Cost of afternoon out with kids

[HighlandWorrier]

Last Sunday we took Ds 11 and Dd 4 out for the afternoon. Lunch first BK then visited a free museum and finished with a movie at a Vue cinema. All together cost around £60 which I thought was very reasonable for the 4 of us. It got us out of the house for a good 5 hours and we all had a nice time.

So MIL visiting last night and we were telling her what we'd been up to and DH moans how expensive the day out was and MIL agreed. I don't think £15 per head is expensive. What do others think is this excessive?

I don’t think it’s particularly excessive actually, £15 a head is fairly standard now unfortunately but I suppose he was focusing on the cinema rather than the whole day.

Surely it depends on what your budget is like and how often you do it?

Certainly £60 regularly for a couple of hours would be impossible for me. For some it would never be doable.

Not too bad, but still expensive.

It wouldn't have done both cinema and museum in the same day personally. But that would be to spread the cost.

Would have probably fine BK and museum
And then Cinema in another day (meerkat 241 or cinema club) to get it cheaper.

Completely depends on your budget. For someone who earns 100k it would be peanuts. For someone on a low income, £60 would be an awful lot.

We spend this much on an afternoon out maybe once a year, more frequently would break the bank.

My point is DH spends more than this on booze per month, his gin subscription is £40 a month so to grudge £60 for an enjoyable afternoon for us all is a bit tight in my opinion.

It wouldn't have done both cinema and museum in the same day personally. But that would be to spread the cost

The museum was free.

I dont think it's an unreasonable amount; that's how much it costs these days

I mean.

It would have been two days out.

1. BK and museum
2. Cinema

Days out with kids are expensive. I can easily see how it would add up to that but equally why an older person especially would think it expensive.

Even just cinema and a cheap meal in a chain restaurant could end up costing near £100 for a family of four.

I think that's fine.

"Even just cinema and a cheap meal in a chain restaurant could end up costing near £100 for a family of four."
Indeed.

We do the meerkat movies (get insurance for a 1 day trip in UK) and inky use vouchers

So the other day, we had BK vouchers, where a burger and fries is £1.99 or so.
Then did the MM on the cheap cinema day. So we got into cinema for £3 each.

For 4 if us (me, DH,D's and nephew) cost us £20

Gin subscription is £40 per month

Sorry?

1. A monthly gin SUBSCRIPTION? What fresh hell is this?
2. Almost £500 per year on gin?

Mind boggles.

Would have cost us*

It is expensive because the cinema is almost always a bloody rip off but we spend that fairly regularly tbh. Things like bowling, cinema, crazy golf etc. All expensive.

Haha yes ShatnersWig Craft Gin Club!

And incidentally loads of my friends have a gin subscription, not that shocking.

Gin subscription! Agree that your H is being U to moan about family outing costs when he chugs loads od cash on booze.

Cinema can be v expensive now. I’m well paid but not keen to pay full price for kids’ films unless am keen to see them myself eg Frozen 2

I just went to their website. Does he drink a whole bottle of gin every month, eat the snacks and read the 56-page magazine?

Coz he could have it just every other month. Or every three months, thereby not spending anything like as much money on what seems pretty bloody stupid to me. £40 for a bottle of gin, some snacks, mixers and magazine? Fools and their money are easily parted.

My fault Shatners gifted the first 3 months to him and he liked it so carried on. I don't drink gin but enjoy reading the mag actually and help him with the snacks lol. He does generally manage to get through a bottle a month.

Well, I still think your DH is an arse if he thinks spending £40 every month on gin just for himself is fine but spending £60 on a great day out for the whole family is expensive.

Save money next time you have a family day out by leaving old misery guts at home swigging his gin on the sofa whilst you and your children have a lovely day out.

We have three children and one is still “free” but am dreading the day when they want the same fairground rides, treats, books, ice creams, ballet lessons, the main course outside the meal, to see whatever has been hyped to death at the cinema etc.

The other day we went for a day out to a themed farm and despite booking ahead and then at the restaurant having a meal voucher it cost us £100 and we didn’t even have a glass of wine with the meal.

You can have some cheap days out and the weather helps enormously with this: the beach, walks, exploring. Ours are quite stoic but won’t do every day out in the rain so we end up paying to go somewhere or the seventh circle of hell aka soft play

Soola 😂

Cinema near me (nothing especially fancy) is just over £14 for an adult ticket and just over £10 for a child ticket. So a family of four and you are already at £50 and that's without any snacks or drinks. I think it's shocking.