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15 Ways to Fight the High Cost of Kids’ Sports

By Janis Meredith

We all want our kids to get exercise, make friends, and enjoy the fun of competition. But it can cost a lot to have kids in sports.

Here’s how to creatively fight high costs while your child plays.

1. Be choosy. Try one sport at a time per kid. Overloading kids’ schedules drains our energies and wallets.

2. Start simple. If your child is a beginner, choose sports with less expensive equipment like soccer and baseball; stay away from football or ice hockey. Why spend more money on a sport your child may play for one year?

3. Investigate the sport. If you think your child might change his mind about an expensive  sport like ice hockey or football, attend a couple practices with him the year before and let him decide if he really wants to play.

4. Buy used equipment. Shop thrift stores, yard sales, Craigslist, eBay Freecycle, UsedSports.com, and PlayItAgainSports.com for used equipment.

5. Sell equipment. If equipment is in decent shape, sell at the places listed in #4

6. Borrow equipment. Ask friends and family if you can borrow. Try an equipment swap with other parents in your community.

7. Look for free equipment. Sites like Pitchinforbaseball.org, US Soccer’s Passback and FreeStuffGreatDeals.com collect donated sports equipment.

8. Rent Sports Equipment. Personal equipment should be new, but look for places that rent equipment like football shoulder pads or softball bats.

9. Buy last year’s model. If you know your kid will play a sport next year, buy new equipment at end-of-the-season sales.

10. Bring drinks. Drinks can cost $2 per bottle at a snackbar. Buy your own bottles at bulk prices or make drinks from powder, which costs under $10.

11. Pack a lunch. It’s cheaper and healthier. If you’re going to a tournament with other families, take turns providing a team meal.

12. Compare City vs. Club. When your kids are little, city or YMCA-sponsored programs will give them a chance to play and develop their skills, without a large cost.

13. When traveling, look for hotel discounts. As your kids become more serious about their sport, you may opt for travel ball. But it does not come cheap. If you have to stay in a hotel, look for group discounts or online deals. Some hotels have programs which earn you free stays. Look for hotels with free breakfasts and refrigerators in the room.

14. When traveling, try camping. Bring an RV or tent-trailer for weekend tournaments and camp near the ball field.

15. Carpool to practice. If practice is 5 miles away and you choose to drop off and pick up 2 hours later, you are driving 20 miles per practice. At 3 practices per week you will drive 240 miles per month. If your car gets 20 mpg with gas prices at $3.75, you  will spend $45 per month on gas. Carpooling saves money and time!

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As a coach’s wife for 27 years and a sports parent for 17, Janis Meredith writes a youth sports blog for sports parents to help them make sports a character building experience for their kids.  Check out her blog jbmthinks.

7 Ways to Thank Volunteers without Breaking the Bank

National Volunteer Appreciation Week is April 10th -16th -- dedicated to letting your hardworking volunteers know that their efforts are recognized and deeply appreciated. Every school and organization that depends on volunteers to run smoothly knows that without the self-less help of these special people, nothing would get accomplished. This week is perfect for letting your volunteers know just how grateful you are for their work. VolunteerSpot is here to help you with your efforts, both through our online signup sheets and with these quick, affordable tips on recognizing volunteers.

7 Creative Ways to Say "Thank You" to Volunteers

1. Send a thoughtful, handwritten thank you note. No emails. Write a heartfelt and detailed letter that really highlights all of the great things that the volunteer has done for the organization. This is getting more and more rare as we move towards online communication and this simple gesture can mean a whole lot. Bonus idea: Copy the letter and send it to the volunteer's family or employer as a thank you for sharing this valued volunteer with your organization.
2. Bring in a treat for your volunteers. You don't have to cater a whole meal, just bake some cupcakes at home or pickup small chocolates or seasonal fresh fruit. Everyone loves food, and free food is even better!
3. Create a "Thank You" bulletin board in the office where people can leave positive comments about their fellow volunteers, make sure that everyone receives at least one or two encouraging notes. Also post pictures of your volunteers in action.
4. Flowers are always well-received, who doesn't feel special after getting flowers? Even giving out one flower per volunteer can make them feel appreciated. Attach a personal note for that extra touch.
5. Enter your superstar volunteers into local volunteer recognition contests. This is a great way to show how much you think of your volunteers.
6. Simply tell them how they have been an invaluable resource to your organization. Praise is always best when given in front of other people, so make sure that your good feedback is heard by others.
7. If your volunteers work with children, either in the classroom or in other settings, have the kids write thank you notes. The kids can write down how much they appreciate the volunteers work and what it is that they like the most about the volunteer.

