Holidays cost parents plenty

Published on 21/07/2012 14:43

A THIRD of parents say they expect to be plunged into debt as a result of the expense of the school holidays, according to a new survey.

Parents will see average grocery bills rise by an average of £25.18 per week, according to a study from Morrisons supermarkets. When combined with the cost of entertaining children, the average parent is predicted to be £126.95 in the red by the end of the school holidays while 8 per cent expect to end up between £250 and £500 in debt.

Parents predict spending an average of £31.59 per child per week over the course of the summer holidays on food, entertainment, childcare and days out. Almost one in five parents (18 per cent) say they are dreading the holiday because of money worries, while more than half (53 per cent) say they are more concerned about the financial impact of the break than they were last year.