Spring School Holidays: The Great Aussie Wallet Workout (and How to Survive It!)

Spring School Holidays

Spring break is here, and while it’s a time for the kiddos to unwind, it can feel like our wallets are doing the backstroke! Don’t worry, fellow Aussie parents, we’ve all been there. Between the “I’m bored” chorus and the constant snack attacks, it seems like our cash disappears faster than a snag at a Barbie.

But hold your horses! With a little planning and some top-notch Aussie ingenuity, we can turn this break into a memorable (and budget-friendly) adventure for the whole family!

Let’s Tackle Those Travel Costs:

Road Trip Romps

Pack a picnic lunch and hit the road for a free day at the beach or a scenic national park. Fresh air fun that’s easy on the wallet!

Staycation Shenanigans

Explore your own backyard! Check out local museums, libraries, or zoos with free or discounted entry days. You might be surprised by what hidden gems you find.

Travel Like a True Aussie

Avoid peak school holiday times for cheaper flights and accommodation. Bonus points for packing light to save on baggage fees!

Score Some Sweet Deals

Want to save on hotels, flights, or car rentals? Check out the discount coupons.

Family Trip

Next Up: Entertainment on a Budget!

Free Fun in the Sun

Check your local council website for free events happening during the holidays. Think movie nights in the park, story time at the library, or nature walks. Get those little legs moving and explore!

Family Game Nights

Dust off those dusty board games or get crafty with DIY projects. You’d be surprised how much fun can be had at home with a little imagination.

Library Loot

Libraries are treasure troves of entertainment! Borrow books, movies, and even board games for free. Plus, it’s a great way to beat the heat and keep those brains active.

Discount Deals for the Win

Looking for deals on movie tickets, theme park passes, or even bowling alleys? We’ve got you covered! Check out Shopa Coupon for some awesome savings.

Taming the Foodie Frenzy:

Pack a Picnic Powerhouse

Skip the expensive restaurant meals and pack lunches for day trips and picnics. It’s healthier, cheaper, and gives you more control over portion sizes.

Movie Night Munchies Made Easy

Forget the overpriced popcorn! Make your own popcorn buckets at home for a fun and budget-friendly movie night treat.

Cooking Up Memories

Turn mealtime into an adventure! Get the kids involved in planning and preparing meals. It’s a great way to teach them valuable life skills and create lasting memories.

Winner, winner, kiddo’s dinner!

Restaurant Deals to the Rescue

Feeding a hungry horde can be expensive, but Shopa Coupon can help! Find deals and discounts on your favourite restaurants.

Don’t Forget the Shopping Spree Survival Guide:

Wish List Wisdom

Help your kids create a wish list and prioritise wants and needs. This way they can appreciate the value of money and work towards their goals.

Patience is a Virtue

Teach your kids the importance of saving for what they want. A little delayed gratification goes a long way!

Second-hand Savvy

Consider buying gently used items like toys, clothes, and books from online marketplaces or thrift stores. You never know what hidden gems you might find!

Shopa Coupon to the Rescue

Still, feeling the shopping pinch?

Don’t forget to check out Shopa Coupon for some shopping deals and discounts to stretch that dollar even further!

Happy Family

Remember, the most important thing is to have fun and create lasting memories with the family! By following these tips and a little bit of Aussie ingenuity, this school break can be a blast without breaking the bank! Now get out there, explore, and make the most of this sun-kissed spring fling!

The Best Kid-friendly Activities to do in Australia

Keep the kids entertained with a range of activities from indoor play centres to adventure-filled theme parks and zoos. Read on to find our tips to enjoy low-cost or completely free activities that Australia has to offer. Packed with family-friendly activities, including close encounters with wildlife, thrilling museums, and beautiful beaches. You and your little ones will definitely have an awesome time!

