All the extra costs for school kids!!!!!

[Belle5]

Having six sons we have to find places where we feel comfortable saying "no" because most of my time is spent saying "yes" to things we feel are important to their development. I am the first to say that if I had one or two kids I would say "yes" to even more. For example, we paid for all their scouting equipment, high adventure, summer camps and so on--but when they made Eagle Scout we had to say "no" to the Eagle Scout ring for their finger. It seems as if most other Eagles have those expensive rings--but we had to draw the line somewhere. We send mega $$ to help the kids through college each month and right now two of them are seniors at a university where the "ring"(again, those darn rings) is a HUGE part of the tradition. I am sorry--my kids won't be getting a graduation gift from us other than maybe a suit of clothes to interview with. We just have to say "no" to those extras when the basics are killer enough!

I have to chuckle when I think of what the above poster mentioned about the relief you feel when you stop paying for diapers! For us, there was a short period of relief until our kids started playing sports at four years of age.

Let's just say, we didn't have children to increase our bank accounts! They are a huge expense and a huge joy (usually)! It is so rewarding to see them turn into great people and to think that our investment of time, energy and money actually paid off in the outcome of this marvelous human being! That is just worth all the sacrifice!!!

DS6--our baby--started piano lessons yesterday(and his fourth season of soccer)...and so it continues...

 

[iwrbnd]

Let's see - we have 4 who play soccer (1 who plays on 2 teams) 3 who dance (1 four nights a week, plus a private each week, 2 who take gymnastics, 1 who takes tae kwon do, one in theater, 2 with a voice coach ($50 an hour), 1 in brownies, 1 in daisys, 1 in cub scouts, 2 in baseball (1 with two teams), 1 in basketball - I'm estimating close to $1000 a month.

Ds11 is going to Cooperstown this summer with one of his baseball teams ($700), Dd13 is auditioning for theater camp ($2000), and dd8 made irish dance nationals, and will be flying to Orlando in July. Can't wait for the spring, for all of the summer clinics/camps to write checks to! I pay over $500 for VBS alone!

You have to pay for VBS?

 

[iwrbnd]

I used to be the mom that drove my kids to every activity and paid a pretty penny for it. Last year I did an experiment and decided to try "1950's" parenting. Each child got one activity and we were going to mostly be home as a family eating together and hanging out.

The experiment was so sucessful that we're doing it again this year! My family has never been happier and we saved enough extra money to buy DVC, too!

 

[mjkacmom]

You have to pay for VBS?

I'm in the NYC metro are of NJ - we pay for EVERYTHING here! We do get a discount on the cost for the parish we are members of, though. Before message boards, I though I was getting a deal paying only about $75 per child per week!

 

[Crystal0608]

My kids do most of their sports through the Y, so my mom pays the monthly fees. Last year my kids played spring & fall soccer, tball (ds only), advanced instructional swim, and basketball. Registration fees were about $160 for 2 kids and includes the jersey and spent maybe another $100 on new cleats, new bball shoes for dd, new soccer ball for ds, etc. This year, ds wants to play football (rec league-think $30 plus outfit) and dd's friends have joined girl scouts so she wants to do that. Rec football is on the same nights as fall soccer so ds would have to choose. DD wants to do competive swim, but would have to give up bball, so she hasn't decided yet. Before they got into sports, dd was in dance for 4 years (ballet, tap, jazz, tumbling, cheer, hip hop) and ds for 2 (hip hop). I require the kids to be in one physical activity year round and they get to choose one thing at a time.

As far a school, I must be lucky b/c it doesn't cost that much. So far this year I think I've paid (not inc school supplies): $17 ea for 2 yearbooks, $1 box of stuffing for dd to donate at Tgiving, $3 in canned food for ds to take to donate on field trip & $10 worth of used books for another project, and $5 once a month for skate night. PTO pays for field trips and we don't have book fees.

 

[Tnkrbelle565]

Kindergarten can't be too bad with all those extras, right?

Keep laughing because Kindergarten has just as many "$1 for this $5 for that things as the older grades!" If you don't laugh- you'll cry! I am CONSTANTLY sending money in for something

This WEEK alone has been:

$334 for tuition
$280 for afterschool program
$22.50 for lunch (and we are missing a week for Feb vacation!)
2 $1 donations so that she doesn't have to wear her uniform
Nickels for Haiti
$5 for movie night
$3 for the Knowledge Bowl
$100 raffle ticket for a fundraiser.

