To be pissed off that we can't afford a day out.

[Tealady1983]

Hi I am pissed off as we can't afford a day out with the kids. We both work hard but cannot even afford the bus fare to town then entry to the castle or lunch or anything. We can't stay in garden as it floods when rains so it's all marshy. I feel like such a ba mother

Sounds like a lovely afternoon! Maybe you could put waterproofs and wellies on and go for a walk saving snails, we'd rescue all the snails on the pavement and put them on a nice leaf next to the path, it felt like a veryiimportant heroic mission when I was a little girl ;)

Parks, walks etc good as mentioned.

Do you have any big country parks near you? Or just the countryside, woods etc as you say you live middle of nowhere? Lots of things you can do once there - national trust website has suggestions. My dd spent hours on Tuesday peeling a piece if wood to the white inside with a potato peeler to make a wand/ lightsaber! You can make dens in the woods etc too., or art with twigs and leaves and things. There are also lots of muddy puddles at the mo.

We have lots of days out that don't cost much. Local museums, parks, libraries, churches etc have activities for kids during the holidays. Our library has magazines full of listings of stuff going on for children during the holidays and a lot of it is free.

You always need to take a picnic and snacks, and have a box of Tesco ice creams in the freezer for when you get home so you can avoid the ice cream van.

It does take some planning to find cheap days out, but there's no reason at all to be stuck indoors if you'd rather not be.

Look on your local council website too. Some councils are good at putting on free stuff for kids at local libraries and museums.
Google for vouchers for your local attractions from time to time and then get them when they're offered if they're affordable.
We ve done mostly free stuff this holiday but we ve used the car to get there.

Best things in life are free, they really are. I have a car but its for work only as broke. Off for a walk later

Saturday morning kids club at the cinema?
Pet shop to look at the animals?
Garden centre for cup of tea and soft play?
We're members of the national trust and there are about 5 properties near us with adventure playgrounds/big gardens to run around in for DS, so we go to these in the holidays, and take a packed lunch and just have an ice cream.
We took DS to a farm park for his birthday and couldn't believe how expensive it was!

You have my sympathies OP. I do think that with some planning, you can have a good summer:

Check your councils website as they often have free events for children.

If the garden is waterlogged, let him have a splash!!!!

I once bought a couple of packs of balloons and turned our lounge into a balloon pit.

Invite their friends over to play or ask a friends parents if they could tag along on an outing - as you would only have to pay a childcare.

I've really noticed the lack of free stuff for kids since moving out of the city, there's always something to do there-museums etc. costs a fortune here in the country and you need a car to get anywhere and the train and bus fares are shocking.

You're not in debt, that's fantastic x

how to make walks which are free but sometimes a bit boring, fun

I get really frustrated by the pressure that parents feel to entertain their children in this kind of way. It isn't unusual not to take them to attractions/paid days out on a weekend. I think that's a luxury for people with plenty of money to spend, as are things like going out for meals/coffee and cake. There will be many, many families who never do things like this.

At the end of the day, your children just want to spend time with you. Give them a day at home where they decide the activities and you fully participate with them - bake together, plant some seeds together, watch a film together, play with their toys together, play a game together. Those things make real memories. It is okay not to take them out.

I try to keep days out free - walks, picnics. I love going to the coast, but it does depend on what is accessible to you. Country walks as others have suggested? Perhaps print off a wildlife guide from the net and do some spotting.

As kids, we only ever went to paid days out on holiday.

Something like this gives focus to a day out

Although, I should say YANBU for feeling pissed off. It annoys me that many of the activities out there are so expensive. If I went to the wildlife park near us, it would cost about £60 to get in. The cinema is also ridiculous now in terms of cost. I've used clubcard vouchers to go there before but I still feel fed-up that stuff to do is so over-priced.

There are lots of activities on that site

Geocaching? Museums are often free too. Cinemas sometimes do tickets for £1.75 for children's shows on selected films on weekend mornings.

Is this a one off, or is it always the case? You say you both work hard and have no debt? If you are on a low income, are you getting all the benefits you are entitled to? With two DCs, you could be getting quite a bit, which should allow some money for treats unless you are paying very high rent or spending a lot of money on cars etc.

How much is your rent/mortgage compared to your income? Can you move anywhere cheaper? Have you looked at all the budgeting advice on moneysavingexpert? Are all your utilities on the best deal? Do you shop around for insurances etc?

Can you shop in Aldi or Lidl for even some of your shopping (big stock up on non perishables once a month for example). They are much cheaper than Tesco and you could use some of the savings on days out.

I think the Clubcard scheme is nowhere near as good as it once was and most people would be better off shopping at cheaper supermarkets and spending the difference on treats and days out, rather than saving up clubcard points.

Second the suggestions to make the most of 'the middle of nowhere'. People like me spend loads on petrol and parking to go out for a walk in the countryside, whereas you must have it on your doorstep .

I agree with KinkyDorito: I don't think most people provide children with a full week of entertainment every time half term rolls around. The ones that DO make sure everyone knows about it, though

I'm old, but it was normal for me and my brother to amuse ourselves as our parents were out at work all day (and it were all fields round 'ere etc...).

But I do sympathise with the feeling of working just to live and having no money for fun. That must suck. Do you think things will get better over the long term?

If you have Aldi near you and don't so there already then start. You save far more than shopping at tesco and getting vouchers.

Shop there already

Sign up to the geocaching site and have a look what caches are near you, you may be surprised how many! My DC absolutely love going out to swap a few treasures, and they don't see it as a walk . You can download geocaching apps on your phone, but they are not strictly necessary if you check the website first.

If you have family who buy you gifts for birthdays or Xmas, maybe hint at a bus pass or a railcard if you need to rely on public transport.
I agree with the posters who say that you don't have to go to paid attractions to have a good half term or holiday from school. I don't and most of my friends don't either. We all use vouchers to get into paid attractions too. Because we do that, if someone notices something going for a discount price on groupon or whatever, they'll let others know so we can all take advantage of it.

Go to the woods and play in the mud , walk to a park and play. Go on a penny hike (walk out your door, at each junction you get to flip a coin - heads you go left tails you go right) you never know where you end up!

Sack the gardener? That'll free up a bit.