How much do you spend each year on holidays?

[peachjuice]

We're pricing up for next year, haven't been since 2015 as we "can't afford" it, yet our household income is ok - about £90k gross. There never seems to be spare money though.

Curious to know how much other people spend on their holidays each year as a proportion of their income.

Harold how is my assumption wrong? Well you just sound a bitter, our example of prioritisation is we bought a house £60,000 cheaper than the top of our budget so we had more disposable income for holidays, some families version of prioritisation may be spending less at Christmas so they can go camping, and for others it may be not buying their 5th mulberry bag so they can go skiing with friends that year. Most of us prioritise one way or another, but yes some families may well have nothing to give up to prioritise (or may well not want to whatever their income), so this thread probably isn't for them.

On the subject of people saying they prioritise holidays, I know someone who earns many times more than our household and has lots of spare cash but wouldn't dream of spending the type of money we do on holidays because they don't prioritise experiences over more physical purchases. Some people simply prefer to prioritise their spare cash (however much that might be) on other things than holidays.

Good for your cleaner. I'm sure there are thousands of other cleaners who do likewise. (Btw it wasn't me who referred to the eponymous cleaner as "she".)

Harold we spent £10k on holidays last year even though our income is only £60k, that absolutely took prioritisation!! It meant budgeting and going without some things we normally wouldn't. You don't know what outgoings those on £100k+ a year have.

If you look at the poster BitchQueen Harold she has a low income as an SP but has low outgoings and prioritises travel for her and her DC.

What's wrong with that?

Absolutely Bats, most of our friends drive nicer cars than us but that just isn't my priority atm.

Your assumption is wrong because actually I enjoy holidays and like travelling. What made me boggle was the implication behind statements like "we spend £10k a year on holidays because we prioritise them", as though the act of prioritising is all that is necessary. I've seen it here on Mumsnet before with people saying their kids are privately educated because they "prioritise" buying that, with the implication that the remaining 94% of the population don't send their kids to private school just because they don't prioritise it. Rather than it being because of the £150k income.

I know what you mean Harold it’s the assumption that people have options and disposable income to choose what luxuries they prioritise, whereas for some people there is nothing left after food/bills. They haven’t just chosen to prioritise cars over holidays for example. Some people live in a bubble.

Most of the posters on here have sub-150k incomes Harold.

I haven't even stated my income or holiday spending.

Harold I'm of the view if you prioritise something you go out and seek it, over simplifying perhaps but it's certainly how we've lived our lives and worked. I can see what you mean but the chip on your shoulder is clouding the fact that we all have different ongoings and ingoings, and let's remember holidays aren't always about money, perhaps they mean prioritising the time, or perhaps they do just mean that holidays are important so they ensure they carve out the income for it....it maybe less of a "sacrifice" than compared to you or I, but it doesn't make the word I won't repeat any less appropriate!

Around £2k now DS is at school and forced to go in school hols.

Household income about £65k.

Those are 2 x 1 week holidays in Devon or Wales usually in a self-catering cottage.

BUT surely if you're on a low income and want to have a holiday at all, you would need to prioritise that over other optional spending?

If there is no 'optional spending' then of course there can be no 'prioritising' and it's probably the wrong thread.

This year we spent about £3k on a summer holiday, not including spending money. Ive booked a cottage for Christmas for about £1k and we went to Paris for 4 days in February, which cost about £500 plus spending money. So about £5k. We are lucky in that one set of parents live in Norfolk and one in Cornwall, both put us up for free so it's just petrol and anything we spend while there. Household income is about £80k but this depends on freelance DH, my salary is fixed.

Exactly, didius. You've put it very well. It's the underlying message that everyone could do likewise if they just made different decisions on how to spend their money.

Anyway, lots of the sums being chucked around on here are unreal - it happens sometimes on Mumsnet; you get a thread that's explicitly about money and it reminds you just how far from the general population mumsnetters are in terms of income. And how oblivious they are to that!

Single mum
Two children
Income including benefits £45k
Holiday spend £4.5 (one week AI 5 star in the Caribbean. Then 5 nights in UK coastal air bnb. Then 2x two night mini break for me with friends.). Excludes spending money

I earn significantly less than many on this thread, but as pps have said, holidays are my priority. I drive a crap car, don't buy clothes and don't fritter my money on shit. I have at least 3 holidays a year, total spend for me and I dc about 5-6k.

£45k after tax.

Yes also crap car and v low childcare costs

Household income c£88k, spend around £8k

2 adults 1 toddler, 2 trips abroad usually and 1 UK break

@HaroldsSocalledBluetits

Of course it’s about priorities

Those that say “I send my child to private school because that is what I prioritise” has made the decision that in their salary they can either do x (private education) or y (perhaps two exotic holidays a year and more in to investments)

Financial decisions are mainly about priorities irrespective of how high the salary is

Because everyone prioritises different things and has different types of expenditure, it's probably more helpful to put holiday spending as a percentage of your overall income. DH and I tend to budget about 3% of our annual net income for holidays. We can get about 10 days away for that somewhere modest.

We’ve had several holidays this year - Norfolk in April through the Sun cheap holidays thing, so about £65 in total, Netherlands in August, again through the Sun, which was £250 including the ferry, and we’re booked on yet another Sun holiday to Wales in October half term which cost £50ish. We also have a little touring caravan so have had a few weekends away totalling about £80. So less than £500 in total, but I’m out of work at the minute due to disability, so on a really crappy income. If I had more money coming in, we’d maybe have more luxurious holidays!

I should never click on a thread that has anything to do with money.

To not be able to afford a holiday with a gross income of 90K??

I'll shed a tear for you.

Listing holiday cost plus income allows people to see % of income PLUS the actual figure income