Happy Friday: Dance on a Budget
Sent from reader, Dawn:
My 11-year-old daughter has been doing Irish dance since she was 5 and absolutely loves it—she dances at the highest level as an Open Champion. BUT, like any other competitive dance/sport, it can be VERY expensive! We are in a constant flux of buying Hardshoes, Ghillies (soft shoes), Wigs, Tiaras, the Dress (sewn by a local seamstress to save) and of course the monthly Tuition and Competition fees/travel plus many other “extras”, and you can see we spend a nice chunk of “Green” on Irish Dance—all of which I can never use a “coupon” for or rarely find a “sale” on, although we DO look for used Irish dance items when we can.
SO…..I truly HAVE to shop daily with Coupons and Sales, visit Thrift stores for clothing, use Craigslist and KSL.com, share and receive on Freecycle and with friends/neighbors, enter/win Contests/Sweepstakes, and often simply Do Without to help there be enough every Paycheck for what we absolutely NEED (food, gas, rent money) so that we can also pay for things like her dance that we WANT. In addition, my boys do competitive gymnastics and our family cleans 3 nights a week at their Gym in exchange for their monthly tuition. We are NOT rich people and this isn’t easy, but we are proof that saving in all other ways can help us pay for and enjoy what we choose. I also feel my kiddos are learning good lessons from us about working hard, saving, spending and just “doing without” other things so they can continue learning awesome skills….like Irish Dance!
HAPPY FRIDAY! 😀
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We do the same to pay for my daughter’s dance classes. I’d have to say I’d be lost without Collin!
Way to go, Dawn! We always felt it was more important to give our kids experiences rather than things. I mean, they never lacked for the basic necessities, but we scrimped and sacrificed a lot so they could pursue their passions, and we traveled as much as possible too. It’s validating to know other feel the same way.
That’s awesome. My parents did the same when I was growing up. I completely recognized and appreciated it then as well as now. I know parents dont often get the acknowledgemet they deserve but I just wanted to say that parents like you are wonderful! 🙂
We also do the same. My boys love playing sports and my oldest is wanting to join a pre-competitive swim team. We pretty much coupon just to pay for all the sports equipment!
Do you have any summer leagues around you? If he hasn’t swam before, that might be a great way to try it out. I swam growing up (not competitive, just summer league and then in high school) and wouldn’t trade it for anything.
Loved this! I actually am about to sell off the last of my Irish dance competition stuff from when I was a teenager lol. I shopped a lot at the Feis events where they had shoes and outfits and accessories but also eBay (both for Irish and Figure skating) to save where I could. While everyone else was paying upwards of $300 for a figure skating costume to nationals I was paying $70 shipped brand new online. I also will stand behind experiences rather than items for children!
That is a great story! Thank you for sharing!
Love this Dawn! We live life similarily, 5 kids & one income + a life filled with plenty of passion for sports, travel & the arts. 🙂 We stretch every dollar, but I wouldn’t trade my life for anything!
we also do the same for our children, we don’t take vacations, have a too fancy home or fancy clothes because 2 of our 3 daughters are competitive dancers…one in ballet, one in ballet and jazz. Our other daughter does theater, and tech oriented after school activities. My 19 year old son played club soccer and tennis his from 4-18. None of that is cheap..dance alone is approximately 13 thousand a year. We do without, sacrifice a lot of other “fun” so that we can spend endless hours helping them make their dreams come true
oh and my son also did irish dance for a few years because it is tremendously helpful with soccer footwork!
Awesome story, experiences like this is what our children will cherish forever.
what is KSL.com ?
Online classified ads in Utah and Idaho
I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE KSL.com!
I love this post!! That top picture of your daughter is amazing- great form. Thank you so much for sharing how you make your kids’ extracurriculars possible.
Thanks for sharing your story and the great photos!
My daughter dances and I work at the studio 4 hours a week while she is in lessons doing whatever needs to be done. I wash lots of windows and mirrors! They pay me an hourly rate but instead of cutting me a check they apply it towards her tuition. I usually end up working off most of her tuition every month. I also started putting $10 a week in a savings account to pay for costumes and competition fees. I found we don’t miss $10 a week but we would miss $100 in one shot.
Your daughter is absolutely beautiful! What skills she has! My three daughters are into 4-H and horses. Yes, they are very expensive~especially since we board them out.. but what we all get out of it as a family far outweighs the cost any day! It’s one reason, I coupon and watch sales.. I try to keep my other expenses down so they may enjoy this activity. So far~the benefits have been numerous.. My oldest daugher, who is turning 18, is graduating high school with honors, volunteers in the community, volunteers at a therapeutic equestrian center and is going to attend a local colege for pre-vet! My youngest are following suit!
Awesome story and beautiful daughter