swellmomma Posted July 13, 2012 Share Posted July 13, 2012 For us the first thing we budget for is scouting/guiding so service group. After that it is up to the kids whether it is sports or arts. I try to get the kids into some sort of camp each summer. Field trips through out the year. I amy not spend much per year but my kids have had awesome opportunities because most places want kids to have those experiences and will work with you to find a way to let your kids participate by waiving fees, or making a payment plan, or trade volunteer hours for enrollment etc. So my kids have done tons of things even with our meager budget Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dalynnrmc Posted July 13, 2012 Share Posted July 13, 2012 Marking this thread to read responses when I have more time! Hands-down, our first dollar goes to scouting. There's so much variety, the boys really enjoy it, and it's something we as parents (dad especially) can be involved with them very closely in doing. Next, memberships and gas to things like the zoo, museums, library and community events. Also park days and play dates if we have friends to meet! Sometimes that includes an out-of-the-ordinary meal, such as all-day park days when we might splurge on a purchased meal. If there's money and if we are in an area where there is a good co-op available, I lean towards that, again for the variety. It needs to include the basics we look for though: physical activity, music, drama, art. Extras! I would love to do individual things like martial arts, tennis lessons, swimming lessons, art class, dance or gym, a gym membership with extra classes -- but there is seldom, very seldom, room in the budget for those things. I look to a co-op to try to fill some of those wants but don't always get it. When we can't find it where we need it, we leave it out. I'll read up later! <3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tabrizia Posted July 13, 2012 Share Posted July 13, 2012 Sports: DD is doing Gymnastics and a Ballet & Tap class this fall. DS1 will be starting Karate (probably Tae Kwon Do) and may do gymnastics again when he is cleared by his neuro and plastic surgeon, DS2 is starting gymnastics. We also will probably start up swimming lessons again in the spring, right now they just swim with no lessons, we stopped them after DS' accident. Music: DS1 will be starting piano at his request once he starts reading, so hopefully in spring. The other two will get to start an instrument at 5 after they are reading as well. Cultural things: we live outside of DC so a lot of museums and such are free. We'll probably pick up an Aquarium membership for the holidays and maybe a science museum membership as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom-ninja. Posted July 13, 2012 Share Posted July 13, 2012 Our two "must prioritize budget for these" are karate: $150 month both boys combined so $1800 year piano lessons: right now $180-$225 both boys combined (depending on whether it's 4 or 5 lessons a month) so about $2250 a year. The cost is about to go up as they are ready to increase their lessons for a longer time plus they will be adding a Sat. morning class along with once weekly. I think cost is going up $40 per boy per week. field trips and so I don't count as priority so we do them based on whether we can afford them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom-ninja. Posted July 13, 2012 Share Posted July 13, 2012 Btw, the article is basically what Galdwell says in his book Outliers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MiniBlondes Posted July 13, 2012 Share Posted July 13, 2012 This is our first year so we haven't completely figured out what resources and programs are available for art, music, and drama but we will definitely incorporate them heavily at some point. For now this is what we have: Gymnastics/Allstar Cheerleading for DD9 (Averages about $300 per month except during competition season. Then it goes up because of traveling expenses.) Korean Martial Arts for DD7 ($125 not including testing fees and equipment) DD9 wants piano lessons, DD7 wants to do Gymnastics/Allstar Cheer. If they were both in cheer it would end up costing as much as my house payment. :001_unsure: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kelly1730 Posted July 13, 2012 Share Posted July 13, 2012 Our only consistent extracurricular that we spend money on is piano. It will cost $40 a week for both boys starting on September. The boys are not interested in organized sports so no $$ needed there. We do field trips, museums, concerts, plays, etc but hard to pin down financially because they are so sporadic. The boys are gifted in drawing so I think at some point we will pay for private art lessons too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A.Balaban Posted July 14, 2012 Share Posted July 14, 2012 Activities have been a tough thing for us so far (our kids are so young). DS is finally getting old enough to participate. Our priorities for both kids: YMCA Membership + Daycare ($61 a month) Swimming lessons ($65 every five weeks) Gymnastics ($82 every five weeks) There's a local "little gym" type place that offers morning classes/drop in open gym for cheap that we go to occasionally when we need to get out of the house. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmilyK Posted July 14, 2012 Share Posted July 14, 2012 music lessons art cultural activities (theater, symphony, museum visits, etc.) outdoor experiences swimming our priorities too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bamagirl Posted July 14, 2012 Share Posted July 14, 2012 Piano/Voice lessons for DD = $65/month Track for both kids during the spring = $65 for both per season Upward basketball for both kids during winter = $120 for both per season Luckily our church has some awesome choir/acting opportunities that are free We go to Children's theater and orchestra/ballet events = approx $50 for the year So far this summer, I've spent $200 on fine arts camp, basketball camp, and Geodrawing camp We have art classes through our cover that are only $25 per student Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swellmomma Posted July 14, 2012 Share Posted July 14, 2012 Activities have been a tough thing for us so far (our kids are so young). DS is finally getting old enough to participate. Our priorities for both kids: YMCA Membership + Daycare ($61 a month) Swimming lessons ($65 every five weeks) Gymnastics ($82 every five weeks) There's a local "little gym" type place that offers morning classes/drop in open gym for cheap that we go to occasionally when we need to get out of the house. Don't you get free swimming lessons with your YMCA membership? I know when we were in the city that was a big part of why we even got a membership at the Y Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ByGrace3 Posted July 14, 2012 Share Posted July 14, 2012 Gymnastics for dd -- she is on team and cost is ridiculous Ds played soccer last year but will do a different seasonal sport this year Piano for dd (ds will wait another year to begin this) We have a membership to our local imaginarium We spend quite a bit on field trips and classes with our homeschool group (art classes, we will do a Lego engineering class this fall.) Music Together for dd2 and she is begging to start gymnastics but, gah! :001_huh: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
