by Hope
I have been running around like a chicken with its head cut off this week as we prepare to leave for two weeks and all three boys had different events/camps they had to pack for….
1. My eldest left for mini boot camp yesterday, with a fully packed sea bag. He purchased all needed items with money he had worked for – yeah! I paid the $25 fee for the weekend event. He is currently planning to go into the Navy when he graduates and is quickly making rank in the Sea Cadet program. This weekend is to prepare him for a full two week boot camp that he will attend at the end of next month.
The Twins – Ready for Prom & modelling clothes they will be wearing at their camps this week.
2. His twin will participate in the TeenPact National Convention beginning Monday. We were blessed with donations from our church members as far as dress clothes goes and he will definitely be a sharp dressed man on campus next week. I paid the early bird registration fee for this event, and since it’s really the only thing he participates in, it comes out of the budgeted kid’s activities line item on my monthly budget. The total was $399.
3. My youngest son is a competitive gymnast, he is beginning his third year of training and he is very good as well as very dedicated. Last year, he heard of a training camp past Olympians run called FlipFest. I will not lie, it is astronomically expensive to me; however, I told him last year that if he continued to train hard, had a consistent good attitude and wanted to continue at the end of this past season, I would send him. He has done that and more! He is going to the first week so it’s discounted and I registered him early to get that discount. He has had to save all his own spending money. Cost for the week $695.
Competing on Pommel at the 2013 Astronaut Dave Brown meet
I know many of you have questioned my Kids Activities monthly line item, perhaps this post gives you a better idea on how it’s saved and spent. I am SO BLESSED to be able to barter for many of my kids’ activities: Tae Kwon Do, monthly Gymnastics fees, etc. but in the end there are some I must pay for. I try to make wise choices and encourage my kids to do the same.
Please wish us safe and frugal travels for the next weeks as we leave tomorrow to pick my eldest up from his mini boot camp and head out of town. My posts the next two weeks will primarily be travel related…traveling as a cheapskate, I hope!
Hope is a creative, solutions-focused business manager helping clients grow their business and work more efficiently by leveraging expertise in project management, digital marketing, & tech solutions. She’s recently become an empty nester as her 5 foster/adoptive kids have spread their wings. She lives with her 3 dogs in a small town in NE Georgia and prefers the mountains to the beaches any day. She struggles with the travel bug and is doing her best to help each of her kids as their finish schooling and become independent (but it’s hard!) She has run her own consulting company for almost twenty years! Hope began sharing her journey with the BAD community in the Spring of 2015 and feels like she has finally in a place to really focus on making wise financial decisions.
The boys look so handsome all dressed up! I would LOVE to hear tips on how to travel on-the-cheap! It can be so tempting to spend a bunch of $$ on food and convenience store snacks/drinks (not to mention toys/books/entertainment, etc etc etc). Looking forward to these posts!
You are right, Ashley. I hope you like my travel posts 🙂
What handsome young men! I admire all that you do so that you do so that your children may have these opportunities. My husband was in the Navy, he made a lot of money and had nearly all of his education paid for by the G.I. Bill.
Gwen,
I never expected this interest in the Navy, but after consulting with his birth parents (as a courtesy) I am encouraging him along this path as long as he continues to be so passionate. I would definitely be a proud Navy parent! And I like the discipline and commitment I see in him when it comes to this stuff…even when I struggle to get him to keep his room clean here at home 🙂
I have heard that studies show that children involved in extracurricular activities are less likely to be influenced by negative peer pressure. I think you are doing a great job with your children and striving to find a balance between these activities and finances. You are investing in a strong future for them and there is no price tag on those benefits. There could also be an added benefit of scholarship monies due to these activities. Enjoy your travels.
You’re right, Mary, and since we are homeschoolers, I am especially keen on the twins finding things that will stand out on college transcripts. History Buff would love for me to allow his “extra curricular” to be paintballing or airsoft, but I’ve yet to find a way to make that sound good on a college transcript *winks
I think they have chosen well for now, and definitely leave the door open in case something else sparks their interest.
While I agree that these activities are very expensive when you are trying to get out of debt, I think you have chosen wisely in what you spend money on for your kids.
They are doing useful activities that can help them later in life, and give them options for being successful. You are obviously teaching them the value of working hard to accomplish something, and people who know that will always go far in life.
Hannah,
These are my thoughts exactly. With thoughts of college applications and maybe the Olympics *a mom can dream I am excited to see what each of my children’s future holds and want to make sure they have had a varied and colorful beginning so they can choose wisely. I have certainly found in my own life that doing something I love and am passionate about as my “job” has made a world of difference in my quality of life. And I don’t want them to have regrets or wonder at not having gotten to at least try a few things.
Hope,
You are obviously a terrific mother. Very inspirational!
I am really rooting for you to lick this debt!