Weekly spend?

MrsHunter

Hi all x
I've recently become a stay at home mum and I'm wanting to allocate a weekly spend for me and my one and three year old. This would be for outings mainly; swimming, entry to National Trust type places, the odd snack perhaps. Any idea how much would be reasonable? I do like to so things with the children. Or perhaps someone may be able to suggest some free activities?
Thanks
Helen

MasterPoo

Swimming at your local council run pools is usually free with a passport for life card (although I personally wouldn't touch them with a barge pole)!

Go to your local library for listings of your local stay and play groups, my neighbour goes to some with her 3 year old and she highly recommends them! They even run a arts and crafts stay and play!

jackyann

Look on your local council's website - they usually list activities and provide links to others. I would suggest that a reasonable activity list with your kids would look a bit like this:
swimming (look at the local pools for parent & child activity times etc, and I'm not sure why MasterPoo wouldn't go in them - I've been swimming in local council pools all my life)
local parks etc.
country park or similar activities - this might involve parking fees, and our local ones do wonderful "nature tots" activities that are free. You might factor in drinks & snacks, but I am mean and take picnic stuff.
I presume by National Trust, you mean these kind of places as your kids are a bit young for most of the other stuff.
library (free)
"stay & play" or "singalong / rhyme time sessions" - usually inexpensive, but you would have to find out local fees.


I would factor in more expensive places 3-4 times a year. Your 3 year old would enjoy some of the child-friendly museums and similar places, and maybe some child-friendly theatre (look for small local groups, not the blockbuster tours!). When my kids were young I completely avoided the expensive "days out". We turned up to every free & cheap offering put on by the local council and are still friendly with others we met at those events!

shortdog

You might find that you can't take both kids swimming at the same time - our local council-run pools have a strict rule that it's 1-1 supervision for kids under 5, so you'd need another adult with you. If yours is different, you'll only pay for yourself, as the kids should be free.
Libraries often do story times, etc, for free.
Mother and toddlers groups - generally really cheap (at ours, you'd be £1.50, and the kids would get a healthy snack and you'd get tea/coffee).
Singalong sessions - a couple of pounds for each child.
National Trust places I would put on hold until they are older, unless you mean the larger country park ones - we have one locally (30 minutes drive) where the kids can spend hours running about, playing on their bikes and scooters, and generally having a ball, without ever going anywhere near the castle. If that's the sort of thing you're looking at, and they're local enough that you'd use it regularly, I'd advise a membership to the National Trust, as it will work out a lot cheaper in the long run.
Check your local council website, and ask your health visitor, as she'll know what happens locally. If you go to baby clinic, ask some of the other mums, as they'll know too.

There are loads of unstructured free things you can do as well - a walk through the woods looking for the Gruffalo, collect stones and shells from the beach and make a picture with them in the garden, treasure hunts in the supermarket (find something red, something with a number 2 on it, and something yummy to go with beans etc) picnics under the table in the kitchen, picnics outside in the rain (my son loves that). Or a whatever happens day - go for a walk, and let the kids choose the direction, or roll a dice, or toss a coin for direction changes, and see where you end up.

MasterPoo

jackyann wrote: »

Look on your local council's website - they usually list activities and provide links to others. I would suggest that a reasonable activity list with your kids would look a bit like this:
swimming (look at the local pools for parent & child activity times etc, and I'm not sure why MasterPoo wouldn't go in them - I've been swimming in local council pools all my life)...!

I'm just a snob and they look dirty!

MrsHunter

shortdog wrote: »

You might find that you can't take both kids swimming at the same time - our local council-run pools have a strict rule that it's 1-1 supervision for kids under 5, so you'd need another adult with you. If yours is different, you'll only pay for yourself, as the kids should be free.
Libraries often do story times, etc, for free.
Mother and toddlers groups - generally really cheap (at ours, you'd be £1.50, and the kids would get a healthy snack and you'd get tea/coffee).
Singalong sessions - a couple of pounds for each child.
National Trust places I would put on hold until they are older, unless you mean the larger country park ones - we have one locally (30 minutes drive) where the kids can spend hours running about, playing on their bikes and scooters, and generally having a ball, without ever going anywhere near the castle. If that's the sort of thing you're looking at, and they're local enough that you'd use it regularly, I'd advise a membership to the National Trust, as it will work out a lot cheaper in the long run.
Check your local council website, and ask your health visitor, as she'll know what happens locally. If you go to baby clinic, ask some of the other mums, as they'll know too.

There are loads of unstructured free things you can do as well - a walk through the woods looking for the Gruffalo, collect stones and shells from the beach and make a picture with them in the garden, treasure hunts in the supermarket (find something red, something with a number 2 on it, and something yummy to go with beans etc) picnics under the table in the kitchen, picnics outside in the rain (my son loves that). Or a whatever happens day - go for a walk, and let the kids choose the direction, or roll a dice, or toss a coin for direction changes, and see where you end up.

Wow thanks for this, love the ideas at the end for the unstructured things x

Peanut2013

MasterPoo wrote: »

Swimming at your local council run pools is usually free with a passport for life card (although I personally wouldn't touch them with a barge pole)!

Do you have any links for the passport for life card? I've had a google but can't see anything

jackyann

MasterPoo wrote: »

I'm just a snob and they look dirty!

Well, I fit right in!
Seriously, as a swimmer, I rarely see a decent size "private" pool - the kind you get at expensive gyms are really only fit for a hamster to swim in. I guess there are a few private pools that are over 25 metres, but certainly not anywhere I have lived.
My mum took me swimming in the council pool when I was a few months old (outdoor, so she had to wait for summer!) and now I teach my grandson in a council pool (indoor, heated, wonderful!). There have only ever been a few weeks of my life (post-birth or post-op) that I haven't swum in one.

jackyann

Peanut2013 wrote: »

Do you have any links for the passport for life card? I've had a google but can't see anything

these are different kinds of carnets/passports / loyalty cards issued by different councils. Just look at your local council site - follow links for swimming and see what they offer.