How to save money on children during the holidays.

Summer is a nice time to do something with family and friends, but regardless, you have to think ahead of time what to do with children during school and nursery breaks and how to organise their care. Children's camps are insanely expensive, and many of the options that follow have been used with economic well-being in mind.

Grandparents?

It is a completely wrong idea that grandmothers and grandfathers at home should take care of the grandchildren in all those cases when there is nowhere else to put the children. Today's grandparents are very active and enjoy concerts, traveling and spending time with their peers whenever possible, and it is also possible that they work. Don't cause unnecessary tension in your relationship with the grandparents with the sentence: "If you don't take the children to babysit during the break, you're not a grandmother/grandfather and you won't see your grandchild anymore!"

If there is a grandmother living in the countryside, who is willing to take the children with her for breaks, then of course it is nice, but here we should not forget that the grandmother does not have the same energy as 30 years ago and to bath, cook, etc. in the evening, all this is still very tiring. Think about how many times you have skipped bathing your child in the evening because of your tiredness, or made sandwiches instead of a proper warm meal.... If you take the children to babysit, take into account that it should not be free, because she is a grandmother and should take care of the grandchildren and to spend time - as if standard. Grandparents are happy to spend a few hours or half a day on the weekend, but these are not people who provide childcare services. Always pack enough clothes so that the grandparents don't have to do laundry every night. Pack enough food/sweets that your child likes to eat on a daily basis (think of the grandparents' wallet). Even if the grandparents don't want to accept money, sneak money into grandma's handbag or, even more cleverly, in the medicine box (because that's where she can see it right away). To maintain a good relationship with the grandparents, I recommend finding a babysitter who takes care of the child and does exactly as you say (we all know, your rules don't apply to grandparents anyway).

Another mommy?

Reaching out with another mum is such a risky business, because just as you yourself are sometimes tired of everyone and everything, imagine that your friend pushes her children on you - not the most pleasant thing. Of course, there are exceptions, but then you must be prepared for the other mother asking you to babysit her child. But for that, you really need to have someone you trust, and the main thing is that your relationship doesn't go sour because of taking care of the children.

A friend who is childless and working from home?

Why not use a friend who works from home, she is the master of her own time and besides, she doesn't have children to deal with - let her practice if she has children herself one day, even better, write a list of outdoor events and restaurants to visit with the child. People who work from home are actually much more productive, and they appreciate the vibe in their home that lets creativity run wild. Whether your friend is a designer, a writer, or another traditionally office-based role, they are not a person offering childcare services, and often they don't even know how to give first aid to small children, let alone how to split grapes, etc. Therefore, such a crazy idea should be nipped in the bud!

Go through everyone you know?

Visit friends whose lives in an attractive area in the countryside, on an island or in another country. I am completely honest that no one expects tons of guests in their yard to host, feed, house and be a guide.

My busiest times are when others are on vacation, i.e. summer and various school holidays. I have often said no to those who want to "surprise" me by coming to London and thinking of "dropping by" at my place for a couple of days, my answer has always been simply - London is full of excellent accommodation from which you can choose the right one for your family and when you come, we can meet. Well, the latter has never happened, because they are offended enough that I didn't want to host! The real reason is that I don't want to serve others, cook and then clean. If I get home from work at night, I want to have a lie-in on mornings off. I always have things planned in my calendar two or three months in advance. When I go to Estonia, no one has offered to host me on an island or in a country house for a week, maybe because they don’t want to be responsible for a single person who may not be used to family people or their children who wake up early. Besides, I have a whole lot of habits, maybe I go to bed late, maybe I cook at night - when staying someone else home, I can forget such things and should follow other people's rules. It is worth planning and not forgetting to invite others to visit you or to organise something very awesome as a thank you. If you go to a visit, bring toys for the children so that they don't get bored. If you are a big wine and meat lover - bring your own wine and meat, even better if you bring your own food, because the party is "free".

Respect the privacy and home peace of others and don't "forget" to visit for a whole day or even a week. Your friends and acquaintances are not a cheap option for children's camps and spa holidays. Summer is meant for vacation, but if you are constantly driving around and thinking about where or who to go to next, the true essence of the vacation as such disappears and it becomes weeks of unnecessary stress. You will probably be even more tired when you go back to work than when you went on vacation.

It would be much nicer if the summer was left to enjoy time with your family and loved ones, and for example, on some snowy winter day, you would host visitors to talk about your impressions of the summer, bake a cake together and drink cocoa or mulled wine.