To wonder if family days out used to be a lot cheaper

[mrsbeeton999]

I’m sure days out like zoos and theme parks must’ve been comparatively cheaper when I was a child (I’m in my 40s). I remember my aunt who didn’t have much money taking us to Chessington and the Tower of London and they’re about £100 for a family now. Any show or day out is always £100. Luckily we love outdoor stuff and beaches and do lots of really low cost days at weekends mixed with the odd treat day but I was just thinking where my aunt used to take us and feeling guilty!

1980s kid here, we used to go to Alton towers, on occasion which a quick Google tells me was £4.99, entrance price back then, an inflation checker says today’s equivalent is £13.27

Of course the rides have got better/there’s far more on site, but a day out there nowadays would need consideration/budgeting for many families

As others have said, there weren’t the same expectations, we were happy with a day at the beach/walk in the forest, picnic in the park. Paid for days out were a treat and an exception.
We don’t spend a lot on days out for DD, so she’s more than happy with the simple trips of my childhood, but she does appreciate the bigger days out too (maybe because they’re the exception )

I was talking to my teen about this as we stood in queue for Nandos at shopping centre. Shopping trip as leisure activity and meal out just wasn’t a thing. I went to wimpey aged 10 for a birthday then very occasional McDonald’s. Never had a takeaway. Most eating out was sandwiches and squash type.
I have fond memories of trips with my grandad in school holidays. Bus, packed lunch and go to a park or we once went to airport it was free to watch the planes from a viewing area (I’d never been on a plane)
Church used to put on Sunday school trips - go on a coach to another church, play games have birthday type tea and come home.
There was just less to spend money on and no expectation - we weren’t deprived or eco friendly taking food it was just normal.
I’m a guide leader now and we try and do a mix of trips. I do think sometimes the simple pleasures of getting a train or bus are overlooked and lots of children would be happy with a 1980s style trip it doesn’t have to involve paid activities.

I think so. I went to the theatre a lot as a child and we weren’t well off at all. I can’t afford the theatre with my DC whatsoever, it costs at least £150 and that’s shit seats. Crazy.

I don't think they were cheaper, I think we just went less often.

Outings for us in the 1980s were commonly a visit to seaside/park type with a plastic coolbox with sandwiches, flask, and folding chairs. Getting an ice cream was a high point and maybe a few rides if there was an amusement arcade/bouncy castle. Large attractions were expensive and only a special treat, e.g. a birthday.

I was born in the early 80s (I’m 39) and we went on days outs but it was maybe once every 3 months, and a theme park was rare. We always took a massive packed lunch in a cooler box with extra snacks for the rest of the day, inevitably we’d start wanting food the minute we got in the car 😂 so mum was clever and always packed some extras like malt loaf with butter, slice of cake etc. We did more at home in those days, my mum would think of things to do, crafts etc, and it wasn’t until we were 8 that we went more regularly, coincided with my dad getting a promotion so we had a bit more money. Most of my peers had similar upbringing but not the lucky benefits of my dad’s promotion.

I think a lot of you are right. These were clearly a very rare treat and there was far less spending money on cinema, bowling, meal at Pizza Express etc. on a weekly basis. Also yes there wasn’t as many places to go that cost money like trampolining parks, gym membership, coffee, even tv subscriptions so less wasting disposable income on a daily basis. We still have great days at the beach where we can park have chips and ice cream for around £25 which is fab. Or can even take a picnic and spend practically nothing.

Once a month my grandparents shepherded us to national trust places ( and a memorable trip to the Eyam plague village. We always had tea after. My family did travel but it usually involved camping instead of hotels. Having supper out was a big deal and we got dressed up for it.

Not sure how old your children are but I bet your cheap days out are as memorable to them as expensive ones. I was in my 40s before I went to Tower of London.

Child of the 80s. In the 90s during term time me and my bf were sent to the local community centre once a week in the evening which consisted of football and crafts. It was 50p per session which sounds cheap now but I remember all the parents (inner city area) considering 50p to be an important amount of money that was not always readily available.

sarte do check I took dd recently and they’d introduced under 18 at 50% off previously a child came was a concession same as a pensioner and you only saved £5.

I've put that YABU because I dont think they were (relatively) less expensive, I think people just went to them less. I was a child in the 1970s and you played out. Most trips out were to the local woods/country estate grounds (free access, paid for parking). We lived in the same town as a major visitor attraction and went once in my entire childhood.

Tower of London has half price tickets if you travel by train .Google Tower of London tickets 2 for 1 .Expires 31 12 22 . Not sure if all School hols are covered ,but WE are fine I think. Vivid memories of collecting bread wrappers for a NT castle nearby ! (We are members now!)

As a kid days out were road trips and picnics in the country, days at the beach with fish and chips eaten sitting on the sand (one portion between two kids), visits with packed lunch to (free!) tourist attractions (Cheddar Gorge, Wells, Lake District, Hadrian’s Wall, various castles and cathedrals) and lots of sports (swimming, sledging, badminton, cycling).

