How Not To Blow Your Budget These School Holidays

Beach fun

Sometimes, life throws a spanner that stops the wheels from spinning. It doesn’t matter how hard you’ve been saving over the past few months or how much you’ve improved your spending habits (thanks super budget!). It can all fly out the window when school holidays hit.  

Everyone’s at home. Everyone’s bored. Everyone wants money.  

School holidays shouldn’t be an excuse to blow your budget and put your family straight back into debt! Sure, your children need things to do so they don’t suffer extreme boredom and cause, or get into, trouble. But, there’s no need to rob a bank. 

When Did School Holidays Become an Excuse for Spending Money? 

The more you prepare for the holidays, the more you’re able to stick to a reasonable budget. Unfortunately, waiting until you finish breakfast each morning before working out your plan for the day is a sure-fire way to budget blow-out.  

So, don’t get caught up. Don’t spend more than you have to. Don’t overwhelm yourself running your children all around town, up and down, and out – make a plan.  

Here are some strategies to help you manage the excess in ‘spare time’ without blowing your bank balance.  

How to Prepare for Budget-Friendly School Holidays

1. Make a budget – how much money can you really spare? Set a daily or a weekly budget that everyone will stick to. This is where your Avocado and Happiness funds come into play.
   – If you’ve been collecting an Avocado fund, you could access this account for some cheap family thrills.
   – You could use your Happiness fund to book a last-minute stay-cation if you’re in the position to splurge.
    
2. While you’re all together, start teaching your children how to budget for fun day events and school holidays – MoneySmart offers a free budget training resource for children in years 5-6 you can do together. Work out how much they’ll have for their daily budget? How can they spend their money? Can they save some for a big-ticket event?
    
3. Before things get too silly, sit down as a family and prepare your schedule in advance. Make a list of the cheap or free activities you’re interested in and stick it on your fridge to refer to during the break.
    
4. Choose 2 activities that cost a little bit more money, but still fall within your allocated budget. Like, a quick trip away! If spending time away is on the agenda – try camping. Or, if mum’s not really a camper – what about glamping or Airbnb? There are some amazing low-cost accommodation alternatives nearby which won’t hit your bank account.
    
5. Organise for one big event / reward at the end of the holidays. Encourage your children to be on their best behaviour and offer up a day at a theme park, day on the go-carts, or a road trip down to the Big Banana for ice cream sundaes.  

You’re Not a Full-Time Entertainer – Look After Yourself, Too 

Remember – you’re not a full-time entertainer. Chances are, you have a job and you need to split your time at home with your existing work commitments. Kids can be bored. The world won’t end. But, if you run yourself down into the ground, it very well might!  

Find time to spend on yourself – use that Avocado fund and shout yourself a massage, facial, or breakfast tucked away in a quiet café. 

Do you have some holiday budgeting tips that stop you from emptying your wallet?
Share your ideas in the comments!