Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Protection built in.

Meet the Other Phone.
Protection built in.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Is £100 too much for a day out with kids?

105 replies

Worriedandscurd · 29/05/2021 20:39

So this is a silly question but I recently got a new job. I was a single parent and struggled for many years. This new job pays a lot more, something I could never of dreamed of and things are seemingly falling into place.

I took my two kids out today, we went to an activity had food in a nice restaurant and spent £100 including travel. At the time I just thought how nice it would be to finally treat us. But now I feel anxious, I have the money spare. It just seems so so excessive. Is this excessive? I could of saved a bit here and there but they had such a lovely day. Honestly this isn’t me bragging. I had some months before where I genuinely didn’t know whether to heat my house or feed my kids. I just need to know from people who do this regularly if it’s too much?

OP posts:
lazyarse123 · 29/05/2021 20:59

Enjoy it you all deserve it after struggling for so long.
Years ago we went to Flamingoland, 5 of us, my dh nearly had a heart attack when they asked for £60 but I knew how much it was and had accounted for it plus food, drink and ice cream. We had the best day out we've ever had. Precisely because it wasn't an every day occurrence.

MiddleClassMother · 29/05/2021 21:00

No, for some activities that is nothing! Of course there are still lots of free options, such as going to the park, free family sites etc.

Ratatattatpat · 29/05/2021 21:00

It's more than I would spend on a day out but nobody has spent anything on days out for over a year now so you won't be the only one getting carried away.

Original poster
Worriedandscurd · 29/05/2021 21:02

Thank you everyone for your kind words. I hope everyone had and will have lovely days out with their families.
It feels amazing to finally do things and I probably did go a bit overboard. I will probably look into having a budget and set aside something for activity days. Just so I know what I have and can spend

OP posts:
LeafBeetle · 29/05/2021 21:03

OP, do you have a monthly budget with incomings, outgoings, savings etc? Something like that may help you feel like your spending is sensible while still allowing for fun.

MoesBar · 29/05/2021 21:04

It’s not too much when you can afford it, however being skint for a long time can play serious fuckery with your head when you have more money.

Original poster
Worriedandscurd · 29/05/2021 21:04

I do have my “old” budget so to speak. So I’ve managed to put savings away whilst working this job. Because I’ve still been pretty frugal. I will take a look at it tomorrow and try and loosen up a bit

OP posts:
itsgettingwierd · 29/05/2021 21:06

You can afford it so go for it.

I spend that if ds and I go out for a day.

But on a day to day basis we don't eat out, get take away etc and spend much unnecessarily. So we can afford these things and they mean so much.

Aroundtheworldin80moves · 29/05/2021 21:10

We went to the zoo today. If we bought day tickets, it would be £80ish. I've cream each came to a tenner. (We have season tickets, DDs were birthday presents. So all we actually spent today was the ice cream. )

Theme parks, zoos, museums... They add up.

BetterThanKleenex · 29/05/2021 21:12

It sounds like a lovely day out- and reasonable for a day where you do exactly what you want. It's a completely fine budget for occasional days of fun- you'll be saving money with the normal fun days you have at home or doing free activities. If you're new to this spare money maybe try to set a budget for everything else- food, clothes, travel etc and set aside a pot of money for days out like this. That way you can plan your days arounf the money you have and know it's allowed to be spent on fu without any justification.

transformandriseup · 29/05/2021 21:13

It depends on how much disposable income you have each month after everything else is paid. A £100 day out would probably happen once a term for us right now. Even on a low income it's not too much if you put money aside for it.

motogogo · 29/05/2021 21:14

It depends on what and how often. I've spent £70 this evening on dinner and drink for 4 of us (all adults) this is at Wetherspoons so not posh! £100 including an activity seems reasonable

3scape · 29/05/2021 21:17

If you're anxious set a budget out of each month for these days out, maybe even a separate account. Then you can blow it on a few big days or spread it more thinly and you'll feel more in control. £100 sounds ok to me.

