To think £120 a week is not enough to live on?

[FedUp120028]

So, following an abrupt change in circumstances after food, bills and clubs for the kids I have £120 p/w to live on. I have a 2yo and a 7yo.

This needs to cover treats, Christmas and social life, holiday fun (either a trip or activities) for the next year.

Is this doable, aibu to think it's not? It doesn't seem like much at all. Tips and a reality check please!

Are you used to having an unlimited budget.
There are a lot of toys priced £30 or under and young children won't even think about the price.
I asked my 7 year old grandson what he wanted for Christmas and he chose something costing £15. The cost wasn't important to him

DD (a teenager!) chose £15 glasses frames when the NHS would have funded up to (from what I remember) £60. She liked them best.

Years ago I gave a child I used to babysitting a Xmas present from Poundland - pale blue bath gel with it little plastic shark in in (he was into wildlife). He was about 8 at the time. His parents said it was his favourite present (they spent a lot more!) and he had never been so willing to wash his hands before eating...

If you focus on what your child is interested in, rather than what it costs, your child(ren) won't lose out

Not unlimited no, just can't imagine only getting one or two bits under £30 🤷🏻‍♀️

Why ever not?! Maybe it's an opportunity to be less materialistic?

Old fart? Aren't you just charming? You make it sound as though I'm 75. There are people my age with 7 year olds as well

If you want an old fart OP - that's me! 😄(61 here - deffo old fart)

You're being ridiculously obtuse saying that you can't possibly cope with having just £120 per week for 'extras'. What a load of rubbish - of course you can.

Your children are hardly living a deprived life and neither are you. Try not spending anything for a week, and then you'll have £240 the next week....

Lol prob find out the OP isn't actually that young herself

Yep, not sure how old you are, but I'm 'old fart' enough to have adult children (46), but with a 7 year old!

I think OP is getting defensive because she doesn't want to accept that she's more materialistic than many of the people commenting.

Well there’s your issue. Your priorities are way off.

I would rather spend less on material things and be more savvy about our families future.

Children don’t need hundreds or thousands spend on them for birthdays and Christmas.

I would rather they have more modest gifts and be able to make their lives better in other areas.

You do not need to spend much at all on a 2/3 year old. If there will be presents from other relatives you can get away with very little this year. One toy s/he wants, a book, and some clothes with their favourite character on that s/he needs which you would have bought anyway.

I agree, was a bit rude 🙈

Even so, you came here with totally irrelevant circumstances!

No, I got defensive with that particular poster because they announced they save plenty on an income of £1600pm in a nice town in the SE. Wellllll - adult children are the reason for this.

£300 per child for their birthdays? what do you buy them? Mine are 9 and 5 and have never had more than £150 each spent, plus a trip to pizza hut (which we use meerkat vouchers for!)

examples this year - 9 year old got a switch game. an adidas tracksuit. some football boots. a onesie. couple of WWE figures and a small lego set.

5 year old got a marble run, star wars lego set, also some WWE figures, giant remote control monster truck. I dont think the youngest has ever had more than £100 spent on him tbf.

@QforCucumber - my Ds had a bike for his 4th birthday, that was £300+. It’s an item he uses daily and not a waste or luxury imo. He had a few others toys also

But I spent years being up kids on a small income and never have I spent hundreds of pounds on a birthday present for any of them .It's just a waste of money especially when they are bloody 2!!! They don't know the cost of anything and don't care

You may have had money to burn in the past but it seems like you need to come back down to earth with a bump now. Listen to all the posters on here giving sensible advice about not needing to spend stupid amounts of cash on kids giftsetc

Would it be used it less if it was £80. Probably not make the slightest bit of difference to him. My DGS ( 7) has a bike that was on a local giveaway page and hence free that he uses daily

Just saying adult children are enphatically not cheap. I think early primary is probably the cheapest tbh.

My eldest literally graduated a couple of months ago so not as though I've been free of expenses for donkeys years. Just a privileged poster who is slightly less privileged now but still be more spare money after bills ,AND clubs that most bleating about it

@RubySquid - I did look for the bike second hand but it was almost the same price new. I wanted a particular brand that’s very light as we have lots of steep hills where I live. Almost ever other child has the same brand here so it’s not an unusual thing to spend money on ( woom bike)

Get one of those v-tech educational computer things if there's one in the 2yo's age range.

People are giving lots of good tips here but at the end of the day, if you have £120 a week (or £40 or £400) then that’s just what you have so you’ll have to manage? Your question is inherently confusing. If everyone on here said ‘omg no that’s terrible. You can’t make that work’ then.. what? Are you thinking of finding a second job? Because either you make your budget work or you change your life to have a higher budget.

Presumably the 9 year old has a switch console too to play the game on. A switch costs £180 to £300 depending when it was bought. This would be quite a bit out of the OP's budget.

@Wonderwoman333 the switch was bought 4 years ago, 2nd hand for £75, from a friend who’s son had outgrown it, So still within.

That's good but fortunate, some people won't have a friend that's selling one at a decent price but their dc will still want one.