Save for Christmas using school dinner money in the holidays!

chivers1977

This is my plan for this year. I have one child so pay £9.50 school dinner money each week. Every week that there is school holidays I plan to put this money into a Christmas savings account (have one set up with Lloyds). This means that by Christmas I will have nearly £100 saved for Christmas :j

I see this as "no pain" saving as I normally budget for this cost each week.

Anyone else up for this? :money:

Ex-Spendaholic

Funny you should mention this. I was amending my outgoings spreadsheet this afternoon and was working out that that during school holidays we'd be £10.50 up per week due to not buying school dinners and £3.50 up not paying for swimming at school. and also £6 up as the different church clubs don't run then. So there is £20 per week for 2 weeks at easter and 8 weeks in the summer = £200. I was also factoring in the fact that from Easter onwards I don't need to be spending £30 per week on gas either which would be 20 weeks at £30 (although I'll still do some sort of top up).

So great idea. I'll just be adding mine to my sealed pot. The sealed pot is my idol, if I put it in an account I'll spend it but I will not open that pot. :rotfl:

atwitsend_2

good idea! I shall be doing this too!

chivers1977

Don't forget Feb and May half terms!

Not sure the gas will work for me as I pay by DD so will probably go UP due to the bad weather!

Minxy_Bella

The only problem I can see with this is that you've still got to feed the kids in the holidays, so you're not actually saving the dinner money fees...in fact, you're probably going to spend more if you're not really careful with the food budget.

chivers1977

Minxy_Bella wrote: »

The only problem I can see with this is that you've still got to feed the kids in the holidays, so you're not actually saving the dinner money fees...in fact, you're probably going to spend more if you're not really careful with the food budget.

He'll be having a sandwich at home so definitely cheaper than school dinner @£1.90 per day. The only reason that we do school dinner at the moment is that he wasn't eating packed lunch at school but he'll always eat a sandwich and yoghurt for lunch at home. Fair enough it might be another loaf of bread for the week but still seems :money: to me!

savingmummy

That is a good idea!!
I have no kiddies at school but will remember this one!:beer:

Minxy_Bella wrote: »

The only problem I can see with this is that you've still got to feed the kids in the holidays, so you're not actually saving the dinner money fees...in fact, you're probably going to spend more if you're not really careful with the food budget.

I agree slightly but as OP said it would only be an extra loaf a week or in my case an extra run on the bread maker x

littleredhen

would it not be cheaper to do packed lunches all year round?

chivers1977

littleredhen wrote: »

would it not be cheaper to do packed lunches all year round?

Of course but counter productive if my "little angel" won't eat it as I won't put crisps, chocolate etc in like his friend's parents do. £1.90 means that I know that he is getting proper sustenance in him. He is only 4 so I need to know that he is eating properly especially as he has afterschool club normally (until April when OH will be on garden leave) and only gets a snack there

littleredhen

yes i know what you mean although i do believe that i provide a better quality lunch than the school and i also won't put in crisps and chocolate - by the way i wasn't criticising your choice but i work in a school and prior to that i helped in a different school and was not impressed with the lunches and feel that the goodness is cooked out of most of it

chivers1977

No offence taken! I would love it if he would eat a packed lunch!