budgeting for outings

[toddlers896]

I know we will all be different depending on how many hours etc we do but just curious how much you put a side for outings each month.
I have never had a budget, I just spend, spend, spend but ime now thinking I should be putting away so much each month and then once its gone its gone, no more outings for that month. Any money we don't spend can be put towards the summer months when we tend to do more expensive outings.

[hectors house]

I put a summer trips donation box on the inside of my front door - parents & grandparents have been so generous this year - I've had over £40 in it which has meant I can afford to take mindees on trips I wouldn't normally consider. The £40 won't cover all the trips but will top up my budget. You do need to be careful not to go on too many trips though as the parents and children will come to expect them all year round and it's important to spend some time at home to do some observations on things that you can't do while out.

[samb]

I only plan paid for outings as real treats in the school holidays. Most trips are free. Sometimes I choose ones that are really low fee. I charge the parents for this but ask them in advance if they are ok. If not I wouldn't go. This summer we have only done 1 thing to pay for which was a lunch out as we had been having so much fun I lost track of time- I paid for this as it was totally my choice. I would say I spend around £2-£10 a year per child on trips.

[Maza]

I'm a big meanie and don't do trips. We have lots of free things near us which I make the most of. We also have a fabulous SureStart centre that has exciting on site events and visitors for free. I don't work Thursdays and Fridays and so I go on lots of trips then with DD. My children are part time and so they can spend the time that they are not with me going on trips with their parents. I have one child who needs a big nap and only in his cotbed and so fitting in a trip around that would be difficult. If he doesn't get his sleep he would be impossible and ruin the trip for everyone else. Mostly though, it is down to cost and stress levels. x

[bunnyjess]

Wow I think I must spend too much. I have a membership to a wildfowl and wetlands tryst near me that's £60 a year and membership to an arboretum that's £33 a year. I take full advantage of this though. Ive been going to a lot of free things this summer so haven't spent too much but I am planning on going to a trip to the zoo maybe. I've also gone to a few soft play places. In the term-times I go to toddler groups nearly everyday also.

[shortstuff]

I generally only go to places where parking is the only cost. I fund this myself as it is miniscule. I have however taken 2 under 3's to longleat with OH and DS so it made for a great day out for all of us :-)

[hectors house]

I have annual pass for Longleat which costs me £81 as a local resident - all the children are trained to say they are 2 - some of the older children have got their own passes (as they also go with their parents).

I have a 4 year old (just 4), a few weeks ago I said to her "When we get to Longleat how old are you?" "She replied 2" I said "you can tell them that its your birthday soon, if you like", to which she replied "And how old will I be then?" !!

[shortstuff]

I have annual pass for Longleat which costs me £81 as a local resident - all the children are trained to say they are 2 - some of the older children have got their own passes (as they also go with their parents).

I have a 4 year old (just 4), a few weeks ago I said to her "When we get to Longleat how old are you?" "She replied 2" I said "you can tell them that its your birthday soon, if you like", to which she replied "And how old will I be then?" !!

I love it. The one problem with that would be the one time I tried it DS told the man I was just saying it to not pay lol.

[hectors house]

I love it. The one problem with that would be the one time I tried it DS told the man I was just saying it to not pay lol.

I tell the children it's just a little joke we play on Longleat and that Longleat think it's funny. I used to years ago buy a child's passport ticket (meant child could do everything once) and share the ticket amongst the 3 & 4 year old mindees but now you have to have an individual annual pass with their photo on or just buy a day ticket - sometimes we just pop over for a couple of hours as young children get too tired and need a proper nap.

[shortstuff]

I wish I lived close enough I love the place and ds still has a big mouth too lol x

[loocyloo]

I have annual passes for local zoo/theme park, sealife centre, forest and English heritage, plus usually one of the local museums.

having written it down it seems a lot, but I get a couple of them on a very good deal ( cheaper than one adult going once! ) and all mindees under 4 are free! plus for the forest its just to cover parking and English heritage I can take 6 children under 18 in for free, where as a non member you pay for each child!

so usually my day out costs are parking and then lunch/ice creams if that's what we are doing! oh, and petrol

I try in the holidays to do mainly free days out with maybe a couple of 'different' trips every couple of weeks. but as I generally only have EY during the holidays its my own children who cost me the money!

I have had parents give me money to buy everyone an ice cream, or one mum paid for everyone to have a donkey ride at the beach !

[covgalxxx]

I just started minding, most of the places I can go to are free but still have to pay to get the bus and the train, I brought a friends and family pass for the train £20 instead of £30, the only big trip I can do is a sarfai park, as a bus can take you there from the train station, it's something I plan to do next year, so most places I can do are museums there are a few in Liverpool , I live right next to a park , or catch the train to another big park, bus to a free farm, I live 10 mins from the beach, I do find I will have to go out more for older children, as my house is too small, don't have a playroom just living room and kitchen and small garden.., but my little ones we can stay in my area..

