Budget Lincolnshire is all about finding and sharing the best deals locally. Walking and cycling are free of course and a picnic can be part of your normal weekly budget. However, if you have driven to the start of your outing it’s worth checking for parking charges or making use of street parking if it’s available.
Clicking on this picture will take you to a list of Lincolnshire Nature Reserves
The list is by no means exhaustive but it’ll give you a good starting point for your research. Not all reserves are wheelchair friendly and some don’t allow dogs so do check before travelling. Additional reserves and parks that I can recommend are Whisby Nature Park (Lincoln) which is wheelchair and mobility scooter friendly and Hartsholme & Swanholme Lakes (Lincoln) which is partially wheelchair friendly. There are many parks and gardens across the County but always check in advance for charges. Some may offer discounts for families but they are likely to be standard charges and dependant on national memberships (RHS or National Trust).
If you’re looking for something less rural you’ll find The Arboretum in Lincoln which is close to the Usher Gallery and The Collection museum. Further afield in Grantham is Wyndham Park. The website is out of date at the time of posting this blog but it gives a good idea what’s on offer. Riverside Park, Newark is free and worth a visit. As always, it’s best to do your research before travelling so do make good use of the Tourist Information Centres.
Enjoying the great outdoors is predominantly ‘free’. We have a range or parks, paths, beaches and cycle tracks to enjoy. For a list of FREE things to do in Lincolnshire follow this link to the Visit Lincoln website. The Newark website does take you further into Nottinghamshire but some attractions are still local. Waters’ Edge Country Park and Visitor Centre is in Barton-on-Humber and offers free walks in the countryside. For information about this and more in North Lincolnshire follow this link to Visit North Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire has a long coastline which have earned several Blue Flags for their beaches. The coast is varied with lots of nature trails as well as busy seaside towns. You’ll be able to enjoy a variety of entertainment (both free and paid). Click on the link to discover what North East Lincolnshire has to offer. You’ll discover everything from nature watching on the Saltmarsh to the fabulous seaside resort of Cleethorpes. You’ll also be able to discover the Grimsby Fishing Heritage Centre as well as Grimsby Minster and Weelsby Woods to name just a few.
The Grimsby Fishing Heritage Centre has two prices for entry. The normal prices are £11.50 (adult, £8.00 (student and age 60+), £5.00 (child). However, a family ticket (2 adults and up to 5 children) is £25.00. That’s a saving of £23.00. There are also annual memberships available which gives you unlimited access for just a few pounds more. An adult annual ticket will cost just £5.00 extra. There are also vacancies for supporters so do contact the museum if you would like to volunteer.
Towards the South West of the Lincolnshire border is Rutland. I’ve spend many hours cycling and walking around Rutland Water and can highly recommend it for a day out. Cycling, walking, nature spotting, fishing, open water swimming and golf (the latter two are chargeable) as well as picnicking are all available.
Whichever walk, park, nature reserve or beach you decide to visit you’ll find that most are predominantly ‘FREE’. The only things you usually need to pay for are transport costs, parking, eating and drinking (if you don’t take a picnic).
Public Transport
Rail and bus travel can be limited across a large rural county such as Lincolnshire but you can still find services connecting major towns and villages. Finding a train to take you where you want to go can be challenging. With that in mind I’ve Listed some stations that could be worth checking to plot your journey. The list includes Rutland, central Lincolnshire, North Lincolnshire and North East Lincolnshire:
The list of railway stations in the LincsConnect area. Trains to London are from Newark, Lincoln, Grantham and Cleethorpes. Newark Lincoln and Grantham are direct. Trains from Cleethorpes are via Doncaster.
Railcards
The cost of a typical railcard is £30.00 for a year (cheaper if you buy a 3 years card) so make sure you are going to use it and save money before purchasing. The railcard will save you 1/3 of the price of normal travel. Most rail operators release tickets around 12 weeks before a journey date and the earlier you buy your ticket the cheaper it will (usually) be. Some sites charge a booking fee for advance tickets so to avoid the booking fee you might like to try booking direct with National Rail. Use the same site to find other railcard and discounts that may be available to you.
Bus
Bus travel is generally cheaper than car or rail but we all know that the routes are not always convenient. Make sure you plan your journey carefully and also check to see if you are eligible for discounted travel. Check out the £2.00 fare cap too as it may surprise you. Have a look at the Lincs Bus website as they have quite an informative site:
Visit the LincsBus website for route planning and follow @LincsBus on twitter for regular daily updates
Budget Lincolnshire – Child Friendly Events
Fantasy Island, Skegness discount voucher codes and deals. Click the link to discover more
Skegness Pier discount site. Click the link to discover more
Budget Lincolnshire – Meal Deals
BBC Food Family meals for under £1.00
Lucky Strike arcade and bowling alley, Skegness – 20% off food
Queens Head, Kirkby-La-Thorpe, Sleaford ‘Kids eat free’. Children under 12 can have a meal from the Kids menu with every main meal purchased
Museums
Grimsby Fishing Heritage Centre offers discounts for concessions (students and age 60 and over). In addition, family tickets and annual memberships both significant discounts.
Arts
Theatre & Cinema
Wellbeing
Mandarin Therapies (including Mandarin Mothers) provides a mobile complementary therapies service throughout the County with 20% discount for Defence Discount Card holders. Emergency Services and NHS staff enjoy the same discount. A discount for members (annual membership is required) booking regular sessions is also available.
click on the logo to go to the website or email massage@mandarintherapies.com
Additional Blogs By LincsConnect:
Click/tap the picture to go to the #WhatsOnLincs blog
“Putting the social back into social media” #LincsConnect is always here for you. email: martin@lincsconnect.co.uk
