To ask what's your summer holidays cost?

[autienotnaughty]

I can't sleep. We are in England and three weeks in to summer hols so far it's cost -

Child care (2 days) Total £80

Days out (4 days) -
Seaside £20
Muesum/park £5 (season ticket)
Farm £50
Fair £75 (took a friend)
Total £150

General entertainment (9 days) -
Swimming (free due to taking lessons)
Park £20 (rides/bouncy castles/ice cream)
Small fair £15 (wristband entry)
Visiting grandparents x 5 days
Park
Free sports camp at school
Total £35

Not including petrol so far I've spent £265. For 1 child who's 8. I'm lucky family help out with child care to reduce cost.

Next three weeks estimate-

Childcare (3.5 days) £135

Days out (4 days)
Theme park £ 60
Farm - free (charity activity)
Museum £15
Small theme park £20
Total £95

General entertainment (7 days )
Swiming - free
Bowling £15
Park £5
Fair £15
Grandparents x3 days
Total £35

So the 6 weeks hols is costing £530 not including petrol and weekend activities. So an average per week of £88.50

A school week would typically cost -
Child care (1 day) £8
School dinners x 5 £13
Total £21

I try to save money where I can by taking lunches /going to free activities.

How much is your 6 weeks costing you?

My sanity 😂
Sadly we've been unable to do as much as I would like as I haven't had any holidays (started new job at the start of July)

Took kids to a caravan park for 3 nights, the caravan alone was £569 😖

Looks like you've got off lightly compared with what it could cost, but if it's not affordable it's obviously going to be a struggle.

But you've managed a fair few activities including some that were a bit more expensive (farm, fair and theme park) so it's always worth having a think about whether or not things like this are worth the money and/or could be done cheaper.

All you can do is recognise that school holidays cost money and put aside what you can towards this.

We don’t do theme parks and entertain as much as you do! Why are you doing all these expensive activities?

The park isn’t costing us anything- take a football and a bottle of water and that’s it we don’t even take money with us.

We don’t pay for parking anywhere we go- either free parking or we go somewhere on the road and walk the rest. Take a packed lunch as well. Do free activities.

Two here aged 9 and 11 and we aren’t spending that much

You're doing a lot of expensive stuff 🙈

I don't have children but growing up we'd have done one major activity per holiday - so either zoo or theme park or farm - never all three. My parents weren't struggling for money either but we did mostly free stuff - strawberry picking, park, bike rides etc.

Can you look for free activities? I live in quite a big but there’s loads of free things on, free kids parties, splash parks etc.
We’re national trust members too so technically it’s costing me £13 a month but all those parks have summer fun things on for kids.
Some days we’re just going to the local bike park too with a picnic.

It strikes me that growing up we didn’t do anything - and I mean anything in the school holidays in terms of days out or ‘entertainment’. We used to play out from dawn until dusk and that was it. We were lucky enough to be surrounded by corn fields and woods and we (us kids, on our own) would go on ‘missions’ that would last the entire day.

I know times change but these were seriously the happiest days of my life.

I don't think you've got off too badly, there. Sounds like you and DC have had a lot of fun together.

I have 4 kids so the holidays are expensive - I'm lucky enough to work term-time only so really make the most of it. I get a few vouchers in advance from Planet Offers and Groupon type places, and have National Trust membership to help with the cost. We also like going to a couple of small, local museums and the library.

I don't think one paid-for day out, as PP suggests, in 6 weeks is realistic. It's nice to be able to go to the cinema in the middle of the day and have a trip to the fair and 6 weeks is such a long time to fill. Also it doesn't sound like you're not able to afford it, just that you've noticed the cost?

Are you doing a day out every day, not just letting them lounge around the house watching films and TV? We've done a couple of days out but also just stayed in with a mix of films/garden/board games/Nintendo every few days. I don't them having the expectation that I'll be entertaining them every day!

Two months here, coming to an end.

Just over £1k for childcare for eldest (out of school club plus camps), although her usual wraparound would be about £700 for two months. Plus usual nursery fees for youngest.

Other than that, a few days out, cinema, pizza, McDonald's etc but it all pales in significance next to the childcare.

Easily a few grand by this point! We’ve had a few camping trips, days out, etc. It’s all been adding up. I should probably also include my unpaid leave because I don’t have enough annual leave, so my pay has taken a bit of a hit.

We've booked a holiday which obviously costs a lot but so far, not much.
About £100 so far.
No primary school dc so that makes a difference. A few walks, meeting up with family and staying with cousins. They spent hours in the park and we all contributed to food costs.
One trip into London to the V&A and stroll around London.
Older dc meets up with friends and also volunteers at the library. Younger dc is learning to skateboard and is good friends with a neighbour so they're hanging out a lot.
I always spend as little as possible and try to get dc out as much as possible so we can use the money on a holiday.
We have bikes and several beautiful parks nearby as well as woods and forests but we're also a tube ride into central London so very fortunate.