Roar and Snore at Taronga Zoo

Image credit: Experience Oz

Head out on a night safari to see some of Taronga Zoos Sydney’s 4,000 animals from more than 350 species during their Roar and Snore program. You can help during feeding time, get some up-close-and-personal encounters with the zoo’s animals, and enjoy incredible harbor views from the safari-style campsite. The next day, you can see some of the zoo’s cutest furry residents by daylight, like the red kangaroos and koalas.

Check out other great deals from Taronga Zoo here.

Cuddle a Koala

Image credit: Experience Oz

There’s nothing as iconic as cuddling a cute koala – and there’s no better place to do it than the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary, Fig Tree Pocket, Queensland. Kids can pet or hold the fuzzy animals – there are around 130 of them – or check out one of the other 70-plus animal species living at the sanctuary, like kangaroos, platypuses, and dingos. Plan your visit around one of the hand-feeding times for the kangaroos, wallabies, and lorikeets for an extra dose of fun (and photo opportunities with the kids).

Receive your entry & cruise discount offer for just $99 here.

Walking with dinosaurs in Canberra

Got an aspiring palaeontologist in the family? Check out Canberra’s National Dinosaur Museum, just a 15-minute drive north of the city. The museum features a massive collection of interactive animatronic dinosaurs, along with 23 complete skeletons and over 300 displays of individual fossils. Kids can also roam through the interactive dinosaur garden for an encounter with Canberra’s famous big dinosaur Stan the T-Rex.

Become a Dinosaur Museum member and receive special discounts on things like bringing friends, gift shop purchases, and birthday parties.

Village Roadshow Theme Parks Super Pass

Image credit: Experience Oz

Keep an eye on the combination passes and deals for the Village Roadshow Theme Parks on the Gold Coast. You can make the most of every moment with unlimited entry to 4 incredible theme parks with the Super Pass! It’s all the fun and excitement you could ever need on your next Gold Coast holiday. Get your 7-day pass discount coupon here for just $99. It’s cheaper than front gate prices & is the best value pass you can get.

Queensland is home to all the best theme parks and attractions, and you can experience them all for the best price by getting yourself a Super Pass you’ll enjoy all the best action in Queensland. With over 80 rides, shows, and attractions, there’s something for everyone!

Visit South Bank, Brisbane

There are so many fun things to do at South Bank, Brisbane, whether you want to spend a whole day or head in for a few hours. From family-friendly playgrounds and free museums to gardens perfect for family picnics and get-togethers.

There are three main swimming areas at South Bank. The swimming lagoons and all the facilities are free and open seven days a week. Streets Beach is the name given to the artificial beach and lagoon. With a lifeguard on duty seven days a week, this swimmable lagoon has a maximum depth of 1.8m. The lifeguard’s hours change seasonally, so it is worth contacting South Bank, especially in the off-season if you have little ones to keep an eye on.

The Boat Pool is a second lagoon close to Streets Beach with a depth of 0 – 1.1 metres. And it also has a lifeguard. 

Aquativity is the third water fun area at South Bank. This water play area is a popular spot in the hot summer months, featuring zero-depth with a splash zone with fountains, water jets, and tipping buckets. 

Facilities are excellent at South Bank with free public toilet facilities, underground parking (not cheap), and close to public transport drop-off points. You can also hire a stroller for a fee from the visitor information centre. 

South Bank offers two playgrounds. Picnic Island is a shaded playground located near BBQs and underneath a fig tree for all-day relaxed play. Riverside Green playground is the larger playground located right in the centre of South Bank. It features a multi-story play area with tunnel slides, hill slides, and swings. It is unfenced but with good visibility and plenty of places for parents to sit and watch nearby. It is also located close to toilets and cafes. 

Darling Quarter Playground: Play and Splash

Sydney has so many amazing kids’ playgrounds and the best part about it, is that they are absolutely free!  Visitors to Sydney who stay in the city or Darling Harbour will find the massive playground at Darling Harbour is an excellent space to let the kids run and play and burn off some energy.

