How Much Do You Pay For Dance, Piano, Sports, Etc., For Your Kids?

[jeffemy]

DS guitar lesons $675 for the school year (guitar-$375, music
books-varies $15-$30, amplifier-$50)

DD soccer- $40 season
lacrosse- $60 season ( stick-$100, cleats-$35,mouthguard
$5, goggles-$60)
horse-back riding lessons-$25 a week for 1 hr lesson,( helmet
$60, boots- $50)

She hasn't started show-riding yet, when that begins we'll need to purchase the show clothing which is pretty expensive.

DD really wants us to buy her a horse , but we told her we'd have to win the lottery first!

 

[Mimi Q]

$130/month for gymnastics. Older DD is on the team, so that is for 11 1/2 hours/week.

 

[Lynn CC]

$150/month for Kung Fu lessons.

Each sash they get there is an addtional charge of $50 for the test.
Sparring Equip. shoes, uniforms, tunics, staff, weapons etc....Expensive because they have to have the Academy's Logo on them, so you can't buy your own bargain brand.
Kung Fu gets very serious as they get older!

Then there's golf,...greens fees,outfits, equip...etc.... about $300 a year after golf club purchase.

Trumpet, initial $800 for Bach trumpet which has lasted 7 years so far, then uniforms for marching band, concerts etc.

Baseball was the least expensive over the years! Glove, shoes, bat and team fees, probably a couple hundred a year if that.

 

[CookieGVB]

Music/band is through the schools, so it's free!

I thought my son wanted to take dance lessons, but his friend isn't, so now of course he doesn't want to do it. That would have been $32/month.

 

[laurie31]

Originally posted by MELSMICE

So, I feel that if they enjoy the activity, whether it costs a lot, or is a free clinic that they go to - what's the difference. Don't worry yourself about having equal costs for each child. Like I said, this is something that probably bothers parents more than anything else.

I agree. I read something in a parenting book about being "equal" vs. being "fair." The example was if one child needs new shoes, you buy them the shoes. You don't have to buy the sibling something just to make things "equal." You let the kids know you will buy them what they need when they need it. That's fair

My kids also don't know (or care) what their activities cost, just that they want to do them. They do know that horseback riding is expensive and that we are budgeting to allow them to do it.

I think music is very important, so each girl plays the instrument of her choice. The sports are their choice, but I limit to one, as free playtime is also very important. DD2 would take ballet, gymnastics *and* horseback riding this year if we would let her (and if we were made of money )

Our activities:
DD1
Piano - $50/month for 30 min lesson each week. Extra for music
Horseback riding - $100/month for 30 min lesson each week extra for helmet, riding boots, pants, etc. Will be big bucks for competitions when (if) she gets to that level.

DD2
Violin $32/month for 15 min lesson each week + $18/month to rent violin + music
Horseback riding - same as DD1

Last year they did gymnastics - 1 hour/week each was $80/month (for both) and the year before they did ballet which was also $80/month, but also $150/season for costumes + ballet and tap shoes, leotards, etc. Gymnastics seemed cheaper as they went barefoot they also had all the leotards left from ballet...

In the summer they do swimming lessons - $50 per child for two weeks (45 min lessons)
Horseback riding day camp (5 days for 7 hours/day) $225 each
String day camp (5 days for 4 hours/day) $110 (dd2 only)

I'm another one whose DH has no clue what the girls really cost (of course, they are priceless )

Laurie

 

[goofyshell]

Wow! These activities really add up, don't they?
My dd4 just finished kindermusik: $150 for 12 weeks of 45 min. classes and is doing swimming lessons this month:$45 for four private lessons.
My ds11 and ds9 do soccer: $40 each a season for spring and fall plus uniforms.
Sounds like we've gotten off easy so far!

