To already be dreading the summer hols because of money

[Blueskiesandcherrypies]

I love having my children home for the holidays but honestly feel I could cry today. I have 3 dc (9, 7, 18m) and one due in May. I know it was mine and dh choice to gave 4 dc and, for the moment, be a one income family and most of the time it's fine. We eat well, I don't think the kids feel they go without, we have one nice uk holiday a year. However, we have very little disposable income and it's in the holidays that I feel this most. With two weeks still left to go of the Easter hols I'm trying so hard to think of fun things we can do for little cost, or for free, and I have visions of DCs friends living it up at legoland, paultons etc. Whether they are or not I don't know. Ds has told me of THREE of his friends that are spending the Easter hols in Disney, Florida - how on earth do people afford these things!

There are only so many picnics and local park trips we can do! We're planning on a trip to Brighton tomorrow for chips on the beach and arcades - that's the highlight of our Easter hols and I'm already worrying about how much it'll cost in petrol to get there (it's one and a half hours away).

Doesn't bode well for the summer holidays does it!

Sorry just needed to vent in the hope someone can inspire me :)

Wait till they're teenagers....

Agree with RedFocus...mine never went to theme parks etc.Having friends round regularly/swapping children gave at least an afternoon free a week.

Never took mine to the cinema either.

When my children were little they used to complain that they weren't doing whatever their friends were doing even if we were taking them to the US (we had a deal at the time, so could do it cheaply).

Going to Legoland etc. only happens using Tescos Vouchers/Nectar points - we take snacks. It is only ever a "special treat".
Mine enjoy visiting the park/other parks, walks in the wood, den building, geocaching is fun too.

I can't think of anything worse than going to Disney during the holidays. It'll be packed, hot, they'll spend hours queueing and being totally ripped off. (Speaking as someone who actually can go to Disney very cheap but chooses not to.)

In case that helps...

I think its all in the pre planning and keeping an eye on all the offers plus using local council info. round here there are lots of free days at the leisure centre and river. also a lot the local festivals are a couple of quid to get in and the kids get to see lots of different things this way. we always did the one day at home one day out thing. the day out might only be a long walk and a picnic but we downloaded maps of walks and made it an adventure.

Totally agree - so much cash goes on paying for childcare in the holidays that there's not much left for fun when I actually get time off. I shall probably do what my mum used to do- round up all our bored friends, take the whole gang to the woods and let us get on with exploring/ having pitched battles while she read the paper, then break out the sandwiches.

When I was a child we hardly ever went away on holiday. Instead it was house and garden activities, swimming pool, picnics in parks and woods,craft activities, reorganising bedrooms, camping out, bike rides, trips to the shops. Every morning we got out the badminton set, the swing tennis, footballs etc and just whiled away the hours with these and on the trampoline. Life today is super organised and expensive but the bit I liked most about childhood was the chance to just 'mess around'. Wet days it was DVDs drawing and baking.

Give your DCs chance to unwind and find their own fun, spend a little money on garden activities and don't be hard on yourself.

I agree Apple - growing up in the 60/70s there was far less 'organised entertainment' for children, maybe a sleazy fun-fair that visited our village once every summer .

So much of the entertainment these days is commercially driven that people seem to have lost the art of old fashioned fun like days in the park, games in the garden, proper tea parties with friends (ie: not going to McDs or similar). Even many childrens' parties are super-organised these days, I always used to do traditional games and tea for my DS's parties and quite a few children told me what fun they'd had. Even at 13 one of my DS's friends likes coming to our house to play board games .

I have never spend much in the holidays. We have play dates, go to kids club cinema for £1, go to parks, museums or hang around at home.

Could you try and save abit for a bus pass for a month for yourself. At Least then you could get to differant parks or differant towns or to a library every few days and just pay for the children.

Could you try and save abit for a bus pass for a month for yourself. At Least then you could get to differant parks or differant towns or to a library every few days and just pay for the children.

I've felt guilt for years about not having enough money to keep up with what my nephews/ nieces and the DC's friends are doing.

My eldest is Autistic so going out can be quite challenging. We moved closer to family last summer so were very cash strapped post move. My sisters DC went to Disney.

The best bit of the holidays according to my nephew/ niece and my DC was digging to Australia in the mud in my back garden. (They're 10, 8, 6, 6 and 3).

If you think to your happiest times (assuming you're lucky enough to have been fed, warm and loved) the memories that are most significant aren't necessarily the expensive treats.