We are off on holiday today for a week in the sun, away from the constant grey drizzle that has been around since last summer! I wanted to share some holiday bargains I've found, and some ways I've kept the costing of packing down. I wrote a post a while ago about how to book a holiday on a budget (Going On Holiday Abroad... the Thrifty Way!) so consider this part 2.
Buggy: One item I knew I would have to buy was a lightweight, folding buggy. Our pram is just too heavy and bulky for a flight, and Heather is getting to the age and stage where a buggy is more suitable for her anyway. After shopping around, I chose this buggy from Kiddicare's spring sale- reduced from £59.99 to a very affordable £27.99 (including free delivery!) Borrowing a buggy is of course an even thriftier option- however, since we will continue to use it after the holiday it made sense to buy one of our own.
Baby clothes: Toddlers need a lot of clothes on holiday, even just for a week. Suncream, eating in restaurants, swimming, sand and ice cream mean frequent changes of clothes. Kitting them out needn't break the bank though! Think about buying second-hand- lots of used holiday clothes are in perfect condition, as they have generally only been worn for a week-long holiday! We bought lots of things for Heather is as-new condition, for next to nothing on eBay and in local thrift shops. I've packed lots of handmade baby skirts, so saved money that way too. We cheerfully accepted hand-me-downs from my sister-in-law, and here are a few highlights from Heather's new(ish!) summer wardrobe:
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| Gold Baby Gap sparkly cardi, £2 from Merry Go Round |
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| Beautiful summer set, second-hand from my sister-in-law |
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| Handmade skirts, around £2.50 each to make |
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| T-shirt selection, most around 99p from eBay! |
Toys: Small children have absolutely no concept of how much things cost, or where they came from- if something is fun, it's fun. I opted for lots of small items instead of fewer, larger things, and sourced them as cheaply as I could. This inflatable ball was one of my favourite finds, and at only £1.49 from eBay, including delivery, it's a total bargain. I'll blow it up when we get there, so at present, it takes up next to no room in my suitcase.
While shopping for swimming nappies in Asda, I found these cute mini In The Night Garden cuddly toys, reduced to £4.77 each. Just the right size to pop in our flight bag, I'm excited to see Heather's reaction when she sees them- and I'm hoping they'll make up for the fact I've woken her up at 3:30am to catch a flight!
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| Upsy Daisy and friends, reduced in Asda! |
Sun Cream: I haven't been on holiday for a few years now, what with buying a house and having a baby- but was sun cream always so expensive?! Even taking into account the "buy one, get one free" offers in nearly every store, it was coming in at around £6 for a 200ml bottle. This adds up, considering that we need both factor 50 for Heather and factor 30 for us, and enough to last a week! Aldi came to the rescue with its Lacura brand, at £2.79 a bottle. It actually smells really nice and rubs in just as well as its expensive counterparts.
Trunki: Buying a Trunki in itself is not very "thrifty", as it's not an absolute holiday essential. However, we were given a gift of money from a relative to buy Heather "something for her holidays" and I wanted to choose something that would last her past this one week. This fun ladybird Trunki has been a brilliant choice already- she loves climbing on it and pulling it along, and once she discovers that it's full of toys and books, she'll love it even more. Since she will be able to use it for several years to come, it's worth the money. I shopped around for the best prices online, and bought this one for £34.99 in Kiddicare's spring sale- including delivery.
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| Harley the Trunki, £34.99 from Kiddicare |
I'd love to hear your thrifty tips for going on holiday... go ahead and add them in the comments!
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