Insp by Preschool thread: How much do you spend on extra-curricular stuff?

[corie161]

DD 7 and DS 5:

DD
Dance $20 mo Oct-Apr, $35 costume, $12 Tshirt
Volleyball at Y: $20 one time fee, once a week for approx 8 weeks
TBall: $20 fee for summer program

DS
Wrestling $10 fee, $20 Singlet, which is reimbursed when it's turned back in. $10 usually per meet he participates in, which is optional.
Not old enough for TBall yet.

Both
Swimming Lesson $22 each for M-F 2 week 1/2hr sessions

At this point they are fairly young and we haven't had to make decisions as to which activity they prefer. DD would like to try Gymnastics, but hasn't worked out with the schedules yet.

From what I can tell, we have it fairly easy, apparantly living in a small town has its advantages, they may not be the next one cast in the Nutcracker, or the next World Champion wrestler, but they have fun doing it and that's all that matters to me! Plus I firmly believe that if they are involved with extra curricular activites, they are less apt to be in trouble.

 

[KAMLEM]

Plus I firmly believe that if they are involved with extra curricular activities, they are less apt to be in trouble.

That's very true and it's why I don't mind spending all the money we spend on our daughters' activities. If they aren't involved with anything they have too much time on their hands. I have read many articles about how kids involved in sports are much less likely to be in trouble than those that aren't. I think it's a combination of them being too busy to get into trouble in addition to lessons learned while participating in sports (discipline, commitment, etc.). I will always encourage my kids to play sports, regardless of the cost.

 

[LisaNJ25]

I pay $85 every 2 months for my 6yo's dance class.. $55 for recital outfit

Girl Scouts runs me approx $125 a year with dues and trips. Give or take depending on the trips.

Spring and fall soccer are approx $25 each.

my 13yo is not into anything right now.

Since I added dance in Nov which is weekly I am finding it is alot of running around.

I am getting tired just reading some of the long lists of activities some of the kisd are in.

 

[jim and meesie]

I posted this on another thread but it seems more appropriate here.


We spend in the range of $12,000./ year for a wide variety of extra curricular activities for our children,at this point it's primarily spent on the younger 2 since the oldest is in college (you don't want to know how much that costs) and his activities are primarily connected to college.

Ours breaks down to roughly $1500. a year for ballet and dance class for our 14 year old daughter (fortunately my daughter never was interested in the cheering thing, some of her friends are, now that's out of control ), $1400 for flute lessons for her also, her orchestra, speech team and sports teams are included in her private school tuition, about $1800 for various town sports teams during the year for our 11 year old son (soccer, indoor soccer, basketball, hockey, fall baseball and spring little league baseball all spread through the year), $800./year for his piano lessons, about $200/year for his school trumpet lessons and band, $1600. a year for his AAU baseball team, $2000 a year for both of their 2 weeks at YMCA summer camp (a virtual bargain), and $700 for their sailing program for the rest of the summer. On top of that we spend about $28,000./ year tuition for our daughter's private prep school and will be sending our son to a private school when he reaches 7th grade.

We did the same (however only one sport a season) for our oldest son and he currently goes to a great college. Why do we do it??? We have no illusions that our daughter will ever dance professionally although she is great and she does love it nor do we feel she will necessarily ever play flute in an orchestra. As for our youngest son, he happens to be that rare kid who loves to play the piano and can't get enough of whatever sport. He will scale back his sports within the next year to one a season. The fact is our kids do things that they love and they work hard to do well at them. I can say that for my son baseball is a true passion and he could go very far with it (we've watched my older son's friends who were good enough to receive Division 1 full college athletic scholarships for football and baseball and our little guy is as good as any of them) but we aren't counting on it, we just love to watch baseball (Red Sox season tickets cost alot more than AAU baseball). My kids are also all exceptional students.

