To cut back on food to afford to take dd swimming and to soft play?

[Shortofcash]

All our money is allocated each month for bills, there is nothing spare. Dd is age 2 and we have always done free activities like go to the park or surestart activities. All her clothes are hand me downs from my older sisters daughters. I would live to be able to take her to swimming and soft play, I estimate it would cost me about £10 a week. We currently spend £80 a week in a mix of aldi and tesco (mostly aldi - just go to tesco for bits I can't get in aldi). If I shaved £10 a week off our food bill I could afford to take her swimming and soft play (although soon we will have a dd2 so will probably be only be able to afford swimming for both and no soft play :( ) would I be unreasonable to cut back on food so my dd can swim?

We're a family of 5 and only spend about £90 a week on food, so i reckon it could easily be done.

Beginnerrunner what a ridiculous thing to say. The op is managing to feed and clothe her children, it doesn't matter the clothes are hand me downs. Anything else is extra. Or maybe only rich people should be able to have children.

There are hundreds of thousands of people in exactly the situation that the op is in and it is far from the poorest sector of society.

years ago if I wanted to save for something once a month is have a "skint week" which we had a lot of pasta and homemade Tom sauce and omelettes and beans on toast, all really cheap and helped save a lot of weekly budget, also £80 a week on grocerys foes seem a bit steep, do you menu plan if so I'd mix more expensive meals like meat with a couple of veggie meals a week, also are you doing the obvious like making packed lunches and ditching coffee shops, you sound like a lovely mum I'm sure you will manage it if you can juggle things about

£80 a week is an enormous amount to spend on food for two adults and a toddler - especially in Aldi! What on earth are you buying?

But ignoring the amount, in your situation I would keep the swimming, lose the soft play, and go to the playground (free) and toddler groups (tiny fraction of the cost of soft play). Though you say you already do this, so I'm a bit confused

Soft play isn't learning a life skill. It's a treat. Twice a year will be fine. And...your two year old does not need to spend her entire life doing "activities". Try staying at home a bit more!

Definitely, go for it. You can easily save on that food bill. We spend about £50 to £60 per week and Dd is 12, so eating quite a lot!!

This is easily do able. Do you meal plan and bulk buy? That could easily shave £20 off your bill.

In future I would ask (if asked for suggestions) grandparents and close family if they would buy a block of music group sessions or national trust pass or Zoo pass as a gift. It saves you money and helps pay towards activities and days out.

I find online shopping saves us a lot of money (family of 4)- I can easily cut £10 a week off the bill because I'm not walking around the shop deviating from a list. I also research nappy deals/prices at the beginning of every (pay)month and stock up along with wipes which saves a few bob.

Soft play and swimming were a godsend the winter I had a very energetic 2/3 year old and a newborn, even though DH was made redundant when dd was 4 weeks old. We did eat a lot of homemade soup and crumbles.

£80 is a lot of money on food for a 1-child family, you should be able to reduce it. If no one is going to starve, then no reason to reallocate some funds to soft play and swimming.

Of course, you would not be unreasonable to try to save money off your food bill. But I am unclear why swimming and soft play are weekly essentials for a 2-year old. We could easily afford that, but never felt the need with DS.

Nice to take them swimming occasionally, so that they are familiar with the swimming pool environment, and if they love it, great to go as often as you can. But doesn't need to be weekly. And if you don't do it at all, it really won't matter.

Soft play sessions run by our local churches and sure start were much better than the commercial alternatives, ime. Again, no need to go weekly.

DS loved going to the library every week - nothing fancy, we just chose books and I read them to him for about an hour. I always got bored first!

It does sound as if money is a big issue for you, and so these things that you can't do seem so important. But they really aren't. Why not try to save a tenner a week anyway, and put it aside for a cheap family holiday?

