Hi All,
So 2019 has been a bit of a rough year for me and my family. I was forced to stop working due to depression and anxiety issues about a year ago, and my poor hubby has been holding the fort on his salary alone. Slowly but surely we have crept into the red and are now a couple of thousand pounds in debt as his salary simply does not cover the basics. We are discussing the prospect of putting our house on the market as our mortgage is just a tad more than we can stretch to at the moment, in the hope of reducing our outgoings by going back to rental.
My family (parents and brother) are aware of our financial difficulties. We have cut back dramatically on our spending including not having a holiday over the past 18 months. My parents and brother are all financially very comfortable and I think they are a bit perplexed by our situation - they simply can't relate to it. Anyway, for Christmas they gave me a surprise gift which is 3 nights away at Center Parcs for us and our two boys. They hoped that a change of scene would help lift my mood and that the boys would enjoy the activities available. Well today, I've actually gone on the website to see what it is all about and have been really shocked to find out how expensive all the activities are! Nothing but the pool is included in what my family have booked for us. We simply can't afford to spend money on any of the activities apart from some bowls and maybe a bit of pottery painting. My 9 year old has already expressed an interest in doing archery or aerial assault courses but they cost £30 a person!! I'm now really panicking that this is going to be a horrific stay for us. We can't afford the activities or to eat out so it will just be a weekend of saying "no sorry" to the kids and the entire weekend at the pool, before we go back to our lodge to self cater. I'm also now wondering why on earth my family would have booked this for us, knowing how financially tight and careful we have had to be since I have stopped work. I'm feeling really upset about it now. I know this has come from a kind place, but I just feel like it's a bit thoughtless and callous of them. They would have no problem paying for countless activities for themselves if they went to such a place. I'm considering asking my mum if there is any way she can cancel the trip - I don't want them to lose out on a deposit, but also it would be pretty pointless paying for it all if we get no enjoyment from it. Am I being unreasonable? Is centre parcs actually totally fine if you don't do any additional activities? Will my boys even notice that they are missing out? Or will it be really great and I'm just making a mountain out of nothing? Any insight or advice into this would be really helpful.