How are you affording the school holidays?

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I believe we are very much a middle ground income family. Not a high income (i bloody wish) and not low either so we don't get help with much - although DS does get DLA but that is not income based. Also get maintenance from ds's dad. Dp is the main earner and I'm not working at this time.

we are struggling financially ad many people are, I know it's not just us!

I am just not sure how I'm going to do it. My kids don't do well staying in (one has autism, anxiety and adhd and the other has some degree of sen too). We live in a village where there's nothing to do, a tiny little park they get bored of, no decent or safe walking routes so everything involves driving - used to cost me £50 to fill my car, now about £80. A full tank lasts 2 weeks in the holidays!

we have passes to a local theme park but they get bored if we go too much and it's so busy in the holidays!

it's the cost of food too. I usually spend £100 PW. I've booked a slot and it's already £150! Ds is picky with food, Dp needs plenty of work food (he is doing 12 hour days atm), they eat non stop. Dd was getting free lunches being an infant... DS usually goes school dinners (paid for with his DLA), he's so fussy and I found he would try more at school so it was worth the cost. I'm spending more than I would on his dinners in the holidays now!

how are you managing it?

Dp is going try get some OT in for some extra £££ but I feel guilty he'll be tired from all the extra hours! I am not working at the mo!

so many of my friends are going on holidays, weekends away, I don't want to do this but it seems we can't afford food, let alone holidays or expensive days out.

I think in your situation I'd be trying to get some part time/ casual work to fit around your dp's shifts, so he can do the childcare and you can work. If claiming carers allowance then you can earn up to £132 a week without the carers allowance being affected.

Parks and beaches with home pack lunches. Playing in the garden (badminton was a favourite) with friends, bike rides. Not sure how old your children are? I’m a 70’s child and that is all we did, never went anywhere.

Have you also checked whether you are entitled to any Universal credit ? Carers element and disabled child element would bump it up ? Also when my dd wa son DLA for a short while she got like a free cinema card and a carer could go free of charge too. Not sure if this scheme still exists but is worth checking as that would get 2 out of the 3 of you into cinema free.

Sadly because they have sen they don't have a huge amount of friends and cannot play out on their own. So it's hard work!

we do live a few miles from the beach but it's so damn busy at the minute 😓 plus a fiver to park!

they get bored of the garden.

I was a 90's child and it was very much the same as you say and we didn't do much but I think times have changed and social media makes you feel like a crap parent for not taking your child everywhere!

I forgot to add that we get a very small amount of tax credits! But likely to change over to UC soon but it's not much (obviously I am grateful even just for a small amount, but it doesn't go far!)

I have just applied for a card from my La for children with additional need, for discounted days out buy some of the places are only 10 percent off and don't make a huge amount of difference. Some places do a disabled child and free Carer so that might be handy!

Change over to UC. You might end up with more (check this first using benefit calculators). I get UC top up and get free school meal vouchers during the holidays (almost £150) for 2 dc, over 30 different fit and fed holiday clubs are available for free, and loads of local library and family hub centres are providing activities for kids on free school meals.

He works 6-6 plus travelling home time so it only leaves evenings and we need both of us home in the evenings to settle both kids as both need a strict routine but if it was just one of us home it would be too much for either of us 😓 Dp's days vary too so I can't commit to any set day at the minute, no childcare or family help either.

also, after being up half the night with DS and up at the crack of dawn it would just be too tiring at the minute to work after 7pm. It sounds like I'm making excuses but I'm exhausted enough already, my oldest is very challenging at the minute!

Mine are older now, but I rarely did paid days out in holiday when they were young.

They'd do a few cheap activities organising by cubs or local churches, or the Wildlife Trust ones re good. They'd have friends round and we'd go to the park/beach/library. Nature trails were useful and setting them to work in the garden.

I aimed to get them out everyday, but not necessarily for the whole day and we walked everywhere so each trip took as long as possible 😆

I never left home without drinks and snacks. Felt it as a real failure if I had to resort to buying food or drink out 😆

Are they both school age? If so why can't you work school hours? All the jobs at the moment are part time - it's the full time ones which are like gold dust

I’m planning a visit to the nearest city and Googling as many free things to do as possible, taking food and drinks. I’m happy to drive to the streets back from the city centre so park for free, I allocate money for a treat (sweets so not too expensive) and petrol. I might do that kids eat for £1 at Asda on way home. That will be a bigger day out.
Will visit charity shops for cheap games, books etc to keep things exciting at home!

Get together with your kids and do a timetable for the summer. Plan your days out and plan your days in.
You've got quite a good choice if you have a beach and a theme park. Maybe find other interesting places too.
Days in are good for routines so plan chores (boring but keeps everyone busy), baking, interesting or fun meals and movie nights.
Mine have homework to do over the summer so that's part of our days in.

