While it may seem early to start thinking about saving money to spend on your summer holidays, now is the perfect to time to get ahead of the curve. Last year the average budget for spending money for UK holiday makers was less than £500 for the week. And interestingly, one in five people (17%) rarely or never stick to their planned budget, exceeding it by around £50 a day.

As people look for ways to save money across all areas of life, Stacey Hope, travel expert at holiday home operator, Verdant Leisure, says the key to getting your summer holiday right is by thinking about it now: “When it comes to saving up for your holidays there is no such thing as too soon. The earlier you start putting money aside, the more money you will have to spend while away, meaning you don’t have to cut back on days out.”

If you’re looking to keep a tight plan when it comes to money this summer, Verdant Leisure have teamed up with Laura Turner, personal finance expert at The Thrifty Londoner to bring you five money-savvy tips you need to try, ahead of the summer holidays.

1) Set up money pots
“Setting up an easy access savings account or savings ‘pot’ is the best way to save money ahead of your summer holidays. You can do this either in cash or within a dedicated challenger bank or budgeting app (Monzo, Starling and Chase are all great). Slowly add to these pots over the winter and the spring, and by summer you will have a stash of money to use ahead of the holidays.

“Some online banking providers such as Monzo have a feature which allows you to round up all your transactions, and the extra money is put into a savings pot. Try this in the lead up to your holiday and see how much extra money you have saved up to take away with you.”

2) Utilise cashback sites
“In the lead up to your holiday there will be various occasions in which you have to refer to online shopping, be that for holiday essentials or just general shopping. When doing so, make use of cashback apps and websites such as Top Cashback, to get money back on your everyday spending.

“It allows you to earn a small percentage of money back on purchases made through the site, that can be withdrawn once you earn a certain amount. Once summer comes, you’ll have accumulated some extra money that you can withdraw to use on your holidays.”

3) Sell and shop second-hand
“Buying clothes for summer holidays can often work out to be the most expensive element of planning to go away. Online re-sale sites such as Vinted, e-Bay and Depop are great options for both making extra money and buying summer clothes.

“If you are wanting to make some extra cash to splurge on new outfits, try selling your unwanted clothes and shoes on a re-sale site. You can either put the money aside for holiday spending money or use the money that you make to buy your summer clothes. Purchasing your summer clothes out of season and second-hand can save you a fortune.”

4) Shop the sales
“Believe it or not, you can find summer clothing at a snip of the original RRP by shopping for sale items during the winter. Check out the clearance sections of your favourite retailers to get a bargain on swimwear and other summer essentials such as shorts and sunglasses. Toiletries and sun cream also tend to keep for a few months, so buy these before the prices rise in holiday season.

“What’s great about shopping in the sales is you’re not going pick up the trending piece of the season, so you don’t have to worry about matching with every other tourist on your holidays.”

5) Book everything in advance
“If you’re taking a flight, train, or hiring a car, see if you can book early to get the best deal possible. It is also helpful to book any excursions or activities you plan to do in advance, not only so you can ensure a place before they get fully booked, but so the payments are out of the way before the actual holiday.

“Similarly, booking restaurants in advance will ensure you are dining somewhere with a menu you like and prices you can afford, making it easier to budget your spending money once you are abroad.”

Stacey Hope, travel expert at Verdant Leisure commented: “Everyone deserves to get away and unwind from the stress of everyday life, but summer holidays can often become expensive once you begin to consider new clothes, insurance, booking activities and so much more.

“To stop the holiday from becoming just as stressful as the place you’re trying to escape from, there are some great ways to make savings well in advance of you holiday. And we love that you can start ahead of summer, when you wouldn’t always think to start planning.”