When we were kids (30-40 years ago) there were plenty of natural athletes who would pick up the football in the fall, the basketball in the winter and the baseball in the spring and could be the stars of the team without any special training or camps. This kid probably doesn't even get to play in high school (at least in New England) in this day and age. Our kids are being forced to specialize in one sport year round if they want to still be playing in high school. The natural athlete can't often compete with that kid who plays one sport year round on all sorts of elite teams. My oldest son was a good high school athlete but he never specialized, just played each sport in it's season. He did get athletic & academic honors for his talent but he didn't go to college on his talent. He did however have an advantage getting into college because he was passionate about those sports that he did participate in.

Similarly people may wonder why we spend such a ridiculous amount of money on private schools for our kids when we live in a town that has one of the top rated school districts in the state. In the case of schools we find that our choices of private schools offer significantly smaller class sizes and more advanced placement academics as well as classmates that are similarly motivated to our children (fewer classroom management issues). I was a public school kid and I did just fine and both my husband and I paid our own ways through college just so you know we aren't trust fund kids.

Finally, I have run into the question "why do you spend so much on your kids sports, private school tuition etc?" from friends who spend far more on expensive cars, country club memberships, and even Disney Vacation Club. My response to them is that "my kids are my favorite indulgence", they may not have the financial payback of other expenditures but fortunately they payback in undying gratitude!!! PS who needs retirement planning when these kids will take care of us in our old age ??

 

[luvmyfam444]

WOA!!! Can't believe what y'all are paying for piano lessons out there!!!
$120-$130!!!! The going rate around here is about $60 a month...that's what we paid for dd for the last 2 yrs or so & since we've moved I've checked & hear it's the same rate here too. How long are your lessons? MAybe that's the difference? Ours are only 30 mins....

 

[luvmyfam444]

When we were kids (30-40 years ago) there were plenty of natural athletes who would pick up the football in the fall, the basketball in the winter and the baseball in the spring and could be the stars of the team without any special training or camps. This kid probably doesn't even get to play in high school (at least in New England) in this day and age. Our kids are being forced to specialize in one sport year round if they want to still be playing in high school. The natural athlete can't often compete with that kid who plays one sport year round on all sorts of elite teams:

YEs _ kinda agree here my brother was one of those atheltes -played football, basketball, ran track, baseball& played soccer so he could do anything - & today he coaches his 4 kids in all those sports as well (each of them play all the sports (not track yet-too young).
I agree that kids are being forced to choose 1 sport - partly 'cause seasons run so long now - if you're any good & make an allstar team you continue another 2 months after the other kids = which of course bumps into another season. Two of my brother's kids play "select" sports -they play city league along with the traveling league you oay big bucks to be on (2 for soccer & 1 for basketball). The oldest 15 had to choose her sport a few years back - she was AMAZING @ softball but chose soccer 'cause that was her favorite & wanted to pursue it in college....BUT because she chose 1 sprort & narrowed it down she's become part of the top out there (chosen to train w/ olympic trainers& college soccer players---anyway it's the big shots that are watching her now) so if she hadn't been forced to choose 1 sport she would have not been forced to develop that sport to her full potential.

SO I can see the pros & cons to both...
In my kids case they need all the help they can get in sports so I want them to do EVERYTHING imaginable just so they will feel like they are good @ one sport (even if they're not) Kwim???

 

[Sleepy]

WOA!!! Can't believe what y'all are paying for piano lessons out there!!!
$120-$130!!!! The going rate around here is about $60 a month...that's what we paid for dd for the last 2 yrs or so & since we've moved I've checked & hear it's the same rate here too. How long are your lessons? MAybe that's the difference? Ours are only 30 mins....

I was thinking the same thing about ballet/dance classes. Geography does play a huge role in that and so does the level of teaching. My son goes to one of the top schools in Europe.....(5) 1-1/2 hour classes a week plus a music class and we pay 85 EURO a month. (what makes it $500 a month is the gas, bus/train tickets and road tolls). Now, if he got the equivalent training in America, it would run about $330 a month. However, since I have a boy, most schools have no tuition for them in America, so I am actually paying more here than I would be in America. Odd I know. Also, when it comes to dance, many people get caught in the "Dolly Dinkle" type school. They charge you an arm and a leg and make you think they are good teachers when in fact they are not. They have the showcase of trophies and tiaras and charge crazy prices for 30 minute classes when everywhere else it would be 1-1/2 hour classes, have the girls on pointe by age 10 and really suck your wallet dry come recital time with pictures, videos, costumes, ticket fees, etc. Alot plays a role in what you pay....geography, level of training, number of classes a week, length of classes and whether or not the school is fronting dance training for a money making business.

