To ask how much money you spend in the summer holidays?

[Cornfieldrainbows]

When you’re at home with the dc?
I’ve two dc and we seem to be burning cash. They are 12 and 5 so tricky to please both. My 12 year old has ASD and struggles socially so is never off doing stuff with his friends. He’s always with me.
Over the last week or so we’re been bowling, to the cinema, to Pizza Hut, to a local theme park, to the beach, to a special evening show, to a local museum, to the zoo...
This week I am back at work three days, so dc2 is with the childminder which is expensive in itself and dc1 is at sports camp. Next week we’ve got two big outings planned on my days off, but dc1 has sports all week this week and dc2 is easier to entertain with the cheaper stuff. Tomorrow we will go to a nearby forest and do the trail and Friday we will go to a pretend beach and paddling pool that has opened up.
How much do you spend during a ‘typical’ week in the summer holidays? I think I spend about £600 last week, maybe more, but I suppose for three of us, doing the stuff we did that’s to be expected.

Oh we went mini golf yesterday. £12 for the 3 of us

£600 a week does sound huge

My big expenses are (in the 4/7 weeks dc are with me and not their dad - 7 weeks and they are not fee paying!) a week’s U.K. holiday and a week of holiday club (about £250 for both kids for the club)

In the week we are at home we will do two trips out- one to a museum and one on a boat trip. Rest will be pottering around, seeing friends, going to the park etc. We at NT members too which is good value.

Sorry - the other week we are going to my parents, so that’s a bit of a cheat. That will be mainly walks and stuff as they live in the countryside.

My kids are 12 and 7

Why are you spending so much? This is madness. One expensive outing, be it splashdown or Thorpe park, then walks, picnics, etc.
Stop this nonsense at once.

I have spent quite a lot so far but then we aren't really going away (just stayed with family in UK) and also they are with their dad for a chunk of the summer so I don't have to pay out for the entire time

• extra riding lessons (£100 ish)
• watersports (£50 ish) and about another £100 planned
• go ape (£40)
• cinema and dinner (£100)
• show (£60)
• waterpark £40

Think that's it! We have some quieter days at the end of the week (having friends over etc) and Next week they are doing holiday clubs (watersports/riding/dance) so I can work, on the other days we will probably go to the pool or the beach

We spend a hell of a lot more but I'm ok with that. We save 1.5/2k from jan-may (just for our normal savings) and then we reduce it to 500 for June, July and august. We use the extra money for the summer so that we can just have fun to be honest. And we usually get new bikes or surfboards, wetsuits in the summer too so it caters for that too. But yes we are burning through it! We are eating out more and doing the odd paid for activity. Plus my dc are in summer camps too.

Bit more this year because of not going away on holiday properly.
Intersperse activities eg camps/workshops/holiday clubs with days at home, going to friends-having friends round, just a couple of ‘big’ attractions and plenty of free stuff

So far we've done...
PYO farm... £10
Zoo... have season tickets (£65 each for the year)
Outdoor activity centre... £15 each (did kayaking, body boarding, air rifles, climbing, archery, cave maze and bushcraft)
Sports camp... £10per day each

Mine are older now but at that age we did;
National trust properties or things with annual memberships, bike rides and beach trips interspersed with spendy activities like bowling/ cinema/ trampoline park (probrably max one or 2 per week). My memory is those things would be about £30 for the 3 of us. I always often took a picnic.

Our week away has cost £1k (not bad for a cottage, 10 minutes from the sea in a popular seaside town in summer holidays) but we won't be spending much whilst we are there.

Plan is beach days / walks / trip to local (free) attractions. We have a few meals booked so that will add to the cost but we'll be mainly self catering.

Other than that summer has been will be parks, canal walks, splash park, walks along the river, visiting friends and family. Mine are younger though.... 8, 6 and 3.

@Aroundtheworldin80moves

So far we've done... PYO farm... £10 Zoo... have season tickets (£65 each for the year) Outdoor activity centre... £15 each (did kayaking, body boarding, air rifles, climbing, archery, cave maze and bushcraft) Sports camp... £10per day each

Wondering if you live near me or whether it's common to have all those activities for £15 . I've been looking at that.

