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With the summer holidays coming up I am personally thinking about what we might like to do and more importantly, how I am going to make our money stretch for 6 weeks. Up until now, I don’t think I really thought about how much Erin being off school for so long would affect our finances.
When Erin is at nursery I know that she has a good breakfast beforehand to get her set up for the day. During the nursery day Erin has a snack in the morning, the packed lunch I send her with, and then another snack in the afternoon. Sometimes on days where she is home I wonder how she gets through so much food. It definitely feels like we need a never ending supply of food for Erin when she’s home and that obviously costs more than when she’s at nursery for 4 days a week. Having plenty of food in sometimes isn’t the problem but instead, it’s more a case of having a really good variety so that Erin isn’t eating the same thing over and over again.
One of my biggest worries is figuring out how we are going to afford some great days out and trips away. We had such a great time during May half term but it cost so much to stay busy for the whole week and I know we can’t do that for 6 weeks straight. Now, after the last half term I have been trying to plan some activities and saving some money each time John has been paid so we at least have a little bit put away.
Something I have noticed while planning some days out is just how varied the entrance fees can be at some attractions. Some places charge for children from aged 3 while some charge from age 4 instead; some attractions charge depending on the height of the child and some attractions offer various different combined tickets.
PayPlan have some really interesting facts about the costs of family activities, specifically for single parents, and I couldn’t quite believe the difference in some of the amounts. I may not be a single parent but I do take Erin out on my own a lot of the time due to John working full time. I have often wondered why there aren’t more offers for a ‘parent and child’ rather than typical 2 adults and 2 children.
It’s quite shocking to think just how different days out and activities can be if you’re not made up of the typical ‘two adult and 2 child’ family. Days out already cost enough without having to pay more than some because you don’t have a partner, choose to be a single parent or even just not being able to go out as a whole family because of other commitments. I know there can’t be offers to cater for every family set up but it would be nice to have some other options for offers.
Of course, there are plenty of ways to spend the summer holidays without it costing a fortune as well. We’re lucky to leave close to a few wonderful beaches such as Cromer and Sheringham and we definitely make the most of our local park as well as our back garden.
I’d love to know how you plan for the summer holidays with your children and if you have any tips for budgeting or getting the best deals!
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Oh my gosh, I had never even thought about how the cost would differ. You’d really expect the cost to be much higher for a two parent family, that is awfully depressing.
Summer holidays really are a budget buster. We keep the cost low by having lots of play dates and attending free events.
This might be a daft question but can you not buy the family pass even if you are only one adult? You certainly can In France.