How to Survive the School Holidays Without Overspending
School holidays can feel expensive before they’ve even begun.
Extra food.
Extra activities.
Extra outings.
Extra everything.
And while it’s lovely to plan days out and make memories, the pressure to constantly be doing something can quietly drain your budget — and your energy.
The good news?
You don’t need a packed calendar or a big spending pot to have a good school holiday.
Here’s how to survive the school holidays without overspending — in a way that still feels fun, relaxed and realistic.
1. Decide Your Holiday Budget First
Before you plan anything, set a rough budget.
Even something simple like:
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£50 per week for outings
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One paid activity per fortnight
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Mostly free days with one “yes day”
Having a number in mind removes guilt and impulse spending.
It also helps you say no confidently — because you’re sticking to your plan, not just reacting in the moment.
2. Plan “Home Days” After Paid Days
If you do a trip to soft play, a cinema visit or a day at the farm park, follow it with a no-spend home day.
Children don’t need big outings back-to-back. In fact, calmer days at home often help regulate the excitement.
You can build simple structure into home days (I share an easy rhythm in my school holiday routine post) so they don’t feel endless.
3. Use Your Local Library Properly
Libraries are wildly underused during school holidays.
Most offer:
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Free craft sessions
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Story time
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Reading challenges
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Lego clubs
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Holiday activity sheets
It’s warm in winter. Cool in summer. Free all year round.
And you can combine it with a park visit for a half-day outing without spending a penny.
4. Childcare Swaps with Friends
If you trust another family, try swapping days. This is one we do occasionally with a friend who has children the same age as mine.
You take their children for a morning.
They take yours another day.
The kids look forward to those days as they get to spend it with their friends, and for me it’s actually easier looking after 4 children who happily play by themselves, then just my 2 who both want to do different things and inevitably end up arguing over something.
It gives:
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Children novelty
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You breathing space
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Zero childcare costs
Even one swap per holiday can make a huge difference.
5. Check Local Facebook & Community Groups
Local Facebook groups are gold during school breaks.
Search for:
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Free events
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Community fairs
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Church fun days
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Library pop-ups
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Craft mornings
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School PTA events open to all
There are often free or low-cost activities happening that you simply wouldn’t know about otherwise. It’s also a great way to get to know your local community and make new friends.
6. Park Picnic Dates Instead of Café Stops
Instead of having expensive café and impulse coffee shop snacks, try packing a picnic, bring a flask and meet a friend at the park. Even basic sandwiches feel more exciting outside. I like to take my kids shopping the day before so that they can pick a few picnic items themselves. It helps with the build up and excitement of the day and it reduces the request for treats while we are out. They can choose a treat each at the supermarket to take with them on the picnic instead.
7. Always Carry a Snack Box
This one saves us every time.
Before you leave the house:
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Fill a snack box
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Pack water bottles
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Decide spending limit before you go
I will often give the kids a spending limit for the day. They can decide how to spend that budget, so they know that they may be able to buy an ice cream while we’re out, but there won’t be another treat. It gives them agency and allows you to stick to your budget without drama. If old enough to make sensible choices, let them choose a thing or two to go into the snack box too.
It also avoids that last-minute convenience shop dash.
8. Look for “Kids Eat Free” Deals
Many UK restaurants run school holiday promotions where children eat free or for £1 with a paying adult.
A quick online search before heading out can turn a £60 lunch into a £20 one.
If you build this into your “one paid activity” plan, it feels like a treat without wrecking the budget.
9. Make Free Attractions Feel Like Events
Free doesn’t have to mean boring.
Try:
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Free museums and galleries
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Nature reserves
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Woodland walks
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Local beaches
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Town trails
You can even make it themed:
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Photo challenge
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“Mini explorer” badges
Many larger museums also offer virtual tours if you’d rather stay home. For example, you can explore parts of the British Museum online via Google Arts & Culture — which is perfect for a rainy afternoon.
10. Plan No-Spend Days Intentionally
Instead of “we’re stuck at home because we can’t spend money,” shift it to: “Today is a home day.”
Home days might include building blanket forts, garden play, low-level baking, movie morning or craft trays. You could try out a Boredom jar challenge
When you label it intentionally, it feels calmer.
If you need simple ideas for those slower days, my Low-Energy School Holiday Days post is full of manageable options.
11. Sell Before You Spend
Before the holidays start:
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Sell unused toys
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Declutter outgrown clothes
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List baby items
Even £50 made beforehand can fund:
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A special outing
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Ice creams without guilt
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A cinema trip
It’s not about earning loads — just creating breathing room. It’s also a great incentive to declutter a little. If you want some more decluttering inspiration, I share more tips in my spring decluttering post.
12. Remember: Children Need Time, Not Tickets
The pressure to fill every day usually comes from us.
Children are more likely to remember the time they had picnic lunches on the floor, built a blanket fort and stayed up slightly later or when they went on a bike ride in the evening or helped bake simple cakes. They don’t remember the price tag.
They crave your time and attention. We often just all sit at the dining table and colour together. Mandalas are great for that. It’s a quiet hour or so we all spend together without expending a huge amount of energy or cost.
If you’d like a calm way to loosely map out your holiday without overscheduling (or overspending), I use a very simple printable planner to see our week at a glance — just enough structure to avoid chaos, without turning it into a timetable.
A Final Thought
School holidays don’t need to look extravagant.
They don’t need:
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A packed calendar
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Constant outings
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Expensive attractions
They need:
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Some rhythm
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Some connection
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Some breathing space
With a little planning and a clear budget, you can enjoy the break without that creeping financial stress.
You don’t need to do everything.
You just need to do enough 💛