For even more ideas, see our free eBook, Volunteer Recognition from A to Z.

 
Click the image above then click menu to view full-screen.

What are your ideas for saying Thank You to volunteers?

VolunteerSpotlight: Kathy McMurray, PTA Parent Leader, Evansville, IN

The mission of the Indiana PTA is to make a difference in the lives, homes
and classrooms of every child ... with one voice! Among other important purposes, they work to encourage parent and community participation in public schools.

Today, our VolunteerSpotlight shines on an Evansville, Indiana parent who embodies the PTA's mission in supporting her shcool and community.  Please join us in celebrating Kathy McMurray, parent PTA leader at Scott Elementary. Kathy uses VolunteerSpot's online signup sheets to coordinate volunteers for the school book fair fundraiser.

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What's your role as a volunteer leader?

My role as a volunteer leader is to energize and excite people to participate in the event or activity that I’m leading.  Trying to locate individuals who have a passion for the charity or nonprofit organization that I’m working with is important in order to create and execute the best event possible.

What other activities are you involved in?

I am involved and volunteer with my church, school and in my community.  At church, I serve as the communion coordinator and schedule the volunteers for serving and preparing the communion on the first Sunday of every month for all the services.  I also recently served as the worship chairperson coordinating and arranging all supplemental aspects of the worship service, including greeters, acolytes, ushers, liturgists, communion stewards and servers and organization of the sacristy.

For the school, I participate in the PTA and am chairperson of the book fair and new library development committee.  I also tutor and serve on the school’s site council which brainstorms with community leaders about ways to provide integration of practical work experience with the students.

For the community, I am a member of the Jr. League of Evansville.  Here, I developed a committee to welcome new members to the city and familiarize them with the city services.  I also serve on the local Parkinson’s walk committee which raises money for Parkinson’s research.

How did you get interested in volunteering?

My parents, specifically my mother, were excellent role models as to the need for volunteering in order to make the community a better place.  She showed how important it was to help deliver food baskets during the holidays to the needy, how to serve the ill at the hospital by being a candy striper and how to support the church and school in all ways that she could.  I am fortunate enough to have time and my husband and family support me in following in my mother’s footsteps.

What’s one piece of advice you have for parent volunteers out there?

My advice is to work on those projects that you feel passionate about.  If you are feeling burned out or don’t agree with the mission of a group or project, then it is time to find something else to focus your efforts on.  It is not fun for you or others working on a project if you are feeling negative.

Why did you decide to use VolunteerSpot?

I decided to use VolunteerSpot because I needed help tracking the 118 volunteers for our school’s book fair.  My friends used a meal program and talked about how nice it was to sign up for a day that was convenient for them as well as to see when others had signed up.  Also, they appreciated the ability to remove themselves easily if a conflict arose.  I searched for a volunteer tracking program and came up with VolunteerSpot as well as another.  I tried both and VolunteerSpot was much easier to use.  I had a small event of eight people and used this as an opportunity to try out the program.  It worked great, so I used it for my book fair.  The feedback I received from the book fair volunteers was astounding.  They loved it and I did too.  It was easy to review the open spots, add additional spots, and export information into an excel spreadsheet.  People knew what tasks they were signing up for and were more informed when they actually showed up to work.

Anything else you’d like our readers to know about your school, event, or volunteering?

Our book fair this year raised 9% more than last year.  I know this had a lot to do with communication and organization.  Even if people didn’t end up working the event, they received information through the VolunteerSpot invitation process.  I really think VolunteerSpot could benefit by teaming up with Scholastic’s Book Fair chairman’s tool-kit and incorporating their two products.

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We salute Kathy and all the other parents out there making a difference in our children's lives. If you're using VolunteerSpot, write and tell us about what you're doing and give us a chance to shine our Volunteer Spotlight on you!! Just email us at [email protected].