Whoateallthechocolate · 29/05/2021 21:24

I still wince at spending £100 as it sounds like a lot of money but it is remarkably easy to get to that sort of sum, especially for travel, food out, entertainment and a gift. My husband often comments that life has moved on from the 70s! I do still take advantage of deals or vouchers wherever possible but have also loosened up a bit so, depending on what we are doing, might get lunch out rather than take a picnic and, if it's hot, get the kids an ice cream rather than make them wait until we get home having pointed out that, for the price of 1 ice cream out, we could get a dozen from the supermarket. On the other hand, my children are now upper primary so have some (limited) idea of the value of money and also - with them being at school and playing sport - days out don't happen as often as they did when they were preschoolers when we'd be out at attractions twice a week or so (using our annual passes).

BluebellCockleshell123 · 29/05/2021 21:25

Don’t feel guilty! If you can afford it then please please enjoy it.

MacCoffee · 29/05/2021 21:25

If you can afford it it’s not excessive. And worth every penny if you had a lovely day too.

I get you @Worriedandscurd ... we’ve had times where I chose not to eat so DD could. But now things are, so very thankfully, better and life is for living. But worrying about money to that degree never leaves you.

I still feel sick if the car makes a noise, despite fixing it being affordable to us now. Poverty of any kind stays with you.

Try to let it go OP. Enjoy that your circumstances have changed and if it brings you and DC joy it’s definitely worth the money. Plus £100 is easily spent on a proper day out. Easily.

Enough4me · 29/05/2021 21:28

I like value for money, whether I'm spending £10-£100. If we had a good day out, the type of day we'd remember later I would say that was value for money. It's a case of having a balance to keep in budget, other days we would be as happy going for a walk and having a picnic.

blaisealex · 29/05/2021 21:29

@Aprilwasverywet

I spent that today. Not been anywhere for over a year. Def can't afford it right now... The dc were little shits and wish I hadn't bothered tbh. Sad
I'm sorry it wasn't a good day, kids can be ungrateful sods sometimes Flowers
Fluffyslippers123 · 29/05/2021 21:31

I’ve been there, and trying to change your thinking is so hard. But as others have said, £100 is easily spent. It’s only my son and I right now but by the time I’ve paid petrol, entry into our local zoo, lunch, snacks and maybe even a small gift for him £100 is easily gone.

We do trips every few months like that. Otherwise we stay local and do smaller attractions, but even then after lunch and parking I’ve easily spent £50!

Original poster
Worriedandscurd · 29/05/2021 21:33

Ahh @MacCoffee that made me cry. It’s true it does stick with you. Great to hear you’re also in a better place.

I looked through all the pictures we took today and we look so happy so I would say money well spent. That’s me done for the rest of June. Thank you everyone

OP posts:
Joeblack066 · 29/05/2021 21:33

Not at all! I’m sure you have other lovely family times that only cost couple of quid so it all pans out.
You found absolutely lovely 🙂

wingsandstrings · 29/05/2021 21:34

I think it's normal for a 'special day out' - we'd do something like this every couple of months maybe. It sounds like such a lot of money but when you break it down you haven't done anything particularly luxurious. This week we took the kids to a inflatables thing on a lake, that was £15 each for an hour, there are four of us, it was £60 before food, drinks and travel. I did comment to DH that people on a tight budget wouldn't be able do something that we take for granted like an hour at a water park, and that we shouldn't take it for granted. The good thing is that there are many free or v cheap gorgeous things to do too - today we biked to a local beauty spot, had a picnic and the kids played in some streams for a while and they had a great time.

CommanderBurnham · 29/05/2021 21:36

It's eye watering isn't it?

But definitely worth it.

We mix expensive days out with cheap ones like the beach, or a park.

One thing I do begrudge is paying a fiver for a cheese toastie so tend to take lunches and buy and ice cream instead.

Sounds like you've earned a treat so sometimes just don't look at the bill and enjoy. That's what you work for.

RRK593 · 29/05/2021 21:38

If you can afford it - enjoy it! You have worked hard for it and it's soo worth it to see children having a nice time right now after the shitty past couple of years.

We went out today and spent £140 on lunch alone but had such a great time chatting about life and having lovely food with my partner 4 year old and 9 year old, it was worth every penny.

IMO Thats why you work hard to have nice things like these days out Smile

Bvop · 29/05/2021 21:38

My dc haven’t had a proper day out for 8 months so I took one to a theme park last month and one to a show this month. Both days cost about 120 in tickets and travel and snacks, and I figure that it’s covering about 8 months of missed treats so I don’t feel too bad.