 

[Kendra17]

Son, 7-Right now we are paying $75 for 9 week soccer program (uniform included, but i did buy cleats, shin guards, ball and practice shorts he really wanted for $50 total)

Also Tai Kwon Do is $65 per month. New uniform, which he needs since he has outgrown his old is aobut $35. Tournament costs are aroung $80 (including hotel fee), and there are probably 2 per year that he attends. Oh. . .and $30fee each month, too. . .for the belt and testing costs. That's not mandatory, but that's what we've been doing. Actually, that cost will drop soon, because he'll soon be at a high enough level that they don't test monthly. . .. he's not there yet, though.

I'm deciding on piano for him now. Cost would be $75 per month.

Daughter, 12--Did take piano and violin. Completely disinterested, so I let her quit due to expense. I always thought i'd make her stick with it, but the cost is high if there's no interest.

Choir- $250 for season PLUS uniforms, PLUS a trip on the spring to Orlando that I have no idea what that will cost yet. $300? I don't know.

She is also considering an afterschool activity. I'm not sure what the cost will be.

Oh! Here's the worst! We're in Nashville, and they don't have community pools. Some of the little subdivisions do, but ours doesn't. And, when we moved here, i didn't realize that the city didn't have pools! We always had pools in Ohio, so I figured all cities did. . .especially hot ones. Anyways, the cost of the community center here, so we can swim, is about $900 per year per family!

 

[laurie31]

Originally posted by Kendra17
Oh! Here's the worst! We're in Nashville, and they don't have community pools. Some of the little subdivisions do, but ours doesn't. And, when we moved here, i didn't realize that the city didn't have pools! We always had pools in Ohio, so I figured all cities did. . .especially hot ones. Anyways, the cost of the community center here, so we can swim, is about $900 per year per family!

Gosh, I thought all cities had pools too! Maybe you should write your mayor/city councilman and suggest it. I would never have dreamed a city the size of Nashville wouldn't have a public pool! I grew up in a town of about 18,000 and we had two. Where I live now there's only one and it's small, but I guess I should be thankful it's there!

Laurie

 

[NotUrsula]

"Gosh, I thought all cities had pools too! Maybe you should write your mayor/city councilman and suggest it. I would never have dreamed a city the size of Nashville wouldn't have a public pool!"

Actually, public pools are rare in most of the South nowadays. The reason is that most of them were closed during the 1950's during the polio epidemics. The decision to close them was further reinforced when remaining pools started to cause difficulties with racial violence. (Many were segregated in the old days.)

After the closures, most cities realized that NOT having a public pool program saved an awful lot of money, so they decided not to revisit the issue after polio and pool segregation ceased to be issues.

 

[M's_girl]

And this is for a 5 year old.

$80 a month for swimming--we do this year round and it is 2 times a week with 3 kids in the class

$200 a month for private ice skating lessons--and boys ice skating clothes are hard to find.

$300 a semester for music

 

[laurie31]

Originally posted by NotUrsula
Actually, public pools are rare in most of the South nowadays. The reason is that most of them were closed during the 1950's during the polio epidemics. The decision to close them was further reinforced when remaining pools started to cause difficulties with racial violence. (Many were segregated in the old days.)

After the closures, most cities realized that NOT having a public pool program saved an awful lot of money, so they decided not to revisit the issue after polio and pool segregation ceased to be issues.

That's very interesting! I didn't know that. Most of the cities around here have pools. However, they are all removing their diving boards due to liability issues.

Laurie

 

[Purrrrfecta]

tennis clinic 6 weeks 2 sessions 180.00
private lessons 2 -1/2 hr lessons 50.00
that's per week


I'm in the south, and we have loads of pools -both private and public

 

[captJack88]

We are paying $118/ month for DD8 dance, she made team this year, so she now has 6 classes per week. We are paying $48/month for DS gymnastics 1 1hour class per week. Last but not least we pay $18/ month for my DD2 baby dance classes! Could be better, could be worse!

 

[mic&min]

After seeing these totals, I am kind of glad my daughter doesn't really like sports to much.

Volleyball for Jr. High-$61.00
Choir-Tuition of $875 per year, touring cost of about $1400-$1800.