How do people pay for a holiday? Decent income and can’t afford it?

You’re spending £17k a year on childcare- there is your holiday.

i suspect more people do earn >100k a year than you’re expecting with the comment

but looking back over the childcare years, we did have credit card and overdraft debt. I’m sure when we remortgaged for building work a bit went into the day to day pot too. Hang in there- it’ll be over before you know it

Because your outgoings are high.

£1100 mortgage and £300 childcare now with the 30 hours. Slightly more take home
pay.

it will get easier once you get rid of that childcare bill!

I get that but even if you did that once a week it would be around £240 a month. I think maybe you need to carefully work out where £1000 is going every month - appreciated things like tyres are expensive in the example you gave.

Have you done a comprehensive spreadsheet and show outgoings? It may be eye opening…..

Is food included in the £600 bills? Or in the £700 spend? We are lucky we earn a bit more than you. But our mortgage is £2400 per month and childcare £2200 (that’s with the funded hours). I find food/nappies/cleaning stuff is around £120 a week plus other bills. We are going to Butlins for four nights, cost us £110 for all of us.

When we were little and our parents were at a similar stage, but with smaller incomes and higher mortgage, our family holidays were always self-catering in the Lake District for a little holiday and ferry-drive plus self-catering in France for summer. Always assumed we’d be able to afford the same, but holidays have rocketed along with everything else and wages have stagnated; a self-cater house for a week in the lakes is no longer the bare bones cheapo option! UK hols are so spendy now. It’s shit but then ::gestures at world binfire:: When the next generation is fighting in the climate wars and living in bins, there won’t be holidays at all, so at least we’re better off now?

Credit cards!

Seems the huge hot you're dealing with is childcare costs..Is there any way to reduce this? Request to work from home etc, family support? If not then once child is in school it gets easier, maybe save a bit away each month for a couple years and do a big lovely holiday. The only problem you have once they start school is that you're subject to the rip off prices that airlines and travel agents charge just because it's a school holiday. I have 3 kids (6 and under) and it's like minimum 4k to do a holiday now, just ridiculous.

You have a big mortgage, large car payments & are paying for childcare. Not everyone makes those decisions 🤷‍♀️ you could live in a smaller:cheaper house or have cheaper cars if you wanted to free up money for holidays

Our income isn’t as much as yours but we have a fairly high mortgage but older kids so no childcare costs. We didn’t always manage holidays when kids were younger. The childcare costs are high for you at the moment but they won’t be forever - it will get easier. We save every month towards Christmas/holiday. We each have a DD set up to go into a separate account. We don’t have expensive holidays just in the UK and generally go Easter when it’s not as high priced

The 1400 in childcare is the answer. Once they are at school, make sure you save that money and you have plenty that you can put towards holidays.

We earn more and don't (yet) have kids. Also we love holidays and will happily chuck £££ at them!

You're just at a very expensive time of life, £1400 for childcare is huge.

But you also have to make choices. A smaller house, cheaper cars etc. £5k+ per annum for cars is insane to me.

Save for four months - £1200.

Not sure where the 700
a month is going if it’s for days out and birthdays…..

I’m always surprised at questions like this. The clear answer is op they earn more than you or have less outgoings.

OP these years are brutal. It gets easier once the children are in school. Hang in there.