Yup, that's the first week of the month in Kindergarten and that doesn't included dance lessons, basketball, and swimming lessons

 

[albertamommyof4]

oh wow
well i have 4 kids aged 12, 10, 7 and 3.
I don't have my kids in any actual activities right now as i can;t afford it and they are fine with it( they haven't gone in much).
How ever the school has after school curling for 6 weeks at a time either 1 or 2 times a year for grades 4 to 9 and my 2 oldest went but that was only $15 each lol but you know what they had a blast.
Fr activities for school , yes there is a lot but only do what you can afford, have the kids help decide. We do pennie drive and christmas and yes i just give the pennies that have been saved. For the fundraisers i do buy a bit from each but not excessive, for school pizza days if they do have them more then once a month they pick one.
I know that it will be a lot more once they hit high school so i am bracing myself know lol.
The only one that asks once in a while to go into something is my daughter but her mind changes weekly lol.
Oh and as far as the school year books go our school does them on discs and sell them for $5 so nice and cheap and we get 1 total as i can make compies at home lol

 

[deerhart]

Having six sons we have to find places where we feel comfortable saying "no" because most of my time is spent saying "yes" to things we feel are important to their development. I am the first to say that if I had one or two kids I would say "yes" to even more. For example, we paid for all their scouting equipment, high adventure, summer camps and so on--but when they made Eagle Scout we had to say "no" to the Eagle Scout ring for their finger. It seems as if most other Eagles have those expensive rings--but we had to draw the line somewhere. We send mega $$ to help the kids through college each month and right now two of them are seniors at a university where the "ring"(again, those darn rings) is a HUGE part of the tradition. I am sorry--my kids won't be getting a graduation gift from us other than maybe a suit of clothes to interview with. We just have to say "no" to those extras when the basics are killer enough!

I paid for half of my high school ring and footed the entire bill for my college ring.

My Dh also footed the bill for his college ring (but his was WAY cheaper because he didn't have to pay for a stone, his mother then took the ring and had her engagement diamond set in it).

Due to where he works, he can't wear his ring (and I don't wear mine anymore because its been replaced) so its sitting in a safety deposit box.

 

[MrsPete]

Just a few off the top of my head:
hot dogs on Tuesday
pizza on Thursday
snack concession daily
penny drive for haiti
can food drive around Christmas time
swimming fees
down hill skiing fees
judo
soccor
tee ball
skating
dance class

and soon to come will be:
basketball
hockey

One thing you can't go cheap on is your kids.

It wouldn't be hard to have them brown bag lunch and snacks. That'd save a good bit of money each week.

And there's nothing wrong with saying, "Choose one activity for this semester." NINE sports (counting dance as a sport) is a bit much -- not only for your purse, but for your sanity. You must be running someone somewhere all the time.

 

[Ali]

To the OP

Your school has judo in it - how cool! Where and what gardes and when do they teach? My DH has done judo-taught judo since 1976!

As a pre-k teacher I know the money adds up but I also know that the parents who have chimed in here seem to be doing a heckuva lot more than our population does.

I can't even get a box of tissues from parents.

 

[Belle5]

It wouldn't be hard to have them brown bag lunch and snacks. That'd save a good bit of money each week.

And there's nothing wrong with saying, "Choose one activity for this semester." NINE sports (counting dance as a sport) is a bit much -- not only for your purse, but for your sanity. You must be running someone somewhere all the time.

Hmmm...you may be on to something. Do we know how many children Nelson84 has? I didn't think the list looked that long because my kids are involved in a lot of programs--but spread over the three kids I have left at home. I guess I was assuming the OP had 4+ kids because my schedule looked similar at the time all six of mine were at home. If there are just a couple of kiddos--that's a lot of busyness for them!

 

[irish_trip_mom]

I don't want to be Debbie Downer, but to me, there are two ways to think of it.

First, if it costs so much, like others said, say no. Or limit to one activity.

