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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Stingy to think a fiver a day spending money for Y6 is too much?

37 replies

MerryMarigold · 23/02/2017 12:17

So ds1 has his school residential coming up in a couple of weeks. They are going for 5 days. There is a 'limit' of £5 spending money per day, but it basically sounds like everyone has that as we were told to put a fiver in an envelope labelled for each day and no mention of 'you can put less'. We're not from a particularly affluent area.

I think it's a lot. They are on a site, so the only things to buy are food items and silly souvenirs (possibly). I don't want ds spending £25 on sweets, crisps, lucozade and choc as he does have a small appetite and struggles a bit with food so I can see him doing this and then not eating. However, he is very much a 'left out' child, and desperate to fit in, so I do think I need to give it to him so he's not different. Should I give it, but tell him he is not to buy too much junk with it, or just let him go and have fun.

WWYD and AIBU? Is it not that much really? In your experience, what do kids spend a fiver a day on?

OP posts:
SnowBallsAreHere · 23/02/2017 12:21

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Lazybeans50 · 23/02/2017 12:22

Our school residential trip was £5 limit for the whole trip. Spent in the centre's shop on branded pencils and note pads etc.

AHedgehogCanNeverBeBuggered · 23/02/2017 12:23

Hmm, if he's a 'left out' child I'd just send a fiver. It's really hard being different for any reason, so even though you're right that he'll spend it on crap, if you can afford it send it.

However, if you don't have the money don't feel bad, he'll be ok.

IamFriedSpam · 23/02/2017 12:24

It does sound like a lot of money I'm sure lots of families will struggle to find that much - especially when it's not educational - just buying junk food. I would be inclined to just give it to him if I could afford it so he isn't left out but I think the school could have set the limit much lower.

MoonfaceAndSilky · 23/02/2017 12:26

That seems an awful lot. I don't think he would be the only one with not the maximum amount.

Crispbutty · 23/02/2017 12:32

I work on a residential site (youth hostel) and we only open then shop after dinner and a lot of the groups are restricted on how much they can spend too. £3 would be enough to buy an ice cream and drink.

BarbaraofSeville · 23/02/2017 12:32

If there really isn't very much to buy, why not send the whole amount, but encourage him to bring some back to spend on a non-sugar treat at a later date?

I would say that they would get bored of a fiver's worth of sugar a day pretty quickly, but I've seen what the average secondary school pupil, some of which will only be a year or two older than your DS, buys in the supermarket each day, so probably not. You could hope that the onsite shop is significantly more expensive than supermarkets, so at least his money won't buy very much.

Original poster
MerryMarigold · 23/02/2017 12:33

Had an idea. I may tell him that what he doesn't spend on rubbish, he can keep. That'll motivate him - he loves money. Then it's his choice but he's not left out.

We do have enough money to give it, but I just resented it being that much. Seems other schools think so too. Not sure why ours is so high. We have a lot of FSM kids. There was a presentation about the trip and the teacher in charge was saying the fiver is better as a note as coins can break the envelope. There wasn't any mention at all of 'if you'd rather send less, that's fine'. Maybe they have had kids feeling really down at having less, I don't know. Just make the limit less would be better I think.

OP posts:
Original poster
MerryMarigold · 23/02/2017 12:34

x post Barbara. Good idea! He would love to spend it on football cards or lego.

OP posts:
isittheholidaysyet · 23/02/2017 12:35

I was going to suggest that you told him he can keep what he doesn't spend.

(Presuming you can afford it of course)

user1484394242 · 23/02/2017 12:36

I may tell him that what he doesn't spend on rubbish, he can keep

When I read your OP I was going to suggest that.

SoupDragon · 23/02/2017 12:38

DD's Y6 residential has £4 per day pocket money built into the cost which I think works brilliantly.

TheSnorkMaidenReturns · 23/02/2017 12:45

It's a ridiculous amount of money! We're in a fairly well off area and I think they get to take either a fiver or a tenner for the whole of the Year6 residential.

stoopido · 23/02/2017 12:47

I think ours was £5 for the week and my son came back with most of it! Grin

PointxTaken · 23/02/2017 12:49

what he doesn't spend on rubbish, he can keep

completely agree, great idea. I hate this modern attitude of schools to encourage kids to buy and eat rubbish. I am that old that I didn't have vending machines when I was at school. We survived.
I am all for giving pocket money to my kids when they go away, but I am not happy with the only accessible shop offering sweet and junk treats only. Hope he has a great time there !

