Surviving the Summer Holidays and keeping the costs down!
With money still tight for many people the summer holidays can seem like an additional financial burden that we could all do without. Balancing work, money, holidays and actually finding time to have fun with the kids can be a very, very delicate trick – one that sees many parents ready to get the flags out come September! Holidaying at home has become a popular option for a lot of people – whether that means staying in the UK or actually staying at home and making the most of what your local area has to offer. Certainly holidaying at home can be a good way to save money and planning plenty of activities for the kids – and you – is an important aspect of this type of holiday.
Climate Control
If only we could control our climate – or have this island of ours relocated at least for the summer. Last year was great actually, plenty of long hot days to make the most of with the kids. This year is not panning out so good and I’m already beginning to think of ways to stave off cabin fever in the household during the next six weeks or so. If you are staying at home for most or all of the summer, one way to ensure that you make the most of days out is to get together with friends and hire a mini-bus to take your assorted hordes of youngsters to some local attractions. Zoos, safari parks, theme parks, a day trip to the seaside are all good ways to stave off boredom – and if you get together with a couple of other families mini-bus hire can be seriously cost effective – and none of you has to do the driving! If you decided to go away for a couple of weeks, pooling resources works well again. Forget hotels or B&Bs and consider joining forces with family or friends to rent a cottage. This has to be one of the most cost effective ways to get away from it all. Sharing the cost of a cottage between two or three families makes it possibly the cheapest option and while self-catering can take some of the ‘holiday’ out of holiday – a group of you can share the chores and cooking when you dine in.
Shopping nightmares
It’s easy to overlook the basics sometimes. Most children seem to be able to empty the kitchen cupboards at an alarming rate during the summer months – well most months. Any parent will tell you that you cannot be everywhere all of the time and while setting strategically located mouse traps on important supplies is one way to stop the sticky fingered little devils it’s not generally approved of by the authorities! Keeping the cupboards stocked over the summer is a constant battle – and the weekly food shopping with the kids is a battle enough for me, never mind additional trips. Stocking up before the start of the summer holidays – or using the services of a grocery and fruit delivery outfit – makes a lot of sense when it comes to trying to retain some control in the kitchen. The latter approach has been something of a life-saver over the last couple of years. Besides dairy products the local milk man delivers all kinds of groceries these days – delivery is free and usually turns up before anybody is up and at the kitchen cupboards, well apart from the cat who is the only one in the house who actually sees the milkman on a regular basis.
Variety and stealth education
Variety is the spice of life – and the more activities you can fit in for the kids over the summer, the happier they’ll be. For long weeks at home, as the rain falls merrily, try to plan a few activities. A spot of decorating won’t go amiss and getting the kids involved doesn’t need to be a trauma – especially if you get them to use their imaginations and help to redo their own rooms. Gardening too can be an activity that’s worth trying on them. In an effort to be greener and healthier we established a veg patch a few years ago and it’s proved surprisingly popular with the youngest members of the household, whose imaginations have been caught by the idea of growing food. It’s not a massive plot by any stretch of the imagination, but it seems to have held their attention for longer than most things and is also a great form of ‘stealth education’.
Stocking up on supplies, disguising some house and garden chores can be simple and effective ways to make the summer holidays pass more smoothly. For holidays and day trips consider pooling resources and spending days out or breaks with friends and family – sharing the costs and the chores!