Easter half-term hits wallets as families face £1,300 holiday spend

Key takeaways

• New MoneySuperMarket research suggests the average UK family will spend around £1,282 over the two‑week Easter half term, as costs stack up across travel, food, childcare and days out.

• Groceries are the single biggest expense, with families spending about £190 over the break, against a backdrop of food prices rising 3.5% year on year.

• MoneySuperMarket’s Kara Gammell shares five practical ways parents can cut supermarket costs, from avoiding impulse buys to reducing food waste and shopping smarter.

With Easter half-term coming to an end, many parents may be relieved to be sending their children back to school after facing the familiar challenge of juggling childcare, days out and groceries – all while trying to keep costs under control. 

Between Easter treats, rising fuel prices, and increasing food costs, new research* has revealed the average UK family is estimated to have spent £1,282 over the two-week half-term holiday.

UK families spending almost £1,300 during Easter half term 

We surveyed 1,000 nationwide UK adults to uncover their projected weekly spend over a typical half-term holiday, across everything from days out, to groceries and travel costs.  

Whether families are jetting off abroad or celebrating Easter at home, travel remains a significant half-term cost, with the average Brit spending around £144 across parking, fuel and transport.

Between egg hunts, treats and visiting family, the cost of Easter celebrations can rise too, with parents spending around £100 on chocolate and gifts and £146 on shopping for items such as clothes and toys.

Keeping the kids entertained without breaking the bank is another challenge many families recognise. We estimate that Brits spend on average around £160 on days out, £124 on entertainment such as cinema, bowling or mini-golf, and a further £130 on eating out over the course of a two-week half-term.

Kara Gammell
Personal Finance & Insurance Expert

Join the SuperSaveClub to get free days out

One way to save money and enjoy cheap days out is with MoneySuperMarket's SuperSaveClub.

SuperSaveClub members get a Free Days Out Annual Pass upon joining the club, giving them free access to thousands of venues across the UK, including London Zoo and Go Ape. Club members can also earn up to 10% cashback when they shop at dozens of brands, helping their half-term budget stretch even further.

You can claim your annual pass and other great rewards by joining the club and purchasing a qualifying product, switching energy or insurance providers, taking out a current or savings account, or signing up for our Credit Score service.

Five ways to save on your supermarket shop

As latest figures from the British Retail Consortium also show that food prices increased by 3.5% year on year (YoY) last month, it’s no surprise the cost of keeping cupboards stocked is putting extra pressure on household budgets.¹ 

With children at home for half term, food bills can quickly creep up. Research from MoneySuperMarket reveals that groceries are the single biggest expense for UK families, setting parents back around £190 over the two-week school holiday.

With that in mind, MoneySuperMarket's personal finance expert, Kara Gammell, has these tips to help you save on your weekly food shop:

Outsmart store layouts

Supermarkets often place promotions at eye level, on the end of an aisle, and across the online homepage to encourage sales. Simply knowing this can help you stay focused and avoid impulse buys you don’t need.

Sticking to a list can also help keep you on track and prevent those last‑minute extras sneaking into your basket.

Shop VAT-free foods

Certain items, like dried fruit sold for baking, are VAT free, while the same fruit marketed as a snack can carry a 20% tax.

The same applies to plain nuts such as almonds, which are often VAT free in the baking aisle, therefore a small switch can make a big difference.

It’s worth comparing unit prices too, as packaging can make items look better value than they really are.

Rearrange your fridge to reduce food waste

Most of us don’t intend to waste food or money, but it’s surprisingly easy for groceries to get pushed to the back of the fridge and forgotten.

One really simple way to tackle food waste is to give your fridge a reshuffle so that the food that goes off quickest is the first thing you see.

While drawers in your fridge are intended to keep produce fresh for longer, they tend to put your fruit and veg out of sight and therefore out of mind.

If you're constantly throwing away mouldy cucumbers and soggy strawberries, move your fruit and veg front and centre on the shelves and move condiments and jars into the drawers instead – you’re much more likely to go hunting for ketchup than for cucumbers.

It might feel like a small tweak, but making it easier to use up what you’ve already got at home can help you cut food waste and keep more of your grocery budget in your pocket.

Track your spending as you shop

Some supermarkets offer handheld scanners that allow you to track your spending as you shop. It's a simple way to stay on budget and avoid checkout shocks.

Using a free budgeting app to include top-up shops at convenience stores can also help you keep track of spending and identify where you may need to cut back.

Many banking apps also offer spending categorisation features, which can make it easier to see where your food budget is going.

Shop backwards

Food waste is a hidden cost that mounts up, and most of that money is spent on things we don't need. If you're someone that tends to buy the same things out of instinct or habit, this tip is for you.

Before you leave the home, check what you already have in your cupboards and instead of just making a shopping list, make a 'don’t buy' list and write down items that you buy out of habit but have more than you need.

If you're finding yourself with a surplus of certain items, you can even use AI or recipe apps to turn those ingredients into meals. Not only does this cut waste, it could help shrink your weekly shop and save money.

<sup>Sources 
*Research conducted by Censuswide, surveying 1,000 UK adults on their average weekly spending during a typical half-term holiday. Data collected in March 2026.
1. Latest figures on UK food inflation reported by the BRC.</sup>