How to Enjoy Spring Break On a Budget?

^{By Bromwich+Smith Staff | 971 words | Reading Time: 4 minutes and 51 seconds | Date: 2023/03/09}

If you are a parent, you are either looking forward to spring break or dreading the week with the kids at home and not knowing how to manage the kids expectations without going into debt. While everyone will have different experiences of spring break and they will all vary based on your childs age, where you live and what your current financial situation is. The trick is balancing your child's expectations with your budget.

School age children

The first thing to consider Is where your child will be over the school break. Have you made a plan for your child to attend day care, or perhaps you or a family member will be taking time away from work to be with the kids. Any option may affect your monthly budget through lost income or added expenses. As a working parent what options are available to you?

• Have you considered working together with other parents for a community based child care system? Much like a carpool schedule, each family would be responsible for looking after all of the children on one day during the break. This may save you money without the cost of  added daycare or lost wages.
• Are you able to work from home? Many employers are willing to be flexible to work within your schedule. Keep in mind what your limitations are based on your child's age and how much work you can actually get done.
• Lean on family. Asking your childs grandparents for help may be a great opportunity to ask your in-laws to spend some time with your children. Your kids will love the change of pace and grandma and grandpa will enjoy some one-on-one time with their grandkids.
• Daycamps. Many recreational centres will offer weekly spring break camps. Take a look to see what's available but many will book up quickly. There are many programs based on your child's age, and others will cater to their interests like arts and crafts, sports, computer technology and more.

Teenagers

Parents of teenagers likely already know that during spring break their child likely wants to stay at home and veg out all week. The trick is getting your teenager out of bed and doing something active and helpful during the day.

• Part time job. Depending on your child's age this could be a great opportunity for them to earn some spending money. Many recreational centres are looking for seasonal help with day camps and many retail jobs are available for students. If any of your neighbors have younger school age children your teen might be able to help out With child care. You may remember the days when you struggled have to find budget friendly childcare well you worked.
• Household tasks. Spring cleaning is the perfect opportunity for your teenager to help around the house. This could include decluttering the garage, cleaning their room, or finally getting rid of those odds and ends you no longer need. Agreed and centre for your team might be offering them a portion of the sale of any sold used items. You may want to approve what your teenager posts online for sale before they try selling something extra to make more money.

Budget Friendly Activities

We all want to create magical moments for our children have and often feel parent guilt when we aren't able to keep up with the Joneses. What are some budget friendly alternatives if you aren't able to afford heading out of town for spring break?

1. Explore your city. There are likely many activities in your own hometown that you never think of doing. Often these locations are too busy during the summer months or perhaps they've never crossed your radar. Try researching your hometown as a typical tourist would what are the must go to stops local stores, best eats, or hidden treasures. You may be surprised at what you learn about and get excited for exploring where you live.
2. Small town adventures. Research day trips around where you live, many small towns offer unique experiences, great local diners, and a great new perspective. The world's largest truck, spool of thread, or best apple pie maybe less than an hour from your door and you never even knew it.
3. Early Hour Pricing. Take advantage of being able to do activities during the day. Many zoos, museums, movie theatres etc will offer reduced daytime pricing. This may give you an option to see a new movie or experience a park without the typical high-priced tickets.
4. Staycation. Sometimes the best getaway is in your own home. Spending time with your children doing the activities that they want to do will build lifelong memories for them. Consider putting your electronics away no TV's and no computers no tablets or laptops and focus your attention on your family.

Remember that spring break or any holiday shouldn't be putting you into debt. By ensuring you have an updated budget and updated it as things change we all know exactly how much money you have to spend on spring break. If you find that you're in an overwhelming situation with debt piling up unpaid bills and creditor phone calls know that you have options to alleviate this stress. a licensed insolvency trustee can guide you through available debt relief options and put you back on track to rebuilding your financial worth. You are not in this struggle alone and there are resources and options to help you. You still have time before spring break hits to be any good financial situation let's get you back on track today.

If you are facing overwhelming debt, remember that you are not alone. Bromwich+Smith has a number of debt relief strategies to help you regain control of your finances and get your life back on track. Reach out today for a free, confidential, no obligation consultation. Bromwich+Smith’s Debt Relief Specialists are available by phone at 1.855.884.9243, or request a call back at contact us page.