Booked flights for a holiday but now can't afford it. WWYD?

[Cheeseer]

I booked some flights to a European country 6m ago for the summer. Was planning to take the kids to their first ever holiday abroad. They have never been and really want to go. The only holidays we get are in the UK for a week per year if we can afford it. The kids do love them but they yearn to go abroad.

I thought if I booked the flights early, I could put aside some money each month to save up in time for the summer.

However, each month something comes up and I haven't put anything away. If I start from now, I would have enough to cover accomodation which I haven't booked but nothing left for food, fun, travel etc.

I know Ive messed up but things are so expensive and prices are going up month to month and I just can't seem to have any money left over at the end of the month.

Should I plan to go to the hol and see what happens, can't do excursions or anything, very basic food or should I just leave it and lose the flight money and never plan a holiday unless I have the funds for it.

You can 💯 do this

Given the ages, I’d tell them, explain that it’s all hands on deck for saving. They’ll be excited and happy to cut back I imagine

When you say you’re a working class family op.., do either you or your partner work and can increase hours?

She's said she works 0.87 and has asked to go ft.

Single parent?

I would have thought asking to go full time would have been top priority as soon as you purchased the flights personally

No, she has a husband.

Where is this mentioned?

Actually, sorry, she hasn't mentioned a husband, but she never said she was a single parent, so I have assumed.

It seems that, in the “normal” course of things, Op can save a little each month - she has unluckily had a few emergencies in a row. Going to full time (a) might not be there for the asking and (b) has knock on effects on childcare costs, number of holiday days earned and used etc.

Those may be reasons why it wasn’t her first idea.

I was assuming no husband/partner as there has been no mention of his opinion/contributions etc. I think with that age of dc it is very much doable and they should have a good understanding of the situation and have i explained to them beforehand what will and will not be possible while away. Teens do add to costs though and, especially if OP is the only adult, it can feel like you're taking other adults away and bearing all the costs (because you are!). Still worth it though and there's time to plan and save a bit.

Food wise. You will spend that on food anyway at home

Save enough for a few meals out. Ice creams etc
Can you ask for money for birthdays? Are there grandparents that might give the kids some spending money? Can you go without two items on the weekly shop between now and then for food away? It's easier to share food in Europe too. Pizzas are huge and can easily feed 2/3 of you if kids are little. Tapas goes a long way too. Take some food with you if you're taking hold bags. Pasta and a few sauces tins tuna etc . Then just buy some yummy breads.
Take a box of cereal

In the last post, she used “us” in a way that indicated a partner might also be asking the kids to save up etc

Yes, I think that's what I based my assumption on. Plus the general language used.

I looked it up for you, because I love researching travel stuff!

You can get a card (I think it's called Navagem Occasional? Different from the normal Navagem, which is for residents) and load a 24hr pass onto it, which is 7 euros. Sadly no child discounts for non resident kids over 4. (One of the most challenging things I find about travelling with kids and using public transport is that every single country/ city has different criteria for child fares!). Or you can pay for single tickets on the tram, bus or metro which are much less obviously. There are also suburban trains to the coast, which do have child discounts.

We're going to Berlin this summer which also does 24hr tickets, and I've calculated that if you time it right you can pretty much get a 24hr ticket to cover 2 days.

You can do this! Transport is cheap there are buses, tram and metro underground (my preferred mode). You can get a day pass and use across all 3 transport areas for 7 euros each day per person or load up a pre paid card for 1.66 euros for a single journey. Good luck!

Ah. Ok. Actually looking back on some pictures I took the “beaches” I was remembering were sandy spots by the estuary/sea. Not exactly the same as a proper beach!

I LOVED lisbon though. Ate my body weight in delicious food.

If you wanted maybe you could split the time between Lisbon and the beach? Costa da Caparica is cheaper than Estoril or Cascais (and just as lovely) and there are 3 bed properties available in August for around £300 for a 3 night stay and 45 euros taxi from the airport ( or cheaper by public transport). There's also the 'Lisboa card' which gives access to museums/ castle and public transport over 1-3 days, worth checking out.

I thought the 'us' in that post related to other households with a similar income? All the detail regarding finances/planning/income feature 'I'. I'm intrigued and want to know now, even though it's none of my business.

Specifically this sentence:

And yes, they are used to us saying no, we can't afford x,y,z.

Another place you could look is Oeiras, which is 30m from central Lisbon by taxi ( or 1 hrs public transport). They have a fabulous beach and municipal outdoor pool 'piscina oceanica de oeiras' which is cheap. There are properties nearby on booking. I would recommend for the beach and pools only, probably worth splitting time between the city and Oeiras' if you rent accomodation, Lisbon is fabulous for the sights.

Haha - I obviously wasn't intrigued enough to read it properly 🙄.

I do wonder what he thinks.