 

[Katie]

Yikes! I will try and list (and then try not to cry)

DD14-Cheerleading(a jr high sport)-20.00 athletic fee
200.00 uniforms
200.00 camp

Youth League Softball-55.00 yearly
YMCA fall soccer- 55.00 yearly

okay, that is respectful!


DS11-Wrestling(2nd in state last year)-65.00 club fees
120.00 tournament fees
1000.00-hotel,food,gas expenses to
travel to these tournaments!
(He is quitting wrestling after this year, basketball has become KING)

Baseball-55.00 youth league
100.00 travel team fees
500.00 hotel fees,gas,food for weekend tournament
200.00 equipment updates
60.00 shoes
200-300.00 pitching lessons with college coach

Travel Soccer-375.00 yearly fees
500.00 hotel,gas,food for weekend tournaments

Football-70.00 fee
100.00 equipment updates

Basketball-80.00 youth league fees
60.00 YMCA league fees
100.00 elite team fees
120.00 basketball shoes
400-500 summer camps/preseason training
(hopefully, this is the last season of paying for basketball, JR HIgh Ball is next year). Camps ect should be the only fees!


I don't want to do the math for him! But i do know, he doesn't spend alot of time in front of the TV or the PS2. Most of his friends are on these teams, so he still has a great social life. Still has a 5.0 GPA, in his spare time, still begs us to take him to the ball park (if weather permits) or the GYM to play some BB. We did install a fiberglass BB backboard and hoop with lights in our driveway, so most of the time he can be seen out there. As late as midnight on the weekends!

 

[mchames]

DD8
Ballet-
2 one hour classes per week year's tuition $1,140
Recital Fee $100 Costume $50 Uniform & Shoes $100 (approx)
She is obsessed and has been since she was three! Her ballet school is associated with a professional company and if she continues as she gets older and takes more classes per week and goes on pointe this will only get more expensive.

Brownies-
$125 (approx) dues and other activites per year

DD6
Soccer-
Fall $145 (includes uniform, trophy, etc.)
Spring $145 (includes uniform, trophy, etc.)

Daisy Scouts-
$50 (approx) dues and other activities per year

Summer-
I haven't really figured out their summer activities yet. They usually each do 2-3 week long camps apiece ranging in price from $100-$350 a week depending on the activity and length of camp. Last summer, they took private swimming lessons at $20 a lesson each (both had fear of the water and would not have worked well in a group setting) three times a week. DD6 has some issues with her ears and will need to be cleared by her ENT if she is to take swim lessons this summer. DD8 was swimming like a fish by the end of the summer, so the private lessons paid off, but may not be necessary this summer.

Boy we spend a lot of money on these kids!

Mary

 

[mbw12]

Ok, here goes:

DD6:
Ballet, tap, and jazz class $100 per month for 10 months
Costumes: $70 each

DS8:
Football FREE (since my husband is a volunteer coach, otherwise it would be $60 for the season)
Wrestling FREE (also since my husband is a volunteer coach, otherwise it would be $90 for the season)
Baseball $100 for the season

Not to meniton buying tickets for the events, paying money at eh concession stands during the events, buying the fund raiser items that the kids sell during the seasons, etc....but if the kids enjoy it and it "keeps them out of trouble" (it works in my own little mind...I think if they are busy they won't get in trouble.... )than it is all worth it. Plus, they are young...and it is nice to expose them to different things. Our only rules about these things are:
1) one sport or activity per season
2) They cannot quit during the season, they can choose not to do it next year if they don't want to ...but they will finish out this season/year since they made the commitment.