Half term on a budget

School holidays can be quite expensive time of that there is no doubt. Children seem to need to be entertained and they like to go out and do things with little thought for the coats involved.

I am very lucky, although I am a SAHM, my husband is a teacher so there is an extra pair of hands around to help out with (and make lots of mess with) the children which definitely helps. I have several friends for whom the school holidays are strain as they are faces with long days to entertain multiple children.

In the past when we had more money, we probably were more extravagant in the holidays; paying to go here and paying for other things along the way. The sad fact of the matter is that we don't have that excess of money anymore and let's face it a family amount of ice creams can set you back the best part of ten pounds now and that adds up if you are out and about.

This year, I am determined to spend less during the holidays and making the most of the free things. What is wrong with going to the park, going for a nice walk, going to the library, playing some nice family games?

All of my children love being outside

We do live in a beautiful part of the country which I am thankful for. We live on the edge of the Cotswold's so there are unending opportunities for country walks and rambles. There are nice parks within walking distance and even better ones that at a short car journey away.

A friend recommended buying a year pass for The Natural Trust, which I think is a fabulous idea, but do we really need it, with such lovely places on our doorstep.

My in-laws live in South Wales and we spend a fair few weekends and holidays down there and it is lovely. For the children, it is like a holiday and there is a nice beach about fifteen minutes down the road which we make the most of, whatever time of year we are there.

Swimming pools are still relatively reasonable and it is an activity that is suitable for everyone. We love swimming and have found that even the pools with slides and wave pools are great fun at a reasonable cost.

I have become a lot more organised when it comes to food and drinks too. Gone are the days when we would buy snacks and drinks wherever we were, I always try to take my own and to keep the odd thing in my bag for emergencies. It certainly saves money doing it that way and when it comes to meals, my kids absolutely love picnics and so in the summer, we always take a picnic wherever we go.

So, this week we decided that we were not going to spend a huge amount of money. The plan was to have a few days in Wales. We arrived on Monday. Tuesday, we went to the beach and although it was cold, we had a lovely walk along the sea front and a play in the park. We stopped at a little cafe on the seafront and had a coffee and the crazy children had an ice cream, but apart form that, no money spent and a good time had by all.

Fun at the park

Wednesday, we visited some friends in Cardiff. It is always lovely to see them but they have three children under five, add our three to the mix and it all gets a bit chaotic. They suggested a play barn. Immediately I thought 'no'. Expensive and busy, it really wasn't really my idea of fun! I asked if there was a park nearby and they took us to Roath Park. I had never been there before and it was gorgeous. A fantastic park, a massive field for the children to play tag and football, a lake where the children could feed the ducks. We had a brilliant time. It cost very little as we took snacks and drinks and the children all had a good dose of fresh air and exercise.

Roath Park

Thursday we went to the LC2 in Swansea. If you are ever in the area, you have to visit this place, we absolutely love it. The old swimming pool that was there a few years ago has been replaced with a fantastic swimming complex. Wave pool, rapids, hot tub, two play pools for little ones and three amazing slides. It is fabulous and quite reasonable too. For five of us, it cost just under £17 and they have a card scheme where you get a sticker for each visit and once you have collected five, the sixth visit is free. We spent the whole morning there as we got there early to beat the crowds and had a brilliant morning. After a snack and a drink that we had brought with us, we went to Toys R Us up the road so that the children could spend their hard-earned Christmas and pocket money.

Friday was a lazy packing up day, but we did manage one more run to the local beach and a walk along the very windy beach. All in all, we had a brilliant week and didn't spent a lot of money. The children were talking excitedly about their 'holiday' on the way home and they didn't notice the lack of money spent at all.

Aberavon beach

So my challenge for this year is fun-packed school holidays on a budget. The biggest challenge will be the summer, but I am determined that we can all have a fantastic time without spending too much money!  There will be lots of time out and about at parks and at the beach when we can.