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.

Set aside your food and petrol money then split what is left. I’d probably allocate 50% to half term with the other 50% split over the other 2 weeks. Half term is hot and sunny = free days out to the park/beach and picnic. Ice creams in a multipack on the way home with leftovers in the box for the following day

Yes, particularly with a 6 yo as they are generally happy with fairly inexpensive pass times

I've never been to a theme park unless on Tesco vouchers. And I would not consider going to one in a hot school holiday week to be "fun".
however, I just picked Chessington as a random theme park that a 6 year old might like and I see it is £78 for 2 people. Plus petrol and parking? Say £100.

I don't get my nails done; they can surely wait a week or 3? And is that considered "fun"? Isn't it just sitting in a shop and holding your hand still while the nail stylist does whatever it is they do? However, I have just googled a random nail place near me (south east England) and it looks like this is about £30.

A 6 year old is going to think a McDonalds meal is an amazing lunch out. Say £15?

so total of your fun activities is £145.

I still think OP could manage those (with the theme park obviously being a one off in her 3 weeks) and afford her food and the small amount of petrol she thinks she needs.

I think this is more a reflection on you, than anyone else.

You're essentially saying YOU and your children struggle to have fun without spending a lot of money.

That's actually quite sad, in the 😞 way.

We don't struggle for money, we travel a lot, dd has an array of hobbies, we don't watch what we spend - if we want it, we buy it, and my nails are always done.

But we also have a lot of fun doing things that cost very little, and always have. We could eat well, and have a great time on £540 for three weeks for three of us.

It's the people who make the fun, not the purchases. It's a shame you don't know how to have fun with your kids without spending money. They're going to grow up thinking happiness is material.

I could live like a king on that!!

I mean, it wasn't so long ago that was my budget for 5 of us and had to cover all our food!

Yes, fill the tank, cook from scratch lots of veggie meals with tons of veg, pad out meat bol for example with lentils and carrots. Play a game "How tight can I be". You have plenty.

Yes I could.
£300 would probably go on food, let's say £100 for petrol.

On a school week we don't really spend anything on activities (I'm assuming regular activities paid by Standing Order, like Rainbows, count as bills and therefore aren't counted).

So £140 for half term. Half the time we do playdates, stuff at home, park or v cheap things. £140 would pay for three new activities or trips.

your posts are bonkers!

of course it's fine for 1 adult & 1 child when all the bills have been paid!

are you unable to enjoy simple things, does everything have to be an expensive activity

This must be a joke

I don’t see why it could be a joke…she’s hardly flush?!

I'd love to see a breakdown from anyone who doesn't think it's enough because it would have to include bad choices if people can't make it work!

I'm just back from running 2 of mine to activities. I saw there's a poster up for a free open air movie night in the local castle grounds. Just bring your own chair or picnic blanket. There will be hot drinks, snacks, popcorn available to buy there, but you can bring your own.

Unfortunately for the me the movies on show don't appeal to my kids, but it's just an example of the free or cheap activities on over the break if you're lucky enough to be close by.

Yeah, £180 a week is basically poverty 🙄

Yes, I could very easily make it last. There's more than enough. Why do you ask?

I put £60 diesel in today. That’s got me 300 miles in the tank.

Spend £100-£120 pw for 2 adults, 1 6 year old and many veg-eating pets. If it were just my dd and I I reckon I’d be looking at £50 tops pw.

Every post on this site is IN SOMEONE'S OPINION.

Are you going to post this after every one?

Oh,- and that’s 3 meals a day for both of us. And snacks.

Great! A shit film is on near you! That'll help the OP.

What do you consider ‘fun’?

Not a shit film as such. They're showing the 2 Wicked movies. My boys would have no interest in going to see them. But my sister and younger nieces are now coming to watch them with me.

And of course it's not going to help her if she's nowhere near me. But it's just an example of what activities are being put on.

Ffs, this is why I don't post here much or name change regularly.

How tf is a full tank of petrol, £100 PW for an adult+child on food and several examples of days out inc. expensive theme park trip (that have been given as examples) a race to the bottom????

I mean - my kids and I just had a wagyu steak dinner and I'm sitting watching TV half way down a bottle of wine (we have steak every Friday and I always get a bottle of wine for the weekend) and I've spent 380EUR on groceries since the beginning of May for me and two teens. Plus we've been to Macdonalds, and to a friend's party (and took a gift also bought this month) and I've filled up once for about 60 quid. By my reckoning, I can still get a coffee and cake at costa.

Of course I wasn't even trying to budget - if I was then I could knock plenty off that/eat stuff from the freezer/skip the booze if I was - enough for a cinema trip/day at the beach/whatever.

I could easily cover My family of 6 with that amount for that time frame.

Yes I agree. How is spending this kind of money a race to the bottom? Honestly an adult and a 6yo could eat royally for £100 pw. I and others have suggested ways to keep the food spend down, but honestly, with £540 for "a small amount of petrol" (so probably not your weekly £120 for 200 miles @coulditbeme2323) and three weeks of food there's no need.

Plenty of money for "fun" as @redskyAtNigh showed if it needs to cost money – which it doesn't – 6yo will love a hose in the garden on a hot day or playing in the park; trip to the cinema or the swimming pool (there's a pool near me with flumes and loads of fun stuff that costs £10 a ticket) is not much. A trip to the library for some new books, a drink out in Costa, some of the fun free activities in local museums or parks – all cheap or no-cost.

I also don't have my nails done but yes, if I did and thought that was fun, it's not that ££.