With school back on track it is time to prep for the abundance of activities your student is going to want to take part in. Although some of these activities might be free for your children to partake it they can begin to take a toll on your energy level as well as the household budget. From filling up your tank to buying equipment to practice with you’ll be ready for a break as soon as winter comes along! Extracurricular activities don’t have to be a drain on your or your resources though. With these simple tips you can allow your children to broaden their horizons without having to constantly worry about the amount of money that you’re losing on their activities. These budgeting tips will help keep everyone in the home happy, busy and feeling fulfilled with life.
1. Utilize the School
Generally, schools are the first stop for your children when it comes to extracurricular activities, which is perfect for your budget. Schools will allow you to sign your children up for an assortment of activities without charging you a thing. This can be a huge relief off of your budget, but will also mean your student typically won’t need any extra funds to keep your student in the activity. In the high school and middle school levels students are usually given uniforms as well as the ability to use the gym and other equipment for practice at no extra cost. Schools are generally responsible for getting your child to and from games that are out of town and can even help you if you’re struggling to get your child to in town games. Most schools also offer a wide assortment of art or humanity activities that can help your child succeed in government, writing, painting and many other things that can help your student succeed in college. Younger children often don’t have many programs to choose from when it comes to school, but a lot of districts will help lower the cost of sports leagues and will offer arts and crafts classes for students and their parents.
2. Sponsorship/Scholarship
When you sign up for leagues outside of your school you might also want to research scholarships to help with the cost. Sports leagues are notorious for helping children who can’t afford uniforms or sign up cost so start asking around at youth centers or even your child’s school to find out more about scholarships. Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts of America are also willing to help out their scouts when it comes to dues, uniforms and field trips that the scouts go on to learn new skills and earn badges. If you need a little help with your child’s scouting dues then you can start by asking your troop leader, but there are also many national scholarships that can help you keep your troop member in the scouts. You might even be able to qualify your troop member for scholarships that can help with college and camps that will help the scout go even further in life.
3. Volunteer
Children’s services are always looking for parents that can volunteer their time to help make actives more cost efficient for everyone else. This is a great way to help get your child into an activity, so don’t be afraid to volunteer your time if you’re looking to save money. A lot of sports leagues will allow your children to join without a fee if you can become a coach or assistant coach for a team. This will also allow you to spend time with your child as they learn new skills. Another great way to use your time is to help out during a dance lesson, gymnastics or a karate class. If you talk to the instructor before hand you may be able to ask for a discount if you can volunteer enough time to make a difference in the class. Many parents are afraid to ask about volunteering, so take the first step and you might find that you’re on your way to saving more than you think.
4. Use Your Knowledge
If your child is interested in learning something you already know then don’t be afraid to skip out on the tutor and teach the child yourself. This is especially great when with musical instruments. Music is a wonderful way to improve confidence as well as mathematical skills so teaching your child an instrument can really be a key to success. This will even allow you to improve you bonding experience with the child which can really help as they go through the teenage years. Foreign language is another great activity that can help your child more than you think. If you’re fluent then you should use your knowledge all of the time to help your children pick up on the language faster. On the other hand, you could always choose to learn a language with your child. There are many programs that teach you how to speak a language via the computer, so you can take the learning experience together and practice with one another. Woodworking and mechanics are another important aspect of learning that many parents can pass on to their children. Changing tires and oil as well as working on various parts of the car can help the child later in life and will make these types of chores a lot of fun.
5. New Isn’t Best
Sometimes our children want to take part in an activity that isn’t exactly on the cheaper side of things. One common example is joining the school band. Many students begin middle school wanting to participate in the school band and decide it isn’t their thing after the first year. The only problem with this is many parents will go out and buy instruments for their child only to have to sell them for a lot less the very next year. Renting is one of the best ways to ensure you’re not going to spend a lot of money on an instrument your child might not use past the school term. Renting will only cost you around $40 a month, whereas buying can cost you up to $1k! You can always buy your student a new instrument later on if they do decide to stick with the band. Though band is a common example, sports are also a major part of the activities so try to buy used sports equipment like certain pads or balls to practice with. These items usually get torn up quickly anyway so you won’t be out any extra money. Music books are also an important aspect when it comes to learning, but can be pricey if you buy them new. There’s countless sheet music online that is free or you can look into used books to help your student learn.
6. Utilize YMCA
The YMCA is one of the best ways to allow your kids to participate in activities without costing you an arm and a leg. One of the biggest draws of the YMCA is it offers a pool, and lessons, for anyone looking to have some fun swimming. This can be a great way to keep kids busy during school breaks and will even allow your kids to learn swimming as a sport. The YMCA is also known for holding lots of classes for kids who are into a wide range of activities. From karate to yoga your child can enjoy numerous activities at half the price you would pay in town. This can be great for children that are home-schooled or kids who just don’t like the sports offered at their school. Of course, the YMCA does offer many of the more common sports, so you won’t have to sacrifice your child’s interest in sports. With the YMCA you can keep your entire household happy and healthier at a fraction of the price.
7. Reward Cards
One of the main issues with having kids on the go is you are also on the go which means you’re going to be burning through a lot of gasoline. There are a few ways you can help supplement the amount of gas you might be using while shuttling the kids to and from activities. There are a lot of gas cards out there designed for people who go through a lot of gas each week. These cards typically help cut down the price of filling up while offering small rewards as you spend. A lot of the time these cards work as a credit card so be careful how you spend! If you save the cards for emergencies you will be able to save money while filling up at the end of the week. There are other reward cards that will help get you rewards just for filling up. For instance, many grocery stores will allow you to sign up for a card that will add cents to your card that will help with your grocery bill.
8. Set a Limit
One of the best ways to keep control of your budget is to limit your kids’ activities. The more activities your children sign up the more money you’re going to spend on gasoline, fees and more importantly, your time. Try not to let kids sign up for more than one or two activities a semester and make sure nothing overlaps! Overlapping causes you to have to run back and forth and drain more gas than you should during the school week. With your children only working on a limited amount of activities you will find there is a bit more free time for everyone to relax and still have some fun as a family. The key is to make sure all of your children stick with the programs they sign up for. This will allow you not to lose money on your fees and will teach your children responsibility.
9. Fundraisers
One simple way to help raise money for your child’s activities is to run a fundraiser. Usually the community responds well to this so you might end up earning more than enough to tackle your children’s fees for any activities they might want. One of the best ways to earn money is to pull out your baking skills and try to make something that doesn’t take a whole lot to manufacture and can be sold at a decent price. Of course, if it is still warm outside then you might want to break out the buckets and soap and have an car wash for the neighborhood. Sometimes local businesses will volunteer their spaces for you to use in order to help out your cause. You might even ask the kids to have a lemonade stand just to help with finalizing fees and so they learn how to help with finances.
10. Activity Group
One of your biggest life savers will be finding a group to help you get through your activities. A lot of parents will have to deal with similar situations as you so make sure you meet and greet whenever your child joins a new activity. Having an activity group will help you form connections so you can come up with carpool schedules that will help you save even more gasoline. Your group can even come up with a snack schedule that will allow you to keep the kids in the household satisfied after an activity so you can easily prepare a meal later in the evening without your children having to feel as hungry.
Extracurricular activities can be one of the best parts of having school aged children. From learning new things to making friends you will certainly love watching your kids enjoy various activities that will allow your children to broaden their horizons. Of course, with these tips you won’t have to pay a whole lot more just to let your child enjoy the activities that will shape their entire life.
Author: Chelsey McQuitty
