I’m a thrifty mum – here’s how I only spend £200 for our half-term holidays to keep my kids entertained
A THRIFTY mum has revealed how she only spent £200 on her family’s half-term holiday.
Maddy Alexander-Grout, 39, from Southampton, kept her two children entertained during the holidays mostly for free.
The money expert said she is spending no more than £200 during her two children’s summer holidays on pre-planned days out only.
Maddy, who was previously in £40,000 debt, now carefully plans her spending.
She said: “We will do toy swaps with other parents in the local area, which stops the kids from getting bored.
“You can swap with one parent one week and another parent the next and it gives them a constant sense of novelty.
“We also make the most of things in the house like cardboard, which kids can have a lot of fun with if you’re willing to be creative. I made a garage for mine from old boxes.
“Other things are parks and museums. We also go to a lot of car boot sales.
“I don’t tell the children that we can’t afford things, as I want them to grow up with a good attitude towards money.
“Instead, we talk about what we’d like to do together at the summer and budget accordingly.”
Maddy’s children Harriet, four, and Ben, seven, are going to Legoland this summer.
She added: “We are lucky to have a lot of things on our doorstep to keep the children entertained like a splash park and a beach.
“Even if you live in an area like the West Midlands, where there maybe isn’t so much to do, there are always Facebook groups which have lists of free options.
“I’ve budgeted £200 for the activities this summer – as we only do two or three which are paid.
“We also have a summer holiday planned, which I budgeted for well in advance. I put away £85 a month and saved £1,020. We haven’t decided on the location yet but it will be the Isle of Wight or Cornwall.”
Maddy said her family try to do free things even while away on holiday.
She added: “While we’ve got some spending money for the holiday too, I don’t imagine we will use all of it, as we tend to do free things even when we are on holiday as well.
“My biggest piece of advice to parents for the summer holidays is to plan ahead. Even if you put £20 a week away now, it will mean that you’re in a much better position financially when it does come around.
“When we are doing free activities, the only thing I’ll really buy is ice cream, but even then, it’s only two or three times a week.
“We get reduced cinema tickets through my Mad About Money App, which costs £1 a month to join and also gets you money off your shopping. You can also get a year’s free membership if you recommend it to other people.”
Maddy, whose Mad About Money app encourages discussions about finance as well as discounts, warned even “free” days out can have hidden costs if you’re not prepared.
She said: “I make sure I am well-prepared when we do go out with things like wet wipes, as otherwise if you need to freshen up on a hot day, you will have to go into a café and buy something which obviously costs money.”
The mum also praised the power of children’s imaginations and said that with the right attitude, parents can make something as simple as going for a food shop exciting.
“My children even love going to the food shop because I get them involved in it,” she said.
“We live near the New Forest and they love going around it on their scooters, which I got for £7 at a car boot sale, even though they’d have cost about £60 new.
“When the children asked to go shopping, we went to charity shops and I gave them £2 each and they got a Tumbling Monkeys Game, which they loved.”
She also stressed that children really don’t care how much money their parents spend on them during the holidays – all they care about is having fun and making memories, both of which can be done for free.
“I would stress to other parents that it’s okay if your kids get bored,” the money-saving guru said.
“My advice to any parents who are tempted to get into debt this summer is that kids don’t care how much money you’re spending on them. The most important thing is that you spend time with them and make memories.
“Even if you can’t afford the cinema, it’s important to think outside the box. You can tell your children that they will get to see the film when it’s out on Netflix and make a cinema experience at home with popcorn, which is a lot less expensive to make yourself.”
These are Maddy's top five money-saving tips for the summer holidays:
1. Budget, because if “you don’t know how much money you have you could over spend”.
2. Make sure you are “always” prepared and “take everything you may need with you so you don’t have to buy it”.
3. She warned “don’t go into debt just to create memories”.
4. Plan ahead by making “a list of everything you want to do and cost it out”.
5. She also advised parents to “manage” expectations and “don’t do things just because the kids ask”.