When did stuff get so expensive??

[Bren Boone]

My daughter is 12 yrs old (will be 13 this year) and has decided to try out for cheerleading. She's going into Jr. High next year.

Now I already have hormonal issues with this chickie (I just know her period is around the corner...she has a melt down over something every single day, like last night she's crying....CRYING over the fact that she cant have an iPhone). So you know I have self image issues, self esteem/ self confidence issues. I try to keep her hair done and her dressed in trendy clothes so she's costing me an arm and a leg. But I want her to be happy. Then there's tap dance (recital coming up in May and I have to buy her costume and a new pair of tap shoes totaling about $200.00) There's also Girl Scouts and praise dance at church, and I'm renting her an oboe for band.

Now we have cheerleading. I had to buy her a uniform just for the try-outs! I mean......um why? She's not even on the team yet! Cant she just wear some shorts and a shirt?

Then if she makes the team there's uniform expenses (on top of taking them to the cleaners). She has to have a team jacket which is $150.00 and she has to go to cheer camp this summer which is a whopping $300.00. Jeez man.

Now mind you all I'm a single mother. I think I might have to sell my organs to pay for all this stuff.

Girls are so high maintenance. My son is simple. He doesn't care if he wears purple and green polka dotted shorts with a orange and pink striped shirt. He'll even ask me why his clothes have to match. All he has is karate. And that's all he wants. Nice and Simple. He's a man after my own heart.

OK vent over...:loudlaff:

[maaike]

Phoef!
I am so Happy I don't live in the states and don't have all that stuff to worry about!(and I have two boys)

I can imagine it grows over your head! We are a 1 income family because I can't work(and we have a stupid coverment) and sometimes(a lot of times) I just have to say no, sorry, you can't , we don't have the money for it!
Offcourse you want to give your childeren everything they want, but it is okay when they learn they can't have everything all the time!

So maybe she can tell you what is the most important to her and drop something else?

And the clothes..whaaaa, I have a 15 year old son who thinks nikes and kani and all, that is the most important in the world!!!:idiot:
(let me show you mister I want it all):blunke:
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh144/maaike3773/722848052_6_r9mg.jpg

[Kat]

Oh my I can totaly see your money having wings LOL ;)

I am so happy I have two boys!! My 15 year old is starting to demand more expensive clothes but if he want really expensive things he has to save up money for it.

They play soccer and it's kind a okey, not to expensive..

[libbysmommy]

I have two girls also, but they are still both very young. I think I need to start a savings account for sports now...haha!

[Bren Boone]

I have a 15 year old son who thinks nikes and kani and all, that is the most important in the world!!!:idiot:
(let me show you mister I want it all):blunke:


Oh your son is so dreamy! I want his hair!

[lizzyfizzy]

kids are soooo expensive!!! i cannot even think about cheerleading and all that. my maddie is very active and i know this is going to be a pretty penny.

[scraphappyrhodes]

I limit my kids to one activity. With five it gets expensive if they want to do more than one! I also make them do chores around the house to earn their one activity. Am I mean? I hope not but I hope to teach them the value of money! I have two girls who are not yet wanting everything but I am sure that is going to change in a few years. I am hoping what I am teaching them now pays off! Good Luck Bren!

[mrshobbes]

AK! $150 for a jacket?? I'm sorry, Bren! Yes, girls are high-maintenance. PLEASE don't sell your organs, lol.

[doodelle]

Bren, I feel for you! I was a high-maintenance girl in my teens and I drove my parents crazy but they bent to my every expensive whim coz I'm their only child and I took advantage of that:biggrin8: (What can I say? I was a spoiled brat lol).

But now I know better, and my Mom wants sweet revenge- I finance her hobbies (collections of knick knacks and mugs that are now crowding my parent's living room and her sprawling garden of blooms) and would play the I-had-a-hard-time-raising-you drama on me when I refuse to buy her one more antique item.

So if it's any consolation to you, Bren, you can look forward to the day when your daughter grows up and spends money on you:clown:

[maaike]

Oh your son is so dreamy! I want his hair!

I want it too!!! But he spends hours in the bathroom on it!:25r30wi:

[BBDesigns]

Oh My! My six year old has a one to two activity at a time rule, no more than that. Right now he is taking it low, because Mommy said the grades need to go up to play sports. Bren I can totally empathize about being a single mom. I only have one. He wanted to be catcher this past year it cost over $600 for everything....gads! My mom made me choose Dance or girl scouts not both! I learned to be ok with choices. Good luck!

[hutchie]

My kids are still fairly young. All my 12 year old son can handle right now is school for the most part but were do recreational archery and recreational shooting with him. Thats pretty expensive in itself. His bows are about $400 and arrows are about $5 a piece. My older daughter who is 9 also does this. She also plays soccer in a league... its a little expensive but not that bad. And well the baby who is 5 will shoot with my or my husband so she isnt costing us much at all... I also kinda limit their "formal" activites to 1. We figure if each of our children does one activity a week, then most likely we will be gone at least 3 days out of the work week and gone all day on a weekend dealing with these activities.

[twentytinytoes]

Oy that sucks! I can't believe you have to pay for a uniform to try out, thats crazy!! We don't have cheerleading here thank goodness LOL And now I am thinking its pretty great i only have 1 girl, and 2 boys...

[brandy]

My son's only 5 but I can already imagine the sports he wants to play. Him and his daddy already have it all mapped out. He wants to play football, baseball, basketball, AND wrestle. I'm like Oh My Gosh I'm already freaked out lol!

[Sokee]

We have six children. Three are in collage Two high school and one Middle. The kids have to learn the value of money. And this is all what has worked for us.
#1 Cell phone you have to have a job to beable to pay for that yourself.
My 14 year old daughter came home to tell me she was so embarrassed as the teacher asked how many kids in the class had their own cell phone she was the only one that did not raise her had. I told her.... "you mean you were the only one who was honest?"
#2 No job No car
#3 Sports..... now that is expensive!! We really only did a sport with one and he was a runner, not much cost there except for the school fee. They did funraiser for uniforms. We do buy them sports equipment to beable to be active here at home and at the metro parks.
#4 designer stores. No Thankyou!!! And they respect us as they know if they want them they need a job to pay for them themselfs. Guess what by time they have their own jobs they choose to spend it on other stuff.

Funny when the money is coming out of their pockets it does not mean as much.

Don't start to buy where they expect it. Explain to them how money works. They are not dumb.

My two cents on what has worked for us.:lykkelig:

[Bren Boone]

I'm definitely seeing that I have to explain to her that she can't have every little thing her heart desires. And that she has to do chores to earn money and save so that she is able to get things for herself. I just can't do it anymore. We've already gotten started with a chore chart so both of them can earn money.

Thanks for all the input ladies! I really needed it.