www.iva.co.uk

my son just came home asking if it was possible to go on skiing trip- £750 and needs paying via instalments by summer 08.I feel terrible that my spending habbits mean he can't go with all his mates.Has any other parent been able to fund a school trip whilst in an IVA? Cat

Oh Cat. The trouble with these school trips is they cost more than the average trip as well. They should have given more time. I imagine it could be done if you got loads of overtime but really hard for just a few months.

Ang

...I know.The cost of all the ski hire and of course the fundss to be on holiday would take the cost to nearly double that.He goes to 'a very good school'.Church attendance a must for entry and lots of competative parents there (obviously same educational standard as private, hence our choice, but comes with lots of rich parents who can avoid private fees) Should have known we were up against the impossible when a parent offered a week in thier American villa as a raffle prize at our first parents evening.I had been contemplating if we had any bottles of whisky that we could hand in, and feeling quite generous at that[:I]We have never been on a ski holiday as a family.We're not energetic enough I think! Think we might have secured a Sun Holiday for the Oct half term ( they have cashed my £38 cheque)..not quite the same thing though? Cat

hi Cat
I worry about things like that also, dreading the day my 13 year old asks!!

It is hard and my daughter is at a select school with lots of students with well off parents! Well she is going to Belgium in July for WW2 History trip, I have been taking in £10 per week, I've still got £50 to pay and now the boiler quote is far more than I thought it was going to be, but I can't let her go without. I'm sure they go skiing in yr11 she's only in yr9 at the moment, I won't be able to afford that...fact. She does know we're experiencing financial difficulties, told her and not older son! Bizzare but she is very level headed.

I've been selling stuff on e-bay for our holiday this year - no idea what i would sell to raise £750 though!!

actually ebay is a good idea, plus car boots.I have just spoken to my mum though and she saying she will fund half of it.Bless.He is the favorite grandson !!!

Parents are wonderful things to have, i've been struggling with half term, £5 for cinema, £3 for swimming, £10 for ice skating
My daughter has managed to spend my whole months emergency fund in 1 week!!!

Even when I wasn't in an IVA I always discouraged my children from going on these kind of school trips ... even though I apprecaite it is hard. But I do think that it is precisely this kind of 'demand' on both ourselves and our young that puts unrealistic financial demands on us ... and, ultimately them. And I think that we have to teach our children to be realistic about what they and us can and cannot afford in life. In my days at school we all looked forward to the charabanc trip to the Isle of Wight that was paid for out of school funds!

Essentially, such trips are merely a free meal ticket for the teachers ... of what educational value is a skiing trip?!!

I know it's hard ... but the value of money is most successfully instilled in us when we are young.

Debbie

I completely agree with that comment Debbie. We are setting benchmarks for our children at an early age which subjects them to unfair peer pressure. In my day it was a trip to Barry Island on the bus if you were lucky!

I have been fairly lucky, our oldest never wanted to go on trips away from home and the 2 girls understood that it just wasnt affordable so didnt get too much grief.
I agree though, it is hard when they have to be refused things

Melanie ... your reminiscing reminds me of that song ... "Didn't we have a lovely time the time we went to ..." ... but I can't for the life of me remember where they went!

Debbie

Bangor! And the Bangor in Northern Ireland and not the one in North Wales!

Bangor!

You beat me to it Melanie!