To think a holiday is more important than sky

[Moomoomango]

Chatting to hubby earlier - I was saying I'd love to save up a bit each month so in a few years we can take the children abroad. We have very little excess money but I'd love to give them an experience and some memories. we holiday in the uk every year (center parcs out of term) but would love my children to experience a holiday abroad in a few years. Hubs is in a strop because he would rather upgrade to sky I q or something - when it comes out - we already fork out for a full sky package for the football and that is enough let alone adding more on the bill. Aibu?

We can afford both fortunately ,but if it came to a choice of holiday or sky sport the sport package would win hands down , daily entertainment and the only place for cricket .

I don't know how much extra you're talking every month for the Sky thing. Every day comfort is important but if the TV package is instead of a holiday there's no contest - ditch it.

Your problem is that your DH subscribes to sky for the sport. Otherwise you could ditch the subscription and go with now tv instead (not advisable for sport as the charges are astounding).

In any case, you should definitely ring up sky and say you want to cancel. They'll offer you what you get at the moment for at least 60% less money. They might even offer you a reduced rate and some months free (although in my experience, the really desperate pleas come once you've actually cancelled and they're trying to entice you back).

StealthPB - I have done a holiday for four on a Spanish island for just under £800 in the past. That's flight and accommodation included.

If you have had the sky package for over a year phone and ask for a breakdown of prices as you are thinking of going with a cheaper company, you will be put straight through to retainers dept, I got 30% off mine just from one call, you could use the diff to put away for your hol!!!
Just be aware that the new price licks you into a contract for a year!!

Really habit? Like I say maybe it's the airport situation, although I am pretty shit at getting bargains :)

We can't afford Centre Parcs! We do holiday abroad sometimes, camping in France, so pretty cheap, though mostly it's camping in UK. (No family holiday for a few years now, but sending dd to stay with relatives tjis year. DH and I shall stay at home again.)

If anyone can find me four nights abroad for four (2 dcs young enough to share room) flying from Newcastle I would be interested :) though we'd have to factor in car parking, iany that likely to be about £100?

Term time or holidays stealth? I just found one for whit holidays for £980 with a quick search. I think your right though and airport does make a difference, the same flights were much cheaper even from Leeds.

Thabks sirzy. Yes holidays. I'll consider it a bit more in future I thibk and tbh leeds wouldnt be that much further than newcastle so we probably just need to be a bit more adventurous :)

We had a tent and a ferry crossing. Went to France, Spain and Italy when our three were small. You don't need thousands to go abroad.

Yanbu. Many many things trump sky.

I'd rather stay in this country than camp (that sounds snotty, I don't mean it to!). Holidays for me need to involve luxury and privacy.

For me it's no contest. Holidays all the way! But not necessarily abroad. Our best hols have been in Northumberland, isle of Mull and Cornwall. Loads to do, Castles, little trains and beaches with rock pools, sea shells and 'proper' sand you can build castles with. If you're prepared to drive then Eurocamp eg in Brittany would be reasonable in the off season ie not school holidays.

I just don't get the attraction of Sky though. We have freeview and Amazon Prime which is more than enough for us. DH goes to the pub with friends if there's a match he wants to see which supports the pub too. Fortunately he's not a massive drinker so it's about £6-£9 when he goes.

When my brother got the full Sky package we spent ages paging through and still couldn't find anything we really wanted to watch!

We drove to France - Brittany in our old car using the ferry when our children were very small. I really don't think that cost more than center parcs in the UK and it was much nicer.

(I would go for Sky by the way if there were a choice as that is used every day, not just a once a year trip children will forget anyway)

I don't know. Sky + Centre Parcs instead of a week in the sun doesn't seem too bad a deal. Just skip the Centre Parcs one year, and go abroad the year after.

Holiday over Sky for me, easily. But have never had Sky, never will.

We go overseas quite cheaply most years but we camp so a bit different.

Thanks for replies everyone, sorry for confusion I meant during term time it costs us 399 for the four days and we live relatively close so petrol not much. Admittedly we have spent £100 on pre booked activities and obviously food would be on top , so maybe we could book an all inclusive for roughly the same As we will end up forking out!

My kids remember the holidays that were adventures, going to Venice by train, driving to Denmark to go to the "real" Legoland,driving to Paris staying in a Motel to go to Disneyland.
No way could we have afforded to go to Center parcs.

With a little imagination and research you can have interesting holidays abroad.
If DH wants his Sky package its probably his "thing" I'm sure you and the Dc's allow funds for your "things".

It needn't necessarily be either /or.

YANBU.

It is personal choice, but I think that a holiday was objectively more beneficial to children than sky. If it was a childless person I would say it's a matter of choice and no right or wrong.

I also think that you can get a holiday abroad for less than centre parcs. I concluded that I couldn't afford centre parcs ever when I looked recently, and have taken kids abroad several times for much less money.

Also, I've never had Sky and never will. But for an individual whose choice wouldn't affect others I would think it was up to them. Not the case here as you have kids.

Stealth: fly from Glasgow or Manchester instead. Sometimes the price difference is ridiculous compared to flying from Newcastle. If you're going to have to pay for airport parking anyway, you may as well drive a bit further and save much more than you spend on parking.

although you could park in my street and get the metro a small number of stops instead

My oldest kids are early twenties now. They always say our family holidays were the best thing ever; better than Christmas, better than birthdays.

We never stayed in hotels, we camped or did Eurocamp type stuff. No luxuries but they were happy with a nice beach and a picnic of baguettes and cheese and peaches. Even a foreign supermarket or a foreign train ride is exciting when you are a little kid. We camped a lot in Britain too, always away in the school holidays and sunny weekends, often with other families for extra fun.

I can get my privacy and luxury at home.

You could get a week with Eurocamp in Northern France during the May half term for under £400. Ferry included if you go over to Calais.

The euro camp places in France or Spain are not really like camping because you get actual beds and reliable weather.

Your DH is very selfish to prioritise sport on TV over a holiday for the whole family. I hope the cost comes out of his spending money rather than family money.

YANBU to want to cut waste on crap TV so you can afford a holiday.