Money Diary: 'When the kids are off you end up spending more'

My Money explores how people across the UK manage their spending in a typical week.

As prices rise, BBC News has been hearing about their ways of cutting costs and the financial choices they have to make.

Janine Marsh is a radio presenter. She was laid off work during the pandemic and has been freelancing ever since. She brings in about £2,000 per month, but her income can be irregular.

She lives with her husband - who is starting a business - and their two children. Their monthly mortgage payment is £996.00 per month. They also pay £130.00 for energy, £42.00 for water, £139.00 for council tax and £59.73 for a Sky subscription.

Janine's job situation has meant a big change for the family. She can no longer save and has to stick to a strict budget.

The kids are on school holiday, so I need to keep them entertained.

I've been taking advantage of the Easter sales to buy things we need. I picked up 10 pairs of underpants in Asda for £4.80 for our youngest boy, saving £1.20.

We went to Sports Direct to buy outdoors shoes for the kids for £5.99.

We're eating together as a family tonight, so I bought some flowers for Mum for £6.00 at Asda. She deserves a treat because she really helped us out last week when our little boy had his tonsils and adenoids out.

I spent £16.79.

Over the weekend, we spent money on an Easter trail, so we're trying to keep the costs down today.

Janine tried to keep her kids entertained during school holidays without breaking the bank

The weather was nice, so we dashed out to the park in the morning. I use vouchers, coupons and promotions for little treats like coffee, or eating out.

We needed some food from Tesco so I tied it into the day out. I spent just under £15.00 on bits for tea. I bought the kids a slice of pizza and a sausage roll for £3.55 at Greggs. My coffee was free from my O2 app so that kept me going until we got home.

My £13.49 gym membership went out today. A woman came round to buy a post box shape sorter I sold on Facebook for £3.00.

Today's total spending was £32.04, but I made £3.00.

My husband took the kids to the cinema this morning because I needed time to shoot some videos. I opened The Thrifty Family blog and Tiktok account back in October to talk about the financial challenges we face. This brings in around £1,600 per month.

We had two free tickets on our Vitality Life insurance app so I paid £5.99 for one ticket and we took our own snacks in. I had my MoT today and thankfully the car gods were with me. It cost £54.00 and everything was ok. We bought the car on finance and we pay £205.00 per month. It won't be paid off for another couple of years.

I sold a portable high chair booster seat today on Facebook marketplace for £5.

In total, I spent £59.99 today and made £5.

I organised a trip to Grandma's for the kids today. In the past I would have probably booked a holiday somewhere, but now we've got to stick to budgets.

She kept costs down by organising outdoor activities with her sons

I managed to get my hair cut - the first time I've had chance to go since January. It cost £35.00 for a cut and blow dry. I colour it myself and spend a fiver every couple of months.

This is turning out to be an expensive week. My spending today was £35.00 plus £3.00 tip.

It was big shop day today. The Tesco delivery arrived and it cost £139.88. We pay £7.99 for a delivery saver every month which means I can track how much we spend each week and there's no temptation to load up the trolley with things we don't need. If we run out in between we go to Aldi.

It rained all day in Manchester, typical in the school holidays. I took the kids for lunch to M&S because kids eat for free. It cost £19.51.

We spent a total of £159.39 today.

I met some friends today. We all live in different parts of the country so Birmingham was the middle ground.

I made sandwiches for the train to save on money and took a bottle of water with me. I had an iced coffee for £3.50. My train ticket cost £36.29.

We wandered around town then headed to Dishoom for food and cocktails. We split the bill and it's was £50.50. I also had a cheeky beer in Wetherspoons for £2.69.

In total I spent £92.98.

Today was the first day this week that we didn't spend any money.

The kids wanted a pyjama day so we watched films and ate Easter eggs. I think shared experiences are all that matters. You don't have to throw loads of money at things. Time is the nicest gift that you can give people, especially your kids.

Janine's train journey was cheaper because she bought tickets in advance

My total week's spending was £399.19 excluding my regular costs and extra income from selling things.

When you break it down day by day, it seems crazy. But this wasn't a normal week for me. When the kids are off you end up spending much more money.

I hope people realise that there are ways to still enjoy your life without having to fork out loads. Promotions, vouchers and apps can bring the price down. When you're doing it everyday it really adds up.

As told to Yazmina Garcia. Design by Jenny Law.

Would you like to share your weekly spending with BBC News? If you're living in the UK, email [e-mail].