To ask if you could make this amount of money last 3 weeks and how?

[CrumblyCookie]

Around £540.
After all bills paid.. this has to last next week (half term) and then another just under 2 weeks after that. Also to include food for 1 child + 1 adult. And a small amount of petrol.

Those things just wait until there's more money in the bank. Op's budget isn't doom and gloom!

A 6 year old isn't going to wonder why they went to the park three times at half term, or on a longer bus journey than they've ever been on to look at a town they've never been to before. It might not be your idea of a good day out, but we all have to cut our cloth accordingly at times.

I never have that much available to spend! That'd be a very luxurious 3 weeks for us.

Yes easily with one small child. Food costs should be no more than £100 a week for one adult and child, maybe less in truth… Petrol depends how far you have to travel to work and wherever else but you said “small amount” so I gather not much?

Plenty of free or inexpensive activities during half term. In our area there’s a website with all local activities on it, maybe look for something like that? Museums, art galleries, the library, park, beach etc all cheap/ free days out.

What car do you drive? I drive about 400 miles a week on average and spend about £50 pw on petrol. I do buy the cheapest I can though.

The op said “a small amount” of petrol so I doubt she is doing my 30-mile each way daily commute.

I don't get it. 40 for 'a small amount of petrol'. 70pw for food for you and your child, which I'd say is plenty. Leaves 290 for half term which will more than cover a few lovely trips out with meals out, even a theme park or two.

Am I missing something?

I mean a bigger car, and I spend about 120 pw on petrol.

However, kids do a lot of hobbies.

I have about 250 to last 3 weeks with a family of 4, a car and 2 cats. It's tight but we'll manage. Fill up the car with how much you actually need and split the rest by 3.

Easily, we spend £100 per week on shopping for two adults, a Dc with hollow legs and three cats! Take out £60 for petrol and that still leaves £180 for incidentals.

Maybe go to The Works / The Range (insert other similar shop here) and pick up some extra new fun craft / outdoor bits for £20/30 to keep them occupied over the week. My 10 year old has spent the last 2 hours doing chalk drawings on the patio with a £2 pot of chalks from there.

i make that last 3 weeks for 2 older teens & 2 adults.

What on earth are you buying that it wouldn't stretch to 1 adult and 1 small child?

£150 for fuel over the 3 weeks. Leaves you £130 a week for food.

Plenty of free activities in the nice weather.

6 year olds are quite easy to entertain for free or little money. Park, swimming, city farm, free exhibitions etc.
Buy a little paddling pool or get an under bed storage container full of water and splash about for hours! My kids liked to get all the pots and pans full of water and just pour them around.

food wise, as people have said - keep it simple. I like to do a big tray bake - veggie sausages, chunky veg, chickpeas, hallumi - whatever. have that for dinner then the next day have the other half in pasta sauce or served with couscous.

Beans on toast is a meal!

Also, going to get flamed here - but a movie day at home is free, low stress and the kids do need downtime!

You don't have to spend money to have fun.

You don't, but sometimes you do!

Yep. Easily I supposed. £100/week for food rest for petrol.

But I’d make a plan to eat down all the food in the cupboards/freezer before I bought anything else. Half term would be ‘weird meal week’.

in the past me and D.C. would do that to try to save money.

of course, that’s more than enough. If you regularly spend more for 1 adult and 1 child then you should review your spend.

Nearly £200 a week is plenty of money with some left over for an adult and child in a pinch.

Yes you're not going to be off out at attractions everyday, but plenty of park visits, museums, heritage sites, picnics, bike rides etc.

If this were me I'd put aside £100 a week for food so it could include baking and movie supplies, have a couple of "cinema" nights and pop your own popcorn, baking activities, make up a picnic and get kiddo involved in making it, I'd take advantage of free spaces like nature reserves, take some colouring supplies as draw the birds you've seen, pick and press flowers at the beginning of the week to make pictures at the end.

Food wise go for cheap but filling foods.

Pinterest is a gold mine for cheap activity ideas.

We spent a big chunk of time with £20 left at the end of the month and managed to still do lots of things.

I'm a bit confused why you are even wondering if this is enough? It's absolutely fine, do you usually spend loads? Just get to the park and trees, swimming, soft play, picnics, what do you usually do?

Are you shitting? That's my normal "everything except bills" budget amount for a month.
Single parent of one.

You don't have to be out every day in half term, surely? You could have a couple of more expensive days out and then the rest keep it cheaper, at home, going to the park, have a friend over to play, beach day with picnic if that's doable in a day.

Yes. You could make half term special by putting aside£300 got half term. If the weather is great go to parks/ beach ect
Maybe one entrance type thing mid week. Little luxuries. Ice cream at the park fish and chips at the coast. If the weather is poor indoors play places, cinema, meal out. Make that week easy on yourself op. Treat type food supplemented with fruit/yogurt/wholemeal sandwiches if out. Divide the rest between the two weeks DC is back in school. Economise those two weeks with pasta dishes raiding the cupboards ext. Meet up with similarity need friends if you can over half term for child companionship and a bit of adult company for yourself 💐

Easily. I’d feel quite rich if I had that after bills tbh! Food is £100 a week for us,
then you’d have 200 for living, then the rest would go on petrol.

Easily!

For economical food I would buy a 2Kg pack of chicken thigh from Tesco , you get LOADS and I buy these anyway. £5-75. Will do 6 meals for 2.

Freeze in packs of two or three or batch cook a pot of curry / chicken stew casserole. Or roast with root veg and keep some for chicken sandwiches the next day.

500g minced beef - batch cook shepherds pie or chilli

Plan Tuna pasta bake, bolognaise, baked potato, mushroom or cheese omelette with boiled or roast new potatoes, a pasta dish each week.

Pack of pork shoulder steaks - cut up for a stir fry, casserole, kebabs

Picnic sandwiches or rolls - peanut butter, cheese and pickle. Apple / cherry toms.

Home made flapjack - dead easy to make.

Lidl / Aldi ice lollies in the freezer.

£100 for 2 outings in half term, then go to a different place each day, (park / library / riverside / different park) have a friend over. See what's on locally - there are usually some free events.

Yes. It's more house keeping than I have to feed 5/6adukts for that time.

Why wouldn't it if you have paid every bill and you only have food to buy. I just don't get it. Sorry.