@Kolo if its the place in Nottinghamshire... weve been twice and had a brilliant day both times. You have to queue sometimes, and its short sessions, but its great to try things.

This week
Monday- bowling £18 harvester lunch out £20 essential clothes shopping £52
Tuesday- long walk and picnic with friends, ice creams, charity shop books £6
Wednesday- swimming (free as I'm a member)
Thursday- play date- free
Friday- Park sport activities and a picnic- £2

Total £114

Oops I mean £98

Have 2 children 8 and 13. First week were on holiday with free accommodation, spent about £250 on activities. One ds did sports club 2nd week which was £50 for week. Rest of holiday will be mostly free things as I am working from home so not many opportunities for days out. Have spent £200 on theater trip for all of us in August.

Last week:
Water park £45
Outdoor activity £60
Swimming £30
Cinema £60

Also did activities/sports locally which didn't cost anything.

This week we have:
Go ape £60
Cinema £50
Went to NT house yesterday - no cost
Picnic in the park & rounders tomorrow - no additional cost
Craft supplies for the rainy day £15

How on earth do you afford that?
I am going to look back 7 days on my calender and be honest now. My kids are 7, 5 and 3
1 - softplay in a garden centre and a free drink for me £7.50
2 - library and lunch at Subway (kids had the mini rolls and a cookie, I had a 6"). £12
3 - bike ride and park - £0
4 - bbq with friends - £10
5 - free museum and lunch at a supermarket £10
6 - park and friend to play £0
7 - park and friend to play £0

So about £40 in a week.

For the next 7 days we have parks, a visit to somewhere we are members, free activities put on by the council and friends to play. The following week we are away but staying with friends so no accommodation costs. The final week of the holidays we have a few more expensive things planned - lunch, more museums, paddle boarding and train to the beach etc... but nothing extortionate like the zoo... to me that is a once in a year activity.

I think it depends though on how many weeks you have to fill

Week with grandparents = £0
Holiday club weeks x4 days = £160 for 1 child (not counting nursery fees for the other one!) and then I spent £10 on a day out on my non-working day this week. I might do something a bit more expensive on others.

Staycation weeks x2 - I’m sure we’ll have a high weekly average as it will be our holiday and we want to do more expensive trips. I haven’t spent any money on accommodation

If I was off for the full 6 weeks, I’d be spacing out more expensive days out with play dates, park trips etc.

9.5 weeks holiday to fill here, and I’m only off for about 3 of those. WFH so can have the kids here but not all the time or they’d be bored silly.

11 weeks of sports camps between the 3 kids is €940

€80 Waterpark
€100 Climbing activity
Both these days were full days out with free activities added on

Cinema - €40

Funfair - €60

Lots of free walks and meet ups with friends at park or beach. And play dates

Kids all have wetsuits and accessories and these are expensive but provide days of free entertainment.

Lots of takeaways and ice creams!

People seem to do much more with their kids during the summer than people did when I was young (and I’m still youngish!)

We’d have the odd day out here and there but I honestly don’t remember these almost daily big ticket events.

We spend more when we're actually on holiday but very little when we're at home, although ds1 is 15 now and does his own thing mostly. Even when they were younger your week's activities is more than we would do over the whole 6 weeks. We used to do parks, picnics, meeting friends, the odd swimming/cinema trip, maybe one or two 'big' days out - but also plenty of dossing around at home days (which are mine and ds2's favourite days!)

I've spent about £600 already (have lots of things pre booked though until end of August) I've saved a grand for the summer hols. 4 weeks left!

Less than £1000 this summer not including costs of accommodation for 2 uk breaks. We have making up to do this year.

We have been broken up 2 weeks today and I have done nearly £900

We go away next week that’s cost £650 for the week and taking £750 spending money.

Then we have a few things planned when we return home which will also add up I would estimate at least another £800

I usually put a bit a side each week from June onwards (gives me 6 weeks before schools break up) so I’m prepared.