You're doing a lot. 60% of the 6 week break is filled there, thats a lot really. You could do a little less and save some money.

I don’t need childcare and budget £50 a week for school holidays for 2 children, lots of free library event, parks, free/low cost museum, play dates, crafts, games and gardening at home, and we have NT membership. Most of the £50 goes on ice cream out about.

We're spending a grand we don't have on visiting elderly patents abroad. We needed to really.

Aside from that I am doing mostly free activities like farms and museums of which fortunately there are many around.

Well we have 9 weeks not 6.

Didn’t go away due to money

But booking holiday clubs alone cost best part of £900 (I use holiday clubs 2x week so 18 days at £48 a day)

That’s before any days out

And I’m one of the lucky ones as grandparents help too

Our kids are back to school next week.
week 1
3 days free holiday club
2 days at home, 1 afternoon swimming
weekend visit with family (family member passed) and funeral
Week 2
2 days at the park
2 days crafts playing in the garden but largely at home
3 days visiting family in Manchester
Week 3
A week abroad
week 4
1 afternoon visit to gran
3 days free holiday club
1 day paid holiday club
1 day cinema trip and food out,
1 day spent swimming in the afternoon, shopping later
week 5
4 days at home, in the garden, playing on their bikes, screen time, learning times tables and watching telly
1 day at a pick your own at a farm
1 day spent with cousins at their home, swimming in the afternoon
1 day doing a trip to the dump and other shopping errands
Week 6
2 days at home doing the above
3 days visiting another city, visited Warwick castle on one of the days, lots of meals out.
1 day visiting family over from abroad
1 day at the Fringe festival, icecream and dinner out

We have 3 kids, 2 primary school aged and a toddler. Some weeks were busier than others. I did have another 4 days of free holiday club booked in for week 3 but we had to rearrange our holiday due to a death in the family so had to cancel. Swimming they do weekly anyway.

Next year I'm aiming for a week spent at their nan's (we can do day trips from there) and booking the free holiday clubs and some more paid ones.If we go abroad it will be for 10 days as a week passed too quickly. If not then more theme park trips.

I wouldn't even like to think how much it has cost. We have done lots of free/cheap days out but I work in a school so it's my holidays too and I do like to treat us to some days out too. Today I am taking ds1 to the theatre. Next week I'll take ds2 to the zoo. We used kids week for the theatre and I get in free with ds2 at the zoo because he is disabled.

We put money aside though for the summer holidays which does hugely help! When we are at home I have also been on a major sort out/declutter and made £200 on vinted which I put towards the children's school uniform and winter clothes.

DS is an adult now but the pattern was always the same.

Two week holiday abroad.

One week off with me and then one with DH. Those weeks were very much out on the bikes with a pack up, going to the local big park with paddling pool if warm enough. Would sometimes bump in to other kids he knew. I ended up being umpire at an impromptu cricket match of about 15 kids once. Bit of hill walking from age 7. I remember DH sent a photo of them eating sandwiches on the top of Mam Tor in the Peaks when I was at work. There is a garden centre attached to a farm with a small petting zoo close to my house so used to go there and buy the pet food to feed them. DH Mum would come for some of his week as it’s his birthday and she was a teacher and on hols.

Two weeks holiday club.

880 in holiday clubs for kids

entertainment - cinema, trampoline parks, bowling etc £200ish I would think

extra food I dread to think 🙈

So far -

2 kids, one finished a week earlier than the other so we are on week 5 already!

4 & 5 days at holiday clubs - £285
Day to an interactive show - £70
Meal at TGIs after show above - £100
Day out with grandparents to safari park - approx £200
10 day holiday abroad - £8k (I don't see this as a school holiday cost as such though but yes it helps avoid childcare worries, don't normally spend this much on this holiday but we had a "fuck it" moment and went from 7 to 10 days)
3 day UK holiday - approx £1k

Aside from holiday time they are either in clubs or hanging around the house whilst we work. I do feel lucky they don't have to go to club every day now as that would have cost £3k!

Thousands.
We usually have one or two holidays (just one this year though as tightening belts a little) and we have a few children. We also live in a pricey area so even going to the park and nipping to a cafe sees at least £60 gone without fuel.

