cancel camping holiday or just tighten belt even further?

artichoke

Hi all

Kids finally asleep and house cleared up so i can post....thank you so much for all your advice and viewpoints....

I will try and read back through them now and give comments as appropriate,,,,

I have been thinking about it all day and doing budgeting, and menu planning whilst playing with the kids...

and i have now payed the remaining £340 to pay off the holiday. The camping holiday costs £420 for 10 days in Somerset for a large grass tent pitch (it comes with electric but we dont need that as dont use electic but i have to pay for it anyway:mad:)

anway i read all the posts and decided that what is important to me is giving the kids good magic memories, and a camping holiday with 20 other family members, including some who dont live in the UK, will hopefully be memorable. My family is spread throughout the UK and the world. I live in the Peak District, in the middle of the uk, other family is in Cornwall, the North East, Liverpool, Yorkshire, London, Wales, Norwich and even France and Scandinavia, so every few years we try and get together at a campsite that offers space for tents, caravans, statics, and even pine lodges so that each family can find their own level of comfort and affordability that suits them. When we have done this in previous year there has been no pressure to eat out, every one does things at the level that suits them - my richest brother eats out all the time and stays in a posh B and B in the same village, but others camp and cook on site, so as i dont mind cooking, I will plan our food (i will take basics with me and buy local meat at a farm shop near the site)and will cook, and bbq around the tent, and if the weather is ok, what has happened in previous years is that my brother and sisters families gravitate to our tent and bring along a food or alcohol contribution or offer to pay for my family for a fish and chips supper in exchange for my cooking simple healthy food for them on previous nights....

My kids will not expect anything bought for them or days out - they will just want to play with their cousins and go on bike rides.

I have good news on our situtation which helped to make up my mind:

My OH has somehow sorted out the car this morning - he jump started it and changed the spark pugs and is planning to do his own service on it next week. The car is a 25 year old square volvo - it only cost us £500 7 years ago - so it is not worth spending a lot of money on.

the dog went to the vets last night for a checkup and is healing well. I have been giving her homeopathy as well as the vets antibiotics and she seems to be recovering. The dog is 10 years old springer spaniel and this is her second operation in the last 2 years. If we had insured her it would have cost al least £10 a month for 10 years....so we made the decision not to have insurance many years ago but to always make sure we did have some savings, and the capacity to get overdrawn if needed ie to have overdraft facilities and a credit card. ( I do have a credit card with a £5k limit on it but i have NEVER used it - it is for emergencies only)

i want to clear up one thing - i dont want to people to think i am some sort of super woman who has been bringing up 2 kids and running a home on only £6 thousand pounds a year......£6K is what OH earned last year but i do also get child benefit and working tax credits which have been an absolute lifeblood for us... our overall budget is between £10 - 12 thousand a year for a family of 4 and a dog and cat. Plus i run a community supported agriculture project (as a volunteer and receive a work share of veg and meat as my payment so our food is organic, local and very cheap as we barter rather than use cash)

Another thing - i would not have had the dog put to sleep instead of pay for the operation - but if the vets diagnosis had been diabeties or some other long term condition requiring lifelong medication then i might have said No. The dog is a family pet, but my OH knows i am from a farming background, and have to make harsh decisions recently about livestock, including decisions about cade lambs (bottle fed lambs) who sometimes become a bit like pets....i think you have to be sensible about things and not let your heart lead you away from economic sense.


I also realized that we have applied for council tax benefit which we should get and if so that will save us £110 pounds a month or so...

I know i am very fortunate as we live in the countryside and live a very simple uncommercial life so can avoid spending money. Today i saw a farming friend who i occasionally have worked for and i was telling him about the dog- he later knocked at the door with an organic chicken and a massive bag or organic sausages and said take them in exchange for me helping out with the pigs for an afternoon when they have an appointment in the town. I do a lot of "work" in exchange for organic meat, and firewood (we have wood burning stoves as our main heating) and also have a productive garden and lots of free foraged foods available to me.

so thanks for all the advice and support...but i dont want people to think i am superwoman - i am very fortunate to live a rural life and have old fashioned ways ....but not super.

i still have not decided about whether to attend the funeral - i am trying to find out who is attending to see if someone could do a small diversion to give me a lift - and i could give them a leg of one of my lambs for their troubles;)

anyway thanks everyone

art

westcountrymaid_2

Well you sound like a 'super woman' to me ......enjoy your holiday.

meritaten

YOU may not think you are superwoman - but I certainly do!!! you dont give yourself enough credit hun! a well deserved pat on the back to you!
I think you have made the right decision - go and enjoy yourselves. you may always have financial problems but a holiday with the kids will give you memories to treasure - and thats priceless!

EstherH

I didn't contribute before because I really didn't know what you should do, and have followed the advice given with interest. My heart said go on the holiday but my head was with those who said don't go. However, now that you have made your decision and explained about your family, I am so glad you are going. Have a wonderful time. It's the stuff memories are made of and in years to come you will enjoy talking with your kids when they say 'do you remember when we all went camping....'

dobs

Hope you enjoy your holiday, we're going soon to Devon, first one in four yrs! I think you sound like you all need a good rest, and i highly recommend Somerset as have lived here all my life lol. Hope you all have a great time, and i'm in awe of how you manage on your income! xx

Mojisola

artichoke wrote: »

i want to clear up one thing - i dont want to people to think i am some sort of super woman who has been bringing up 2 kids and running a home on only £6 thousand pounds a year......£6K is what OH earned last year but i do also get child benefit and working tax credits which have been an absolute lifeblood for us... our overall budget is between £10 - 12 thousand a year for a family of 4 and a dog and cat. Plus i run a community supported agriculture project (as a volunteer and receive a work share of veg and meat as my payment so our food is organic, local and very cheap as we barter rather than use cash)

Even with the extra information, I still think you're brilliant! How lucky your OH and kids are to have you as a wife and Mum.

Enjoy the holiday. I hope things pick up for you soon financially but I get the feeling that even if they don't, you'll still find ways of making life good for your family.

Brighton_belle

Yes OP - even with the extra info, I still think you are fab, so there:p:D
I am so delighted you are going - even more so now you have explained the wider family thing. This is definitely a 'making memories' event, though I think the fact you questioned going, given your finances, shows great financial wisedom and self respect to double check you were making the right choices.
Have a great time!

noynoy

im so sorry you have had a terrible week big hug xx..could you cancel the holiday then maybe take the kids somewhere where it costs next to nothing to camp? after all kids love camping weather theres extra entertainment or not ..im guessing you have all the equipment? If you ask around im sure someone knows a farmer in the countryside who might be willing to let you camp out on his field..otherwise the sun where doing vouchers for £1 a night camping caravanning..i have some (3 at the moment getting more next week as i want the £9.50 holiday vouchers..if you want them your welcome to them)..i hope that the next few weeks sees better luck coming your way xx

downshifted

Enjoy a brilliant holiday - and keep on living "the good life" Very best wishes :-)