TIRADE: The cost of kids activities is INSANE

Jan 41 min read

Okay rant incoming. Between soccer, swim lessons, and piano I'm spending like $600/month on my two kids' activities. MONTHLY. And that's after I said no to robotics club. My wife and I make decent money but this is legitimately cutting into our budget. I'm not against my kids doing stuff, I'm against the fact that a 6-week swim class costs $150 now. When did everything get so expensive? And everyone acts like if you DON'T do a bunch of activities your kid is gonna end up behind somehow. I feel like I'm just hemorrhaging money every month.

6 comments317 views

Comments(6)

DDave K.RegularJan 4

This is why I stopped feeling guilty about not putting my kids in everything. They pick one sport and one music or club activity. That's it. They're happier and so is our bank account.

CCharlie A.New DadJan 5

The crazy part is my kids aren't even complaining about the activities - I think I'm the one who pushed them into all of this. Might need to have some real conversations about what they actually want to keep doing.

HHarvey L.RegularJan 6

Dude $600 is brutal but I feel you. I'm at about $500 for soccer, karate, and music lessons. Started asking myself which activities my kids actually want vs which ones I think they should do.

JJoey M.RegularJan 6

The piano lesson alone was killing our budget until we found a college student instead of the professional teacher. Same quality, way less money. Might be worth looking into.

DDale J.RegularJan 6

Real question - are both kids in all three activities? That multiplication gets crazy fast. We cut back to one activity per kid per season and it saved us a ton while actually letting them enjoy what they picked.

GGene K.RegularJan 6

Have you looked into combo deals? Some community centers offer discount packages if you do multiple activities through them. Also seasonal breaks help - we do heavy in winter and light in summer.