Is £230 enough spending money to go to Cornwall for 5 days?

[MascalPascal]

Going to Cornwall for Feb half term. Booked a lovely caravan which was very cheap owing it to it still being out of season. Going to St Ives.

Everything is booked and paid for, including all activities. Over the last 6 months i have been booking things slowly. Biggest expense really will be a food shop and petrol (I need to pay for return journey petrol from this money too).
Should that be enough?

Another cheapish thing to do is take the train from st ives to st erth and back (it's only about three stops). Stunning scenery and should only be a few pounds.

Are you going to paradise park? (That's our favourite).

Make sure you go to Porthgwidden beach - the first time we went we only went to Porthminster (the big beach) as we didn't come across smaller Porthgwidden. Also you can get free tickets for the Tate gallery if you've not already.

I think it sounds like a lovely holiday for a seven year old! At that age what kids enjoy most of all isn’t fancy stuff, but quality time with a loving parent. The weather is unlikely to be great, but if you dress appropriately you can still have fun, and make lots of memories.
Ignore the negative comments OP, and follow the advice of the posters who have already done similar holidays on a budget. Most of all, have a wonderful time with your DD - she won’t remember afterwards how many ice creams etc you buy her, but she will always remember how much fun you have and how much you laugh together.

Caravans tend to get cold at night, so I’d be packing thermals, thick socks and a hot water bottle. We caravanned at Easter one year and days were great, night were still really cold.

don't forget washing up sponge and tea towels! And containers or bags for packed lunch.

we just stayed in a cottage for a week - I decanted some washing up liquid into a small bottle (clear bottle, clear washing up liquid). Dh thought it was water and poured it away 🙄 fortunately there was some there, but you try and plan!!!

No it won’t. St Ives is insanely expensive!

You’ll make it work because you have to. Sounds like a lovely trip for you and your daughter. I enjoy ferreting out bargains. Enjoy!

Sounds like a wonderful holiday! The Eden Project is amazing, it remains one of our favourite days out.

It's only her and dd for 5 days and she's prepaid all activities and taking all her own food etc. So should be ok. If there's no leeway then work out your daily budget OP (minus petrol) and stick to it. Do you have a credit card just in case?

You'll have a lovely time OP, it's a beautiful place.

You sound like a wonderful mum, your daughter will love it!

Have a great time 😊

A very lucky little 7 year old 🥰. You're doing amazing x

I think it sounds like a good budget considering you have book and paid for alot of things to do already. As you are also taking the essentials shopping wise too.

I'd break it down into petrol money and then per day spending. Easier to keep track of.

We are going to cornwall aug bank holiday weekend. I'm also spreading the spending over the next few months so its not a massive hit in one go - Eden project is on our to do list as well! Have fun!!

Treat yourself to a Cornish pasty and you’ll be fine :)

You could take things with you such as ketchup, cereal and part baked baguettes etc.

Message me if you want any st Ives tips!! I’m a bit of an expert 🤣

Well done, OP. It sounds like you've planned a wonderful holiday for you and DD.

Take extra blankets, warm pjs, thick socks etc as the caravan is likely to get pretty cold at night.

I definitely think it's enough if you do a Lidl/Aldi shop before you go. My and DP often do caravan holidays and probably spend this much, we eat in the caravan and even have a few treats like fish and chips etc.

You'll have a brilliant time I'm sure and your little girl will remember it for a long time as it was special and you were dong things together.

When we do caravan holidays I book a click and collect food order from the local supermarket @MascalPascal , for all the fresh/frozen bits we need. It stops us needing to use the shops on the caravan sites which cost an absolute fortune.

That budget should be absolutely fine for / of you for a week. We’ve spent similar on a 3 night trip in cornwall but there are 5 of us.

Tesco at Carbis Bay is literally a mile or so away

Oh, just thought of a tip for fuel on the way home. There's none at all in St Ives now, but if you go actually into Hayle there's an independent garage which nearly matches supermarkets. Or if you happen to be over in Penzance, fuel at the supermarkets is way cheaper than surrounding areas.

Enjoy and hope the sun shines

there’s a Lidl in Hayle. Probably a good idea to stop there on your way through. Close enough for anything cold to stay cold. I think there’s only a few more expensive supermarkets in St Ives.
petrol will take up a lot of the money, but for just two of you if you’re used to budgeting and will be eating in, you should be fine. Supermarket food is the same here in Cornwall as elsewhere in the UK.
Paradise Park is lovely. Have a fabulous holiday!

Sounds doable to me with planning and the food stuffs you're taking. I would preplan meals to include as many dried goods from your cupboards as possible so you then buy only what you need to top up at Aldi/Lidl. Should then be possible to buy food for 5 days for under £50. Don't forget cling film, clips for food packets, tupperwares and water bottles. Taking basic medical and sewing kits will also avoid unanticipated spends (yeah my family laugh at me for over planning until they need what I've brought with me. Once repaired a shoe with an elastic hairband on holiday and tied up an exhaust pipe with a sock 😅).

If you leave any take aways to the last day you've got a bit of leeway in case parking / petrol costs etc are more than expected.

I can't see how any of this would spoil a holiday for a child who is used to living on a budget. There should be enough spare for the odd ice cream/ chocolate bar and kids can even find it a bit of a game to see who can spot the best deal / save the most money. They all seem to think caravans are exciting, especially with lots of other kids around. Most particularly enjoy car maintenance using underwear. It's a great idea to head off to the warmest bit of the UK after all this miserable weather.

This is where I was going to go tomorrow to get the chilled stuff. Everything dried will travel with us!

It sounds like a lovely holiday don't listen to the negative nancies. It is perfecly possible to have a nice time without throwing money everywhere. Some people have no skills or imagination and have to spend money as they don't know what else to do, or they feel lesser if they don't. It is OK to say no on occasions to your child and they will grown up a more balanced adult because of this

I do have a credit card for emergencies which if used is paid off in full the next month so that's my safety net if needed.
DD has a go Henry card with £35 on it(she loves to save her pocket money) so I've told her if she wants gift shop things it needs to come from there!
I was given a tip to use the park and ride to get around when we're actually in St ives as parking isn't great.