AnnieAnoniMouse · 23/02/2017 13:00

Ours were allowed up to £20 last year, in a named purse. If they spent it all the first day, tough luck. 10 yo came back with most of it, she bought a pen & notebook & a few sweets. But she prefers money to sweets & sugary drinks & there wasn't much else to spend it on.

I have to say that at the time I didn't give a second thought to the £20. We are in the SE, it costs that much to breathe.

In a 'less affluent' area I think £25 is a lot of money to suggest to families. I get their point re notes & envelopes, however, I'd be somewhat concerned that a bunch of people in charge of children didn't think to tell them to either bring a purse if they had one or they could get given a zip lock bag. Hmm

BarbaraofSeville · 23/02/2017 13:02

Basing the suggested amount on what will sit nicely in an envelope is a bit daft.

What will they do with the change if they spend 50 pence - do 10 YOs generally have purses and wallets? And they will need a shit load of change if everyone in the class spends a quid and breaks a note.

Glad you have thought of a good solution anyway.

Pinbasket · 23/02/2017 13:04

I'd contact the school head and ask what a fiver each day is supposed to cover (not to complain, just to enquire). If it's just for sweets , that is really ridiculous! And school should be promoting healthy policies!
Sounds like whoever at the school is responsible for planning the trip, doesn't have children themselves, and hasn't thought it through properly either- can you imagine the noise level of a classful of year 6 kids as the sugar rush of five quids worth of sweets hits them? Rather them than me!

bluebellation · 23/02/2017 13:09

When mine went away at primary school (back in the dark ages of the 1990's) , they took an amount for the week (can't remember how much, probably a fiver) and one of the teachers was the 'bank', giving out as much as the child wanted each day and marking the balance down in a book. Quite a lot of work for the teacher if it's a big group, but it did mean the children actually thought about what they wanted to spend each day, depending on where they were visiting, if it had a gift shop etc.

bigearsthethird · 23/02/2017 13:13

YANBU thats a ridiculous sum for a 5 days trip (assuming 2 days are travel days anyway?) The school should certainly not be telling parents what they should send with their child, it should be an advised upper limit and thats that. When my ds went on the same thing in Y6 the school had a meeting and had put £20 max for the week on an information sheet. but during the meeting the teacher said that actually £10 maximum was the right amount to send them with, as this will allow them a few sweets and a souvenir. Thats also an affordable amount for most families.

So I sent him with £10. He didnt mention how much anyone else had taken but I think they ended up sharing sweets between their friendship groups anyway so he probably hasn't a clue.

Does the money have to be in daily envelopes or could you just put £10 in one envelope for the whole week? Are you able to see what his friends parents think and will be sending their children with? perhaps if you all think similarly and send your kids with a lower amount it wont matter as he wont be the only one without the mega bucks.

geordiedench · 23/02/2017 13:15

As a child, I was always sent on school trips with no money and then told off Hmm by teachers and mocked by others for not contributing to things like midnight feasts or having money to send a postcard home.

As a result I've always sent my DC away with the maximum amount of money allowed. And they always come back having spent about £2 of it on Haribos and the rest is still untouched.

Chasingsquirrels · 23/02/2017 13:16

Our is suggested £5 for the whole week.

F1GI · 23/02/2017 13:22

Are they expected To buy lunch?

Floggingmolly · 23/02/2017 13:26

That's far too much. Ours suggested £1 per day, and £5 (which they kept and doled out on the last day) for souvenirs.
They only spend it on sweets. Ds2 took great pleasure in telling me how he'd had a bottle of coke (which I only allow on high days and holidays) every day, along with crisps and chocolate.
I assume it was heavily subsidised Hmm.

Notso · 23/02/2017 13:26

I seem to remember school saying £20 max for a three day residential when my older ones went. They both bought souvenirs for the rest of the family, not much was spent on sweets and fizzy drinks. They always seemed to get a lot of food provided, especially on the active type trips. Cooked breakfast, hot lunch, afternoon tea, dinner and biscuits and hot drinks for supper, they loved it.

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