itsheresomewhere Posted July 14, 2012 Share Posted July 14, 2012 Don't you get free swimming lessons with your YMCA membership? I know when we were in the city that was a big part of why we even got a membership at the Y YMCAs charge for everything around here. You have to buy the membership and then pay for the classes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
itsheresomewhere Posted July 14, 2012 Share Posted July 14, 2012 My kids have Dance, Gymnastics, cheer, bowling league year round. Then DD does Tennis and basketball. If I can find a place for DS for swimming club, we will add that. It sounds like a lot but often the kids are in the same place at the same time for classes just different levels/classes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Donna Posted July 14, 2012 Share Posted July 14, 2012 My priorities differ depending on each child's interests. For my oldest it is sports...wrestling. He is currently in public high school so the cost isn't as much as it used to be when I had to pay for year round training at a club and weekly tournaments because now during the season he has training and competition through school but I still pay club dues during the off seasons, camps, and travel for national tournaments. My middle ds is probably my least expensive kid. He plays football through the school...entering high school. He also plays guitar but his lessons are local or through Skype and relatively inexpensive. In summer he does a camp. My most expensive child is my youngest. Her lessons for violin and fiddle plus orchestra, camps, travel expenses, and summer trips overseas for competition cost closer to what a wealthy person can afford and we are no where close to wealthy but we have downsized on other expenses and prioritized her costs because she works hard and enjoys what she does. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mathnerd Posted July 20, 2012 Share Posted July 20, 2012 Korean Martial Arts - $160 per month (excluding testing fees etc) - not negotiable as it is DS's favorite thing ever and he is aiming for a black belt. Swimming - $75 per month (a life skill, so mandatory in our house) Piano - $200 per month (DS enjoys it so much and has a great rapport with his teacher, so not looking for a cheaper option) Summer Sports camp - $200 per week - I am not in my youth and don't have energy to throw the ball around, and DH is always away due to work so cannot contribute to sports, so enrolled DS in summer sports camps to learn the basics of his favorite games. Chess camp - 1 week - $175 - one time expense only as he will be playing at home with parents in the future. Curriculum purchases as well as workbooks for afterschooling - approx $450 per year (some were impulse buys and not strictly necessary and some purchases came as sets and will last us for multiple years, so can be amortized over 2-3 years) We have drastically cut some activities in 2012, and frankly, I am heaving a sigh of relief - these were Gymnastics (@$60 per month - for the past 3 years, but DS has lost interest now), Soccer (@$18 per week for the past 2 years), Intro to Art classes (@$65 per month for the past 1 year- some small motor skill development issues, so not making any progress there). Educational Apps for ipad (used to be impulse buys of around $20 per month, but recently cut almost to nothing). More than the $$$, I grudge the time and effort spent in driving a kid against traffic to so many places, reaching on time and waiting outside to pick him up. That is a killer for me as I am a working mom and the schedule simply drives me nuts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snowstorm84 Posted July 20, 2012 Share Posted July 20, 2012 Sports, definitely #1 (soccer, basketball, tennis, swimming for the boy) (ballet, gymnastics and swimming for the girl) Music #2 although more pricy monthly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sahamamama Posted July 21, 2012 Share Posted July 21, 2012 Our girls are ages 5, 5, and 7. Sports -- We bought scooters and helmets for all three girls. My parents bought them a swing set. We got a small easy-set pool for the summer. So far, the girls have had one season of swimming lessons at the local college, but no other "official" sports or teams. I feel like we probably don't sign them up for enough in this area, because we hate that rushed, running around feeling in the evenings and on weekends. So, I essentially would hire a MUSIC TEACHER, an ART INSTRUCTOR, and a girls' COACH. :) We signed all three girls up last night for fall soccer. Here we go! :willy_nilly: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laughing lioness Posted July 21, 2012 Share Posted July 21, 2012 (edited) ,co-op, lego league Edited July 21, 2012 by laughing lioness Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cornelia9805 Posted July 21, 2012 Share Posted July 21, 2012 Our first priority is our oldest 2 DD's hybrid schooling program. With tuition and books we pay 6-6,500/year so it leaves very little for regular extracurricular activities. Our middle DD is in gymnastics and enjoys it immensely. She is working toward the competitive team. I look for activities through the city which makes things cheaper. My oldest DD has played volleyball for 2 seasons and will be running on a junior high cross country team in the fall. My youngest DD hasn't really had any extracurricular activities, but that is as much her personality as the lack of funds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joyful Posted July 21, 2012 Share Posted July 21, 2012 We are quite fortunate that there are many low-cost and even free programs in our city for the kids. Certainly, many of them rely heavily on charitable giving, so the viability of these programs may change if the economy continues to drag. But, we have easy access to free art classes, a music school that provides financial aid, and low cost organized sports through the city rec. centers. Alsothere's an organization in the city that runs tournaments during the school year with no entry fees, and sponsors chess clubs with free coaching. So, we end up not paying anything (except for the chess sets and clock) to grow our kids' interest in chess. Here are our priorities for money spent on extra-curriculars: - Music lessons - Gymnastics for DD - Baseball (The boys have been playing in a league at the local rec. center that only charges $30 per kid per season.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommy22alyns Posted July 21, 2012 Share Posted July 21, 2012 Sports for us. Rebecca is in competitive gymnastics and Sylvia is just in rec classes. Competitive is very $$$$, so we can't do much else. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.