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NADIYA’S KITCHEN TABLE
SUMMER HOLIDAYS ON A BUDGET NADIYA'S KITCHEN TABLE This long school break needn’t be pricey
Summer holidays can be a really expensive time for families. I feel so lucky if we can go away just once a year, whatever the trip, wherever the trip. Our first family holiday happened once we’d had all three of our kids. It was the kind of trip where we needed buggies, nappies and an extra hotel room that we never used.
The one thing I was never told about having a third child was that finding a room for five is near impossible. Not that I would change my third baby for the world, she is definitely worth the price of an overpriced room we never use!
The actual holiday itself is the best bit; we save all year to make sure we can have the best time away without worrying about the cost. My husband always deliberately overestimates so that when we’re left with money in our pockets on the way home, we feel like we’ve won the lottery. But the real challenge is filling the time around the holiday – when the kids have no school work to keep them busy – that can be a struggle.
With two parents working, it’s always about finding the balance.
top tips Create your own cinema experience
Help the kids whip up some easy banoffee popcorn by stirring crushed banana chips and dulce de leche into popped corn and enjoy with a movie.
Get crafty
Find out how to make playdough with everyday ingredients using an easy, online recipe and let the kids get creative.
Everything we do together is weather dependant. If the weather is nice, we wake up early, play in the garden, pack a picnic, go on a bike ride, stop off for our picnic, then we get the barbecue on for dinner. I always have a massive batch of chicken and veg skewers in the fridge – they can be cooked from frozen and taken out as and when.
I hate it when my kids say ‘I’m bored!’ so to avoid hearing these words, we play board games, watch movies, or have an indoor picnic and invite all the teddies. For dinner, we plan a menu together and spend hours cooking it. Then we end our evenings by camping out in the living room.
Holidays can be scary. Our kids spend weeks at school, organised and entertained. It’s daunting to think we can’t match the skills of a well organised teacher. But it really doesn’t have to be scary or expensive.
Kids only want our time and we just have to find different ways of giving it to them that don’t cost the world.
