Stopping the backsliding… a family of four no longer living beyond their means

Sarahwithlove

Great plans for the year and seems the regular meetings are working well for you. 

I'm not a massive fan of all inclusive find the meals are very similar and aimed at people drinking lots orly alcohol. We always did half board as kids on holidays. 

Bluegreen143

Thanks for the thoughts! 

While we won’t be getting smashed, as have the kids with us, Red and I are drinkers so that aspect doesn’t worry me, I think we’d get value for money 🙊. 

Red has found a deal in Gran Canaria he is excited about. The resort comes across as very family friendly - the main things they are advertising themselves on are all the kids’ clubs, kid-centric splash pools, kids’ entertainment, special kids’ buffet etc. So I think it will hopefully be full of other families and not tons of say, stag and hen dos, it certainly seems to be advertising itself on the basis of being a family destination rather than being a prime place for adult partying

Not making the final decision tonight but it ticks a lot of boxes and it’s really good to see Red excited about it as I often feel I “drive” holiday decision-making. 

The price is £3,100ish for the package (inc direct flights from Glasgow and airport transfers to/from the hotel) and it’s the price for a little apartment/suite with a separate living room with sofa beds, rather than just a family room, so the kids wouldn’t be in our room - we decided this is a non negotiable for us as we aren’t early to bed people and like to sit up, have a drink and, ahem, just have some privacy as adults 🤣. One of the child places has indeed been tagged as being free. 

I will check out what the price difference is for half board, though we would definitely need lunch, we are clearly greedy people 🙊🤣 and since we would be then buying drinks I’m not sure we’d save much. But it would give us the option to lunch out at other restaurants I suppose! 

MFWannabe

Personally I would say with children All Inclusive is worth it; it’s hot and the drinks are constantly available; cost can really stack up if you have to buy drinks; ice creams etc 

fionaandphil

We found with the AI and 'child friendly' place we did that it meant that the kids were shuffled off to kids club after breakfast and that the adults then started drinking from about 11.  By 3/4 when we got back from the beach the floors were sticky and a lot of people worse for wear.  The parents weren't in a great state by the time the kids came out of the clubs at 5 and were then irritable from drinking all day.  We had a two week break and I could have happily gone home on day 4.  We ended up going out after breakfast and staying out all day to avoid it - it was the last package holiday we did and worked out one of the most expensive trips we did.

Everybody is different and you have ot choose what is best for you and your family - good luck with the searching!  I hope you find something really fun x

Bluegreen143

Hello all! The holiday search continues. We keep going back and forth on type and location 🤣. I think Red has talked me into trying all inclusive though. It’s probably fair to him to try it at least once, as I’ve never been on that kind of holiday. 

He sent me a deal for a hotel in Rhodes today which may be a winner actually 🤞🏼 it looks really great with fab pools, right on the beach, a separate sleeping area for the kids and a selection of restaurants included rather than just one. Plus the flight times look good. 

We are going to sleep on it anyway - I can’t book it til I check if I can get that specific time off work on Monday, as we don’t have an automated system for annual leave so it involves a chat with my manager. It’s normally ok, just have to make sure I don’t clash with more than one other colleague in our team of four 🤞🏼. 

Had a really nice “date night at home” dinner tonight. I wanted to do something fancy but homemade so went with pork fillet stuffed with feta/sun dried tomato/spinach and rolled in prosciutto, with roast new potatoes and broccoli. Sooooo tasty and Red was full of compliments. 

MFWannabe

Love Rhodes 🌞
I think you should go with Reds choice because normally it is you doing all the finding and booking I believe? He seems to have really taken this ‘challenge’ on board so would be nice to go with his suggestion 

Bluegreen143

Actually he originally found and booked the gem of Scottish place we always go to annually (now four years on) and our Paris apartment last year! Once he gets invested he is very proactive and will tirelessly search til he finds the right place - it’s just tricky to persuade him we should actually go in the first place  😅. I am loving how excited he is about this trip now he’s thought it through. 

Bluegreen143

Have sent a text to my mum and sister suggesting either a spending cap per adult or a Secret Santa next Christmas. Every year it gets bigger otherwise! I got so many lovely gifts this year which I do really appreciate so I really hope it doesn’t offend anyone! But with a new niece or nephew coming too before next Christmas, it seems a good time to broach limiting adult gifts 🤞🏼.

debtfreewannabe321

I used to always go all inclusive when it was my eldest son and I holidayed together (before the other two came along). I would take a friend/sister/ cousin with me too and we'd get whatever was last minute cheap. (Think Teletext days 😆🤣) And we always had fun. My DS could eat eat eat and shovel ice cream in all day. I got to read a book by the sea and he played in the sand all day whilst feeding himself so much he made it worthwhile going 🤣 I never noticed all the drunk people at the resorts we went to? We went to Tunisia, Spain, Greece etc and always had great fun. He wasn't a fan of kids clubs but he went voluntarily a few times. I think you should try it just once and see if you like it.

Good luck setting the budget for next Christmas 🤞🏻 hopefully that will go down well with family and they're secretly all thinking the same as you.

Bluegreen143

zcrat41 said:

Enjoying your updates - you are so organised!!! 

My kids are slightly older than yours and we are really noticing the whole paying for 4 thing versus when one under 2 would go free. We’ve just got back from having a few nights away (I wonder if it’s near you based on a previous post - ‘twas Hydro related!). Brilliant fun but when a diet Coke is £3.95 in the hotel multiply that by 4 and crikey we can spend a lot. No answers or suggestions I’m afraid, just solidarity!  

I meant to reply to this - there are a couple of Hydro this could have been, but if it’s the one I’m thinking of, it is quite expensive - I’ve been there a couple of times! 

I’m guessing that the cost of holidays will only grow as our children do too, given that teenagers eat more and possibly want to do more expensive activities. 

Today’s plan 

We have an impromptu playdate here just now - my friend has dropped by with her two and a child she is babysitting. 

I’ve done pesto pasta, carrot sticks, apple slices and grapes for everyone as a very easy lunch for a crowd and let them all take a pick from the Christmas chocolate/treat box. (I hasten to add, my friend wasn’t expecting me to feed them all, I offered as had to feed myself and the kids anyway!).

Next up we’re going to see Mufasa at the cinema which I’m looking forward to! The kids have been told that they may buy a pick n mix with their own money. I’m personally taking a couple of mini dark chocolate bars I got for Christmas. We’re going to combine the cinema with a trip to the nearby library too. 

Dinner tonight is chicken burritos with salad and we have a Tesco delivery tonight which we’ve managed to keep to the £70 budget for the second delivery in a row 😇. This is £70 twice a week, so I’m aware it’s still a huge grocery budget compared to some, but represents a big saving for us if we keep to it over the whole month. 

My mum and sister have agreed to a Christmas cap on spending but want to set the budget to £100 per couple you’re buying for (or £50 per person if it’s separate gifts for each individual) whereas I’d suggested £30 per person. Think I’ve been overruled as they both agree with each other! Still a reduction on what I spent this year at least. I worked out I spent £78 on my mum and a whopping £91 on my stepdad this year and some of it was flustered panic buying for sure 🙄. All stuff/experiences they will use but I never intended to spend so much but kept worrying it didn’t look like enough.