Surviving the school holidays on a budget

It’s hardly surprising the terms ‘surviving’ and ‘school holidays’ are often used in the same sentence. Keeping the kids entertained can be difficult at the best of times, and near impossible if you’re trying to budget after the wallop your wallet took during Easter.

Here are five strategies to survive the school holidays in one financial piece:

1) Keep it local

Head online and check out the school holiday programs run by your local library or museum. These programs are packed with activities the kids will love from movie nights and craft sessions to treasure hunts, just without the exorbitant prices.

Local bushwalking trails and parks are also great destinations for school holiday fun and limiting screen time during those couple of weeks.

2) Eye out deals

Subscribe to keep ahead of any coupons and school holiday deals offered by online sites such as Groupon and Scoopon. Depending on which state you live in, you may be able to score massive discounts on movie tickets, horse-riding lessons and arts classes.

3) Get crafty

Bring out their creative genius with a day of painting and paper mache. Most of the materials you’ll need such as toilet rolls, string, paper plates and PVC glue may already be laying around the house or can be bought cheaply and reused.

And if you’re worried about the messy aftermath, it isn’t much of an effort to head on outside for an arts and crafts session.

4) Role play

Get the kids to have a go at being a Masterchef with an hour or two in the kitchen whipping up homemade pizzas and decorating cupcakes. With a quick online search, you’ll be able to find plenty of recipes that are both delicious and kid friendly.

Once your aprons are off, put an eye patch on and organise a treasure hunt by burying a small bounty in the backyard and creating a map for the kids to find it. Ahoy!

5) Backyard camping

Got a tent, sleeping bags and a couple of torches? Go on a camping trip in your backyard! What’s even better than scary stories and toasted marshmallows is the added bonus of access to a bathroom and running water.

Do you have any other fun activities to add to the list? Please share in the comments below.

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25 Comments

- - mom486197 said
  - 29 Aug 2024
    4:06 pm
some really great tips and a great read in the lead up to school holiday’s approaching in 3 weeks. I put money aside for these things but still find i spend too much. I need to get more savvy.

- - meedee said
  - 27 Jul 2021
    11:05 am
I always loved the school holidays. If we could afford it we went somewhere but if not we stayed home and made our own fun.

- - rachelvk said
  - 09 Jul 2019
    11:01 pm
Surviving! Lol. Some great tips here; thanks.

- - serotonin said
  - 03 Jul 2019
    9:56 pm
Great ideas! I am enjoying any day that isn’t raining when we are able to go outside.

- - Carly said
  - 02 Jul 2019
    11:35 am
since it will be cold and wet we are going to be chilling out together spending quality time because Mummy has time off work!!

- - mom129591 said
  - 01 Jul 2019
    10:40 pm
There are free activities you can do. Buy a packet of popcorn and ice-cream and have a movie day at home instead of paying at the movies. Improvise and set up a picnic out the back. Check with your local community centres and check google free activities for your state/home.

- - mom94125 said
  - 05 Oct 2017
    1:30 pm
time costs nothing take the kids swimming at the beach which is free, to the park, have a movie night outdoors, buy a storage container and fill it with some cheap craft items to keep the kids amused. Turn on the sprinkler and let them play in it.

- - mom101628 said
  - 15 Sep 2016
    9:34 pm
Beaches, parks, camp outs in the back yard and surprise sleep overs – all at no cost and guaranteed to keep children happy and worn out by being out in the fresh air.

- - rovermum said
  - 12 Sep 2016
    8:59 am
Parks. Always parks. Most towns have them, and you can venture out for the larger ones. And Shopping Centres always have some free activities whether it’s a performance or a craft area. You can travel to close by towns for different options.

- - mom134803 said
  - 09 Sep 2016
    4:21 pm
nice ideas !
We always do a lot play dates, sleepovers, picnics in the park, groupon deals, cooking and baking and crafting.

- - deb_gs said
  - 09 Sep 2016
    2:41 pm
I haven’t got the space for backyard camping but indoor or backyard picnics are a good substitute.

- - mom64356 said
  - 08 Sep 2016
    8:06 pm
That’s funny, I just posted this question about 5 minutes ago. Great ideas, I’ll definitely do a few of these. Thanks. Cheap and fun!

- - ella12 said
  - 24 Aug 2016
    4:45 pm
These are such great ideas for kids.

- - Melissa89 said
  - 26 Jul 2016
    4:35 pm
All really great ideas. Doing craft is a fun idea

- - mom92217 said
  - 15 May 2016
    4:23 pm
Love these tips we will def be trying these thank you

- - mom62624 said
  - 24 Apr 2016
    8:12 am
Thanks for sharing these great tips; the little one’s are always big on arts and crafts, a family favourite!.

- - jodiev1980 said
  - 12 Apr 2016
    12:56 pm
Some good tips here. We are definitely on a budget at the moment unfortunately!

- - rovermum said
  - 11 Apr 2016
    11:09 am
With a teen boy at home for nearly 3 weeks, I certainly noticed my wallet getting a good workout. Trips to the city with friends, just hanging out at home with friends (required many trips to the supermarket to restock food), buying DVDs to watch… it was very costly. Throw in a birthday party or two, and my son’s social life was ridiculous. I tried to ensure he ate more at home, rather than out to save on money; and opted for DVDs at home vs movies etc.

- - sharna_booth_weinrowski said
  - 10 Apr 2016
    12:48 pm
Thank you for sharing!!!

- - mom134803 said
  - 10 Apr 2016
    2:23 am
We do lots of craft sessions and picnics & parks as well, play dates and catch up with friends and not to forget fruit picking at local orchards is also always a nice activity. I receive “what’s on” via the library and Sydney for kids per email and go trough it regularly to look for nice activities.