There is a lot of water play there, some lovely river runs and splashing fountains, so do take your togs or a change of clothes.

There are several cafes and restaurants close to the playground, plus a kiosk serving drinks and snacks next to the playground. The range of play equipment is huge and suits children from toddlers to teenagers.

The one drawback is that this playground gets so busy at peak times, especially at the weekend. Get there early or late or during the week.

In Australia, you can have a great time without breaking the budget. It might sound like an impossible feat, but it turns out you can enjoy a fun family day out, with plenty of free or low cost things to do to help you save money – enjoy!

Teaching Kids About Money and Savings

One of the best things we can instil in our children is a healthy relationship with money. Kids learn about money spending habits by what they see their parents doing (good and bad!).

Here are some Shopa tips to teach your kids about money and savings:

1. Start Young.

If your child is showing an interest in money encourage them. When you’re out at the shops together – let them hand over the cash or card when you are paying at the checkout. Explain how Tap and Pay works. Going through the supermarket can turn into a lesson about money – you can point out which items are expensive, which ones are cheaper options and how much food costs each week for the family. Show them the receipt at the end – did you get any discounts? Talk about how you can be a smart shopper by looking for savings, deals and lower priced items that do the same job as the more expensive ones. These are all life lessons that your children will remember and for busy parents you’re multi-tasking (again!) Go you!

2. Set Up A Savings Account.

It’s never too early to set up a savings account for your child. Money boxes are great for young kids and encourage savings from day one. Get your child to put in any birthday and pocket money and take it into the bank together. The coin collection machines at the bank are great fun for kids! Show your child their bank statement – they’ll feel proud and enjoy watching the balance increase!

3. Talk About Budgeting.

Explain in simple terms how you earn the money and that you need to spend it on important things first, such as food, clothes, electricity, rates or bigger bills like paying rent or a mortgage and if there’s money left you may decide to save a bit and spend treat yourself to something! You can even do a basic budget together like how much a birthday party costs.

4. Good Spending Habits.

Your spending habits influence your children – are you a spender or saver? Show your child what you are spending money on and why. Is it because you got a great discount to bulk buy? Essentials for the house? Or paid a bill early to get a prompt payment discount? The more your child understands the better.

5. Let Kids Make their Own Money Mistakes.

No-one is perfect, and let’s be honest we’ve all spent money on things we didn’t really need. Explain about needs vs wants and encourage your child to think about this before they buy something. It’s good for children to understand if they spend all their money on something they don’t really need it will take longer to achieve another savings goal.

6. Pocket Money.

Show kids the value of money by setting chores for them to do in return for pocket money each week. This shows children that they have to work to earn. Maybe pay them on the same day each week – like a ‘payday’. Things like:

  • helping with the family laundry
  • meal preparation
  • mowing the lawn
  • car washing
  • walking the dog

Teen Money Tips:

1. Apply for a Credit Card.

Now that they’ve had a savings account for some years it’s time to test their skills with a credit card – they’ll be surprised at first that it’s not just free money! Paying this off will not only help instil good money habits but it contributes to their credit rating when it comes to taking out future loans. They can hunt around online for a low limit card so they can’t get into too much trouble and research the best interest rates on cards. Make sure you stay on top of their spending by linking the account to yours and teach the importance of not spending more than they can afford.

2. Part-Time Employment.

Teen years are a great time to get a part-time job. Start by helping them put together their CV. Their first job will give them confidence, some cash and valuable life skills like learning about payslips, super and tax. It also means they can start working out how to budget for bigger ticket items such as an overseas trip, car or to move out of home.

3. Get Teens to Contribute.

Once teens reach a certain age some parents ask them to contribute in the form of ‘board’ or ‘rent’. If this isn’t your style you can ask your child to chip in for educational expenses such as excursions, laptops or maybe lifestyle purchases like clothing, mobile phones and entertainment.

Want to stretch your dollar further?