Could you make this money last?

[PeachMelba97]

Just a bit under £200 to last me ten days. May need to get some food in but we have some bits in fridge and cupboard. It’s one child and one adult. My child has recently turned 7. Also will most likely need a bit of petrol. Thinking how to make it stretch and any days out we can do for cheap until I have some more money? Thank you

If you can't make £200 last ten days, you have a screw loose. I could make that last a month!

If that's only for food/petrol/fun, yes that's fine. Trips out depends where you are and what's local to you.

What’s the point of these exaggerated comments? £200 for groceries, petrol and fun money for an adult and child for month? 🙄

Yes of course. You won't have a massive budget for days out, but you can do loads for free/cheap - playgrounds, walks, bike rides, picnics, beach, library, museums. Look for cheap cinema mornings or discounted swim sessions. Lots you can do at home too - games, jigsaws, crafts, baking, build a fort, have a tea party with all her teddies/dolls, do a scavenger hunt around the house.

Yes, definitely. Food is the most expensive thing we buy. Days out cost nothing really if you have packed lunch and snacks and drinks and fuel. This week we’ve done 2 days at NT (costs £15 ish a month which we’ve already paid for on subscription for a family membership, so the actual day out cost me nothing). We took a packed lunch and I bought ice creams at £5 per day.

We had two days that were a mix of pottering around at home, one dc had a play date, and errands. Another day Dh took them cycling on a cycle trail, again packed lunches and I think they had ice cream, so £5-6 on ice cream.

Today we are pottering at home, but may go for dinner later (just me and 1 dc as Dh and other dc have gone camping). That will cost £40-50, but obviously is very optional. No one needs sushi. Then one dc is having a sleepover tomorrow and going to the village fete. I’ll give her maybe £20 to spend with her friends. It will be a normal dinner with maybe a few extras because it’s a sleepover. That’s maybe £100 in 7 days, obviously we need to buy food and fuel. It would be less without the dinner out or sleepover if I really needed to scrimp.

Of course. I have £300 fun money every month and usually only spend half. How old is the child?

Check online for local free events and take sandwiches and bottles of drink from home for lunch.

Go to the local library - they often lend out board games as well as books so you can have a games night.

Are you near a beach or woodland? Go shell/plant hunting and look up what they all are in a book/online. You could even learn to press and dry flowers and leaves, make shell jewellery or take impressions of bark and leaves with paper and crayon.

Sounds fine. I'd plan a few cheap days out at about £10/ day, locally for me that might be:

• community farm: drinks at cafe, rest of money as donation
• local park with volunteer run little train: £1/ride so might have ice cream too
• free craft events at local library
• go to the big playground and also have a ride or two or at the fairground next to it or a round of crazy golf (£1/person)
• a picnic with extra treaty bits
• £10 to spend at the works on any book or craft kit etc

To help with the budgeting, take most of the money out in cash (some spare in the bank and try to challenge yourself to spend as little as possible each day so you can spend more when you have less enthusiasm! Do some baking and batch cooking to make the most of your ingredients. Get your daughter involved in baking.

Buy some seeds and grow something (eg cress).

Collect petals and press between kitchen paper under books.

French knitting with a cotton reel.

Learn to crochet or knit with your daughter

make a collage with old cards or magazines

Get a bus (or train) to the nearest town with a library. If you normally drive, using public transport can be fun for kids and if local, cheapish. Join the library and hopefully they will have a summer reading challenge or similar activities that will appeal to your daughter.

Take a picnic with you and find a park with a duck pond or something similar.

More information would be helpful.

Are you on holiday?

Are you working, in which case how much do you need to pay for travel and childcare?

Or are you at home not working, and having a holiday at home?

In which case £20 a day is fine.

Alternative days out, with picnics, with days at home baking and doing craft.

See if any of her friends are around for a playdate for one or two days.

Go to the works and spend a tenner on paint and canvases for one day.

Spend a day baking bread rolls, cookies and brownies again about a tenner and then that's picnics for the rest of the week.

Swimming normally around a tenner for adult and child.

Not sure what the problem is, seems a normal sensible school holiday budget.

Unless you also have to buy school uniform or something out of it

It's certainly doable and the good thing is that we've got great whether at the moment so make the most of free outdoor activities such as picnic in the park. A different park every day should be fine and to be honest my kids used to love a nice day at the park.

Kids travel free on busses throughout August. If you usually drive travelling by bus or train can be exciting in itself. Lots of kids free activities happening locally but this will obviously depend on where you are. Invite a friend to play for a day? They can make their own lunch with food you provide, bake, play in a park, anything really. Buy ice creams for the freezer rather than going to the van. Making cornets with sauce and sprinkles went down well here and significantly cheaper.
For one child and me, I could cover food with about half your budget, or maybe just over, leaving the rest for fuel/fun spends.

Yes, you can definitely do that.

Yes. Absolutely. I can, and have fed two adults for £25 a week. That's £100. Petrol, well I didn't drive far, so £20. That left £80 for a lot of stuff. 2for1 cinema tickets. Free museums, parks, it's easy. You just have to stop being lazy and put some thought into things. Being broke makes you think a lot!