The council leisure centres near us do wiggle and giggle for £3 per adult ad toddler. You get an hour on the bouncy castle and foam shapes and an hour in the pool.
Bear in mind once the baby comes if your older child is under 4 you won't be able to take them both in the pool.

There's a great programme on BBC just now, can't remember what it's called, where each week they look at a families food shop and they make recommendations where they can make savings. There are certain foods that don't seem to taste that different if you drop a brand. For example value pasta, fruit juice and yogurt instead of the normal range. Whilst for things like meat a trip to the butcher is better, buying just what you need rather than pre-pared packets or those 3 for £10 offers.

Certainly worth a try!

However, I agree that softplay is a treat. My DD definitely didn't get to go to every week. Lots of hidden costs there too after paying for coffees and drinks.

I also think £80 is a lot to spend on food if you're on a tight budget. It's about what we spend but we both work full time and earn well. I also shop in Ocado and Waitrose so would expect Aldi and Tesco to be much cheaper.

It also seems odd to me to choose to have another child if you feel you can't afford to do things with the eldest. But I realise that's a personal choice.

Agree with lots of others that £80 is a high weekly shop. I budget 75 but that includes lots of beer and wine - i reckon without that it could easily be 60 if we were struggling that would be the first to go.
Also I'd look for activities but not sure I'd choose swimming at that age every week - as it's pricey and I'm not sure it's essential until they're older. I hate soft play and would probably go for the free or cheap type things you get at libraries, sure starts or church halls like play sessions, story time, wiggle groups etc. So I wouldn't need anywhere near 10 for activities.

I have done the money saving expert tips on other bills so food is the only one left for reducing. I didn't realise £80 was a lot! I buy from tesco only certain herbs and nuts or just random things aldi doesn't stock that week. I just looked through our shopping list and we buy £6 a week on fresh fruit juice!! We all drink it diluted instead of squash. And I buy Aldis dearest meat. I do buy cereal bars and crisps but that's it from the snack point of view. I think I spend too much on cleaning products maybe? Feeling inspired now that I should be able to cut back! Thank you!

I would change the fruit juice for squash then (or even just water) that would be an immediate saving.

The program reffered to up thread is eat well for less and well worth watching you should be able to get it on iplayer

I wouldn't buy the fruit juice. Or if you do buy the cheapest value ones, on the Eat Well for Less programme on bbc1 at the moment they showed the content of them is exactly the same as the pricier ones. (That's the programme someone mentioned upthread, it's on iplayer at the moment. It may not be of help though because the people on them have huge budgets in the first place but it's interesting!)

On we've just down shifted our Juice. We don't notice the difference. I actually find proper freshly squeezed juice really acidic tasting too.

YY to meal planning and aldi shopping. It's a souless exoerience but so worth it in terms of savings.

Yes, ditch the juice and you're saving £5 a week straight away. I found that programme really irritating as they were actually quite well off and really useless in the kitchen.

At 80 per week it would be possible to cut back - we are a family of 4 and spend around 60 -70 per week.

However I would question your priorities. Activities are not essentials, where as food is. There are plenty of free things to do, libraries, going to the park to kick a ball about, snow fights, riding a bike, junk modelling, painting / drawing, treasure hunting or even an old fashioned walk. I don't know anyone who went to a soft play center as a kid, and even of my kids age they were birthday treats not an every week occurance.

Op, have you checked to see whether your dd is entitled to the 2 year funding? You can check on your local county councils website. She may be entitled if you have a low income or you clam certain benefits
Have you got a library close by? Ours does bounce and rhyme for toddlers which is free

Tendon so did I £350 a week on food.

Our local gyms do a swimming only membership, should be worth looking into also.

Got to agree that soft play really isn't worth it, save for both, and put what you would've spent on the soft play into savings for something else.

Im going against everyone because I don't think £80 a week is a lot. But I'm always amazed at the amounts people claim to spend.

I don't tinkerbell and given that the average is something like £130 a week it isnt. Still room for saving though