Hi OP, think it's worth making a week by week Summer holiday plan to set out food, expenses, activities, etc.

Cheap ideas for days out such as parks, beaches have already been mentioned, but you could also see if your local leisure centre offer a free or discounted swimming session? Alternatively, do you have any museums near you? Usually free entry and you could take a packed lunch.

Camping in the garden is another idea, or seeing if there is a cheap campsite nearby- although many pricey / busy at peak season.

Many cinemas do cheap viewings for kids films (not always the brand new films) couple of quid per ticket, or have a movie night at home.

Otherwise, lots of activities round the house, board games, paddling pool, baking, gardening, helping to clear up, litter picking etc.

Oh gosh. That sounds tough xx

Try parks further away, different beaches (not in the town) take picnics including coffee for you if that's your thing then the only cost is petrol and parking.

On rainy days teach them to cook, never to young and children with Sen need lessons as much as those without

Is there a swimming pool nearby, some councils offer reduced price swimming during school holidays, also check libraries, museums, shopping centres etc for free activities. This weekend in my town there's a free music festival in the city centre, some kind of dinosaur learning thing at the out of town retail park, craft activities at 2 different museums and a bug show at a garden centre where they can look at and handle different insects. All free events so just travel and a pack up lunch. I usually park outside of town and walk in to avoid parking charges.

I just do! Through gritted teeth mainly and breathe a huge sigh of relief in september when I will have some spare money again in my purse! Having said that I do only have the one child so thats easier I guess. I tend to do not so much during term time as my dd is busy all week at school so our time at the weekends is quite limited so I save quite a lot of money there then I am able to go a bit mad spending wise in the holidays.

It’s hard on no-car days!
things I do to make sure I don’t go mad:
alternate days out with car, or use at end of week as a reward/treat they have to earn
plan a routine that doesn’t change, so asd child gets into the swing of it
start with craft, usually painting, straight after breakfast, then dump all craft in bath with children and let them ‘clean’. Get them out many hours later
‘encanto run’ or cosmic yoga on YouTube ( they have to choose one, can watch a program after as reward)
put bread, jam, butter and spoons on table- get them to make lunch then eat it.
then get them to wash up
then get them to towel dry floor
then tv program whilst I do a quick ‘letter treasure hunt -we use car reg’s)
then out for long scooter walk with clip boards and pens- to spot letters (usually make this a competition)
then back- tv on, but only if they are play dough/drawing. If they stop, tv goes off!
prep tea whilst they are busy.
Into garden and play something competitive, think sports day.
then dinner

I will only pay for activities a couple of times during the summer as it’s always really busy and expensive.

Look up anything free or cheap like walks, bike riding, car boots, Museums, beaches, different parks etc.

You can take a pack lunch of a few sandwiches or pasta and refillable water bottles to keep costs down.

Some people I know have a national trust pass and just use that.

On the days you’re at home you can do indoor activities like baking, painting, paper mache, jigsaws etc

Don’t feel guilty that you’re not doing enough paid things as things like going to the beach are just as fun as going to a theme park.

Thank you everyone. We do have 2 cars so I do have that benefit. But it's costly to run two but we are right out in the sticks with no public transport in the village so it's more of a necessity than a luxury as Dp works long hours, I need it for appointments, meeting and generally taking them out. Dp has an old banger for work and I have the family car during the holidays! But running 2 is still a killer!

my youngest loves anything crafty of baking but unfortunately does not give a s**t about anything like that 😅 he has no hobbies or interests at home other than playing computer or running riot!! He does like Lego but find he's getting bored of that too! I tend to try and get out for a few hours every morning so if he comes home and plays roblox for a while, I don't feel guilty 😅

one lives staying in and doing Home stuff like crafts and the other climbs the walls bored!

hoping we will get some sunshine as can get the paddling pool back out!! We have a trampoline, swing and bikes etc but they just get bored easily or start arguing!

Thank you! I think we will get through I am just really stressed about it. My eldest is off to secondary and needs all the expensive uniform too, primary uniform is so cheap in comparison 😅

The only advice I can give is to stay off social media! I'm going to make a conscious effort to stay off Facebook as that makes everything feel 100 times worse! All last week the airport photos started and the bloody hashtags!!

Do you have a library? They usually offer free days for kids. So do most shopping centres

Are you on Facebook? I find most stuff to do through it

My DS is 13 and I usually work term time only so this year I have taken on a second job 3 short days a week to give us some pocket money.

Have you investigated direct payments for your DS?

Have a look on Facebook for local groups and days for children with disabilities. Some examples near us are: summer holiday clubs especially for children with SEND, horse riding, grooming or leading, climbing wall with a free carer or sibling, autism friendly cinema screenings, outdoor education, activities run by the family wellbeing service, music clubs, activities run by Bernardo’s, a “green festival” and the Holiday Activities and Food scheme which children who have an EHCP.