AIBU to feel guilty about cheap school holiday days out?

[Tuxedocatlover]

I only have £80 to last until Tuesday and obviously it is the holidays and feel so guilty that we can’t go on extravagant trips like most people seem
to be doing. The kids went camping with their dad at the weekend, we spent the day at the park with friends yesterday and obviously ice creams and things add up.

Your DC have had a big experience already with the camping trip. A few quiet days will be a nice balance to that. You really don't need to stuff the holidays full of expensive trips as they tend to just blur into one and aren't fully appreciated or remembered. When I was a child we'd do one trip, seaside, attraction, and it was properly looked forward to and fully remembered because it was a treat, not the everyday.
Walks, the park, things around the house together will be great for the rest of the time.

Camping and the park is more than a lot will have done! There’s too much pressure to do stuff constantly. A few days at home / going for local walks etc is absolutely fine.

I’m worried that I only have £80 to last me until Tuesday. I suppose it can be done though.

Is that for food etc as well or just spending money?

I have food in the fridge, just doesn’t seem a lot at all.

I don’t really believe everyone is doing extravagant things all the time - social media only shows us the good parts!

How old are your kids? Camping and trips to the park sound great.

When I was a kid we would often just mooch around the house (or our grandparents house) trying to amuse ourselves, while our parents were at work. I never thought much of it - I suspect that’s normal for a lot of children!

Of course you shouldn't feel guilty OP.
You are doing the best thing possible for your DC : spending quality time with them and letting them enjoy themselves doing outdoor activities.
I agree with you that everything is so expensive these days though and it's difficult.

£80 is fine.

Just don't spend any money 🤷‍♀️

Go to the playground, if they ask for ice-cream, sat "not today"

Go to the library.

Go for a walk.

Go to a museum.

Stay at home and let them relax and play, draw, model make etc

Watch a movie at home.

There's absolutely no reason to spend extra money at all.

What's difficult about just not spending the money? It's not like you HAVE to buy a drink/I've cream/sandwich when you go out.

You don't have to spend any money at all.. there's so many free things to do and you can take food and drinks with you.

Picnic and a nature walk is our favourite, can walk from our house so literally free. Dc older and still love this simple activity

And buy a box of ice lollies for your house, unbranded ones are cheap

I have a lot more money than that available to me (sorry not a stealth boast, just a fact) and my kids wont be doing anything between now and going back to school next week. Partly because im working and I dont feel guilty at all. They will watch a lot of TV and we'll go for a walk here and there because the weather is nice. I think of it like giving them a taste of my 80s childhood! If we do anything this weekend it will be see some family and go for a longer walk! Dont feel bad!

£80 is fine when you don’t need a food shop, don’t let worrying about that ruin the time off for you.

We’ve done our shop, we’re also doing some free days out, its unlikely we’ll spend any money until we do the food shop again as we don’t have any direct debits due.

How old are your dc? You don’t need to be doing expensive things, although I appreciate it may be harder to entertain older kids without spending.

Of they’re small, a park, walk, gardening, going to a friends house are all exciting ways to spend time and cost nothing, especially if you take a drink etc and tell them it’ll be tv and Easter egg eating time when you get home.

Instead of buying individual ice-cream from a van, just get a box from a supermarket if out. Buty a pack of popping corn RTO do yourself in a pan it lasts for ages as a little makes a whole bowl ( just don't burn it!) Your local library might have activities or a musical instrument library to borrow a guitar for a few days and learn from YouTube.

I'm not sure how to vote
Yabu for feeling guilty
Yanbu for doing cheap days

Well I'm used to doing things similar to OP and her family. And we have always taken our own food and drinks. But it's a bit unrealistic and harsh not to sympathise with OP wanting to give the DC a wee treat of an ice-cream or similar.

a board game night, game of chasing/ hide and seek/ football, movie night in and most kids will go back to school saying they had a good holidays (as long as you remind them what ye did the morning of school 😉😅)

But they've already had treats and a holiday.

I'm just saying it's absolutely fine to do nothing and say no.

Kids really dont need full on stuff!
Mine has been knocking about the house, playing with his mates and riding his scooter.
We are away on a sun holiday caravan next week, Mon- Fri ( Bought a house last year so no abroad trips for now!)

Check out the cheapo trips if your budget allows, beach, self catering, does the job for us!

I used to try to do an awful lot of things in the holidays, in order that the kids would have experiences. Overtime, it has come to my attention, that my kids think that a trip out to McDonald’s for a happy meal is truly exciting. A trip to the beach pretty much blows their minds. I think we’ve all, in the age of the Internet, got caught up in the perfect Instagram lives of others. But the reality is the kids don’t need that, and they do actually appreciate a bit of quiet time and rattling around at home.

Also, if you want a day out that allows you to give them some treats, it’s best to go into a town or city and have a look round. Often the local museum is free or incredibly cheap. And if everybody wants an ice cream you nip into the nearest Sainsbury’s or Tesco and buy a four pack for less than the price of one from the ice cream van would be.

Home Bargains do great microwave popcorn for 29p a sachet. Bunch of that, movie marathon one day. Obstacle course in the garden. I bought a slip slide for less than a tenner in Lidl last summer..hours of fun. Packets of wildflower seeds to make a bee garden. Chalk art on patio or front path. Depends on ages obviously but older ones, jumbo tin of fence paint..get them doing something useful for not a lot. Again..Lids and Aldi are your friends here.
Don't feel guilty. I could burn through £80 in an hour at our local seafront.. crazy golf, hot dogs, arcades, rides at the fair, ice creams. It takes a lot of 'no' and choosing to go to the undeveloped bit.

They’ve had one big trip with the camping, what’s wrong with parks and other cheap activities the rest of the week? We’re not on a particular budget but we’ve just done one big day out then a mix of holiday clubs (we can’t take the whole of the holidays off), park trips, and a cheap farm visit. I take picnics out so don’t have to spend on lunches out and we have ice creams in the freezer so they can have one when we get home with the odd one out as a treat. No need to spend loads for them to have a good holiday.

What are your local museum/library doing. Mine so free events throughout.

Maybe to prepare for May half term try and earn so money so you have some set aside just for that week. Sell some things? I have a survey app and I earn about £10 a week from that, you do have to sit and do it though