I can’t recall us ever going to a theme park - probably because we couldn’t afford it (and weren’t savvy enough to save the coupons!)

We grew up very poor. My mum had four dc and no maintenance off her abusive ex husband.

She worked but didnt earn much and also had to pay a. Mortgage. Her wages were low enough that she used to get family credit as it was back in the 80s. I remember her feeling humiliated when the nasty guy in the post office practically threw it at her so I was sent to collect it.
Yet we had a holiday each year, usually to Butlins for a week. We once travelled from Cumbria to Devon for a week..... The train tickets alone would be unavailable for anyone in her position these days. These were very much self catering holidays and there wasnt really money for extras but looking at old photos we got to London (( British rail had an offer where parents paid £1 and kids went free with a teddybear)) Beamish etc etc. We even got to go abroad in later years. We used to go on the coach to Spain and Italy and we'd stay at eurocamp type places.

I think it was partly because my mum prioritised those experiences and would save up to make sure we got them but also because things were just a damn sight cheaper then.

I was horrified last week taking my children to the cinema. 1 adult and 3 child tickets, 3 hotdogs a drink and 1 popcorn to share came to £80. We were only in there an hour and a half.

DixieChickOnhols Yes we had to wait a bit longer than normal I think! I grew up in London ,so my Mum took me to TOL and all I remember is a tall Japanese tourist in front of me! Quite different then too. No conveyor belt of priceless gems going by ,while standing on a moving floor! Went with my friend who is in her 80s ,she had never been before!

@Dixiechickonhols you have absolutely nailed everything I was going to say.
We clearly had the same childhood!

I do feel the expectations around stuff have increased massively with added extras of coffees, meals out etc.
I do budget with my own children and I think while the more obvious days out have increased, we are more fortunate now to have access to Premier Inns for £30 a night, voucher deals etc that didn't exist to the same extent

@Winniemarysarah

I was horrified last week taking my children to the cinema. 1 adult and 3 child tickets, 3 hotdogs a drink and 1 popcorn to share came to £80. We were only in there an hour and a half.

Crikey where do you live

@Winniemarysarah

I was horrified last week taking my children to the cinema. 1 adult and 3 child tickets, 3 hotdogs a drink and 1 popcorn to share came to £80. We were only in there an hour and a half.

But it doesn't have to cost anywhere near that amount and I'm not sure I've ever known anyone actually buy hot dogs and pop corn at the cinema. It's well known to be an absolute rip off.

I don't know how much the cinema normally costs but you can buy the vouchers that people get free with Lloyds bank accounts that can be exchanged for cinema tickets for about £6/7 each. Or you can get monthly passes for the cinema if you like to go a lot. Then you buy your sweets and popcorn at the supermarket or pound shop etc.

If it's only a couple of hours out of the house, just have hot dogs at home before you go or when you come back.

If you're not happy about the cost of doing it all at the cinema, then surely any shine taken off by not having cinema hot dogs and cinema popcorn, is more than made up for by reducing the overall cost of the experience by more than half?

Like I’ve said before. ... cinemas sell stuff at exorbitant prices as a they don’t make much for the actual film,due to horrendous rent cost of the film plus the actual outgoings

We used to go, with my Aunt's and cousins, to Drayton manor. At that time you paid something like 50p to get in and then bought either wristbands or tickets for the rides. Now everyone has to pay £££ to get in whether or not they go on rides. The likes of Gulliver's Kingdom were also a lot cheaper.

Days out in my childhood were usually stately homes, educational tours like cotton mill museums, occasionally a trip to local downs or woods. They were generally pretty joyless affairs. My mother was pathologically averse to cafes/kiosks/souvenirs of any kind and regarded them as traps to be avoided at all costs.

On holidays we went to the beach, and dinner would be a Cornish pasty or a sandwich/banana brought with us. Holidays always in the UK and always self-catered - and it was cheap, easy food like beans on toast. I remember the odd trip to a theme park or similar on someone's birthday, but again there would have been absolutely zero engagement with any extraneous costs, ice creams and slush and souvenirs and all that jazz.

I think expectations have changed, both on the part of parents and of children. Stopping for coffee now means Costa or Starbucks etc - more choice, bigger cups, toppings and flavourings - more expense. If children say they are thirsty or hungry and we haven't brought stuff, we tend to see that as our mistake and get them something. When I was a child "tough shit, wait till we get home - I'm not paying out for rubbish" was a perfectly normal response.

Proportionate to incomes they will on the whole be cheaper. However, IMV expectations have also gone up. When I was little we would do maybe two/three big days out a year which mum and dad needed to save up for. Now it is at least one or month if not two big events alongside always foreign holidays etc. Life in the 80s and 90s was great, but large elements of it could be quite boring.

Cheapest way for going to the flicks is to buy something from the meerkat app & then claim the rewards. I bought 2days insurance for a trip. Cost under 5£ result = 241 for a year bargain, done it for past 3 yrs, ok , it’s only valid tue/ wed but it’s still good value we now go at least 3 times a month cost each time 6£

We never went to any of these places, with a single dad the highlight of my weekend was usually a trip to B&Q.