[bunyip]

I agree with Hectors House: I find managing expectations to be far more important than managing the budget where outings are concerned.

I try to include a good range of outings, from local toddler groups and children's centre, to museums, etc. (free to enter, but the transport costs money), up to occasional special outings to larger attractions with a significant admission charge.

I pay for pretty much all of these. With the larger attractions, I very occasionally ask parents to make a part contribution if that means the difference between going and not.

Most parents are good as gold and offer to pay even though I don't ask. But 1 or 2 do tend to take the wee-wee over trips. Fr'instance I had words with one whom I found out was posting on FB that she didn't need to waste money taking her lo out anywhere cos Bunyip takes them everywhere. I don't see my outings as substitutes for them having proper family outings, especially when they can afford them more than I can.

This year, I've tried to make the most of the school holidays, cos I have the children for longer in the day. Term time has been problematic, with midday pick-ups every day, so we've been very limited. The real nuisance has been one particular mum moaning that we don't do enough trips. It's galling, cos it's her child that was the term time lunchtime pick up, so she's stymied us all year, and she's also the one who needs 'flexibility' in the holidays. I've had to point out to her that it is her constant short-notice changes of days/times that have made summer planning virtually impossible. Add to that, the fact that her DD is the one who needs the most watching or sh'll run off when we're out. To make matters worse, she is one of the clients I picked up from another local CM who used to charge for every last little thing: including making a small profit by "passing on" toddler group fees at a higher rate than she actually paid.

[mama2three]

I picked up from another local CM who used to charge for every last little thing: including making a small profit by "passing on" toddler group fees at a higher rate than she actually paid.

And then no doubt put it through expenses as well!!

[bunyip]

I picked up from another local CM who used to charge for every last little thing: including making a small profit by "passing on" toddler group fees at a higher rate than she actually paid.

And then no doubt put it through expenses as well!!

Naturally!

I've had several enquiries from mums who hastily signed up with her and then repented when they discovered what she's really like. She tried to make one buy her a new double buggy. The mum protested the child was 3yo and could walk just fine if given time so no need for pushchair. Problem is the CM had to cover ground very quickly and couldn't wait for the child to walk at his pace (has asthma attacks if rushed.) The CM does school runs on foot to 2 different school. She leaves them at the gate of the first one then dashes off to get to school number 2 before the bell sounds. I've no idea how she gets away with this. She even leave infants (as young as reception children) at the gate, and they're supposed to be attended until the bell goes - I can only assume she gets some other mum to "keep an eye on them"?

Scary.

[Chatterbox Childcare]

I build in £7.50 per week (including food) for each 1-5 year old and this will cover soft play or something else in the holidays. For the over 5's I charge 14 weeks @ £10 per week which covers school holidays and a teacher training week.

If parents take their children out it will cost them a lot more than this and they are all happy to pay. It is swings and roundabouts with the costs, sometimes I win, sometimes I lose, mostly I lose! I still get it when we are on holidays/they are on holidays so at the end of the year everyone is happy.

We recently went to Legoland and I asked the parents for the cost, otherwise we wouldn't of gone. Took 14 children, all paid. I am hoping to take two children to Harry Potter World at the end of the month and when I asked dad if the £25 was okay, his reply was "definately and then I don't have to go"! Not all parents could afford this and if it was a problem I would make different plans.

Don't be afraid to offer something that is "not considered normal", when you explain parents understand.

[toddlers896]

Oh dear I hate to think what ime spending after reading some of these. During term time we go to toddler groups and most are only a £1 or so butt during the summer holidays we go everywhere. As well as entry fees and fuel we always have a coffee and sometimes a naughty cake so it can all add up. I pay for everything as I include outings in the price.

[jadavi]

I've just done our summer field trip treat in the car and including petrol it cost £25 in all. I try to do two a year and it costs £25-35 each time (theatre. Soft play)

[smurfette]

I ask parents for ten euros a month towards trips.. Most weeks we do one or two toddler groups, (usually three euros for all of us) but we also do a music class once a fortnight which is 6 euros per child and if we do soft play at least once a month it's 5 per child. I say I subsidise the rest... Some months I feel bad if I don't feel a particular child gets their ten euros worth (all part timers so hard sometimes to make it work!) but other months parents forget to pay and I don't often remind them or we use more petrol going further afield in holidays. Further afield trips are usually free (zoo we have a pass but I guess parents appreciate it goes towards this) botanic gardens, castle etc

I do sometimes wonder if parents ever tot it up., for example if we have a month where we don't get out much due to a new starter or Los teething do they wonder where it has gone but I am the only minder around here who takes them out so much and this is why parents use me, some of them probably don't know cost of toddlers as never go anyway! They don't seem to mind paying a bit and I always mention it alongside the question of how much I charge