Second, as a mother to a special needs child, write those checks gladly. I would (and do for my two other children.) My third son has autism and his activities are special needs related (and lets not talk about expense, they are usually triple what I pay for the other two.) But I do it because if it makes him happy and is good for him, I am happy.

I am not trying to make anyone feel bad at all. Just another perspective.

PS. And I have an Irish dancer myself. I don't even tell my husband how expensive it could be if she keeps competing.

 

[iwrbnd]

I'm in the NYC metro are of NJ - we pay for EVERYTHING here! We do get a discount on the cost for the parish we are members of, though. Before message boards, I though I was getting a deal paying only about $75 per child per week!

VBS is Vacation Bible School, right? I've never heard of a church charging for that!

 

[irish_trip_mom]

I don't want to be Debbie Downer, but to me, there are two ways to think of it.

First, if it costs so much, like others said, say no. Or limit to one activity.

Second, as a mother to a special needs child, write those checks gladly. I would (and do for my two other children.) My third son has autism and his activities are special needs related (and lets not talk about expense, they are usually triple what I pay for the other two.) But I do it because if it makes him happy and is good for him, I am happy.

I am not trying to make anyone feel bad at all. Just another perspective.

PS. And I have an Irish dancer myself. I don't even tell my husband how expensive it could be if she keeps competing.

 

[KELLY]

My girls are only allowed one activity at a time. So right now older dd does dance from Sept to May. So in the summer if she chooses she can do something. She usually takes a summer dance class. We just aren't able to run all the time and we don't want to either. Plus I can't spend all that $$.

 

[mom of princessx2]

I used to be the mom that drove my kids to every activity and paid a pretty penny for it. Last year I did an experiment and decided to try "1950's" parenting. Each child got one activity and we were going to mostly be home as a family eating together and hanging out.

The experiment was so sucessful that we're doing it again this year! My family has never been happier and we saved enough extra money to buy DVC, too!

I think that is a great idea. IMO kids can be a bit overscheduled and the amount of homework they have is usually absurd.

Instead you will be able to share many vacation memories for years to come!!

 

[Cindy B]

Like everyone else says, one activity per kid is a great way to go. I was always saying no to things not only because of cost but also a time factor. Who wants
to be running around all over the place because of 2,356 activities? My husband worked nights/graveyard shift for a long time and I was the only one running around doing this.. it wasn't fair or easy for me to be at all the activities at one.

I only have one larger high school expense -- it is my sons band trip to VA Beach this year for a festival. So far there is no other expenses--and I am thrilled!

 

[Shleedogg]

Let's see - we have 4 who play soccer (1 who plays on 2 teams) 3 who dance (1 four nights a week, plus a private each week, 2 who take gymnastics, 1 who takes tae kwon do, one in theater, 2 with a voice coach ($50 an hour), 1 in brownies, 1 in daisys, 1 in cub scouts, 2 in baseball (1 with two teams), 1 in basketball - I'm estimating close to $1000 a month.

Ds11 is going to Cooperstown this summer with one of his baseball teams ($700), Dd13 is auditioning for theater camp ($2000), and dd8 made irish dance nationals, and will be flying to Orlando in July. Can't wait for the spring, for all of the summer clinics/camps to write checks to! I pay over $500 for VBS alone!

voice coaches already?? I don't accept students younger than 12/13. Their voices change so much, there's really not much you can teach them at that age except for proper breathing.

 

[taximomfor4]

PS. And I have an Irish dancer myself. I don't even tell my husband how expensive it could be if she keeps competing.

LOL. My plan is to NOT say what it MIGHT cost in the future. I figure, when and if my dancers "get there", THEN I will run the numbers and discuss with DH what to do and what to skip. In the meantime, we do it "on the cheap" with the money I set aside at the very beginning of each year. Need a new wig? Comes out of the activities fund, NOT the household budget. Sold a pair of hard shoes? The money goes into the activities fund, NOT the household budget.

I still am pretty sure, though, that if one of my children ends up reaching the elite level (in any sport), which is quite unlikely, we will PROBABLY have to back off.

 

[punkin]

voice coaches already?? I don't accept students younger than 12/13. Their voices change so much, there's really not much you can teach them at that age except for proper breathing.

Even 12/13 is a little young. Traditionally the age is 16 (just to make sure everything is fully developed)