7 nights holiday abroad has been the main cost which is expected. They had so much to do at the resort so I don’t feel guilty for not spending when we’re back home.
Everything else has been done on a budget and I don’t think we’ll spend more than £200. I have 2 free children’s cinema ticket a week through my energy provider and 6 free tickets through my bank which so we’ve gone to the cinema every week and will continue to do till the end of the holiday as this costs just snacks and fuel.
Lots of trips to the park, we’re going to different ones, we take snacks, take the bike, buy ice cream and duck food sometimes. A trip to chessington coming up at the end of Aug (got 2 free child places with 2 paying adults earlier in the year)
No extra childcare cost as DH and I work hybrid and we take annual leaves to cover some needed days, the toddler goes to nursery as he normally does all year round. The fuel I’m using now is less than what I use when I do the school run etc so no extra cost.

Week one -
beach day with school friends £30 fish and chips (beach is walking distance),
2 days holiday club £120
Garden centre (we did a project together to create a rockery, made our own water fountain planted some bits ds chose £150
Swimming free with lessons and gym membership
My mum also took him out for the day but that didn't cost us anything.
There were also a couple of ice creams £6 and a trip to a local attraction but he has an annual pass
Week one total £300+

Week two away on holiday with his grandparents, heaven knows how much they spent, they took him away, to several attractions and bought new camping equipment to accommodate him! It cost us about £70 in petrol taking him there and collecting him and on the day we picked him up we went out for the day near them and bought food (only about £25) because we were going to be driving home after and given they'd feed him for a week I wasn't going to start raiding their fridge for a picnic.
£95 weekly total

Week three -we're off work
Day in London Greenwich park, national maritime museum and theatre -kidsweek cheap tickets, took packed lunch but stopped for food on the way back (street food so not hugely expensive) £120
Trip to aquarium we have annual passes but two needed renewing £32 no parking as we pay a monthly local residents permit
Beach day with cousins took a picnic and used parking permit £9 for ice-cream
Cinema day used blue light and octopus vouchers so tickets came to £10.35 for two adults and a child, cafe lunch £21
Day at local attraction with two school friends all children had passes and an adult goes free with them so no cost on the day but the passes are usually sixty pounds, bought ours off season for £30 which is good value.
Family BBQ took some soft drinks and a present for the birthday girl £60
Weekly total £280.35

This week (4) we have a day at a historic dockyard planned it will cost about £40 in petrol but we went twice anyway this year and whilst the tickets were expensive about seventy pounds for the three of us they last a year, we will take a picnic.
Cycle club/event £6 followed by swimming

An outdoor cinema day with lunch with friends will cost about £35
Another beach day with cousins no more than £10
A playdate with different friends at an event in the local park with inflatables etc tickets cost £10 for ds and £2 each for me and DH
Sunday I'm out so not sure what DH has planned with DS.
£105 plus whatever is spent on Sunday.

Week five
Back to work so one day at holiday camp £60
My mum has him one day and PIL another, we work condensed hours so I have him one day and so does DH , don't know what our plans are for those days yet. We have a day planned with a friend from out of area and her daughter on the Saturday as they will be in town so maybe £30 there depending what they want to do? Sunday local art trail -free. Also grandparents will spend money doing things with him but that doesn't cost us personally.
£90 weekly total

Week six
At work but bh Monday, day trip to the zoo, tickets bought using clubcard vouchers about £20 in petrol we will take a packed lunch, maybe an ice cream £10
Two days at holiday camp £120
My mum has him for the day.
1st September we have a day out planned with old friends of mine and their children at a NT type place including petrol and lunch £50 ish DH is busy so lower cost
£200 weekly cost

Plus two of his sports clubs are running all through the summer £8 a week each (£96 over the summer) and we've just had to pay annual registration and insurance for one of them £48
Plus the additional food of having him at home and probably other bits and pieces I've forgotten like crabbing buckets, new water shoes because he's grown out of the old ones, and if course school uniform for September.

Around £1200+ but we've spent more rearmost in the year on annual passes etc. Also we can afford to do it so I'm not saying this is us trying to budget, we like to go out to places and do things with him and are fortunate to be able to

Oh we decided not to go abroad this summer as we went away may half term, are away October half term and the car is on its last legs so no big trip costs

Yikes. I know I'm talking about the 70s and 80s when I was a kid but we did literally nothing for most of the holidays. There were theme parks and zoos etc available so it's not that they weren't there, just that most of the time we were in the garden/ at friends houses/ in the park/ reading/ painting/ climbing trees/ playing board games/ making up dance routines...

Occasionally might go to the cinema as a treat but that was about it.

I've grown up alright!

I'd focus on scaling back the 'going out' elements and see what you have at home that can entertain them. If you have a paddling pool -that should keep them busy for a proportion of the week in this weather. Have some friends over and let them splash about. Appreciate it's not as easy to do a lot of this stuff if you don't have a garden though.