Money!!

[Monkeygirlsmom]

and paying for gymnastics!! how do you all do it??? it is soo costly!
I have been looking at gyms and all trying to find a good one that my kids will be happy at and have there needs!! anyhow we found one that my kids like but man the cost is just too high! and this would not even be for team!!
anyhow !! there is another that I think in th e long run would meet there needs but they are not sure!! and it would be a better price!!

anyhow how do you all do it??? any ideas for me!! I looked at gyms not knowing what they charge as I didnt want the money factor in the early stages but my husband is having a coronary over it!! he thinks that its all just too much money!!
(if it were a sport hed be interested in by all means money would be no factor)

[gym law mom]

MGM---boy that is a good question about the tuition. You might want to look over a few threads on booster clubs and what your gym expects of you. Thing is at most gyms you don't get in on any of the fundraising etc. until your dd is on team. Until then you either pull out the checkbook or the plastic every month---and of course for you it is double.

Some gyms offer a slight sibling discount so make sure you check that out. I would stay away from gyms that require "team" leos/warmups etc for pre-team. While the girls may love this, it simply runs up your bill. Also discuss any "additional" classes the coaches may suggest you put one or both girls in.

I think it comes down to what you can reasonably afford every month. You don't want to be in debt or come to dislike the sport because you feel financially strapped. Also kids do pick up on mommy/daddy not agreeing on spending money or hear comments about their gymnastics being so expensive. We just switched from what you called a "commercial" type gym to a smaller one, but my daughter is very happy and our tuition went down! It isn't all in the packaging.

[gymmommy1022]

And you're just looking at the monthly tuition, right? Then there are the practice leos, the team leos, team warm ups, privates, grips, meet fees, booster club fees(if there's a booster club), team fees, annual registration fees, travel expenses for meets, etc. etc. Better to know now what you're in for when making your decision!!

[rebeccapaige!]

i'm starting to think I need a part-time job to pay for dance and gym:-) not to mention I have an almost 8 year old who was offered preteam twice but SHE has decided she wants to just do gymnastics for fun! *sigh of relief here!* although rec gym can be pricey but you go much less to gym so its less to put out:-) but my little one is big into gymnastics and is really good at. so i'm in the same boat ! I know this upcoming year we can do fundraisiting events to pay for our meet fees. anyhow I guess i'm not really helpful but I know how you feel when activities are costly especially having 2 girls in gymnastics. I must say the $26 we spent for a 2 x a week this summer for softball were nice for my older daugther lol:-)
becky

[Ingymmom]

As everyone said gymnastics can be very expensive - and not just financially. Their are some ways to control the financial costs a bit as one parent pointed out & once the gymnast is on a team it is nice when you can participate in a fundraiser to help defray some of the meet expenses - not all gyms can do fundraising though. Regardless, it is a big decision/commitment to make. good luck to your family

[Ltlewonder]

I know what you all mean about the gymnastics being expensive, but if you look at sports as a whole, it's not anymore out of pocket than if you had a child on a travel ball team or competition dance. I started a part time job when my little one started travel dance competition. She was on 5 different "teams" so that was very expensive. I also like gymnastics, cause it's ONE leo and NO makeup!!

My sister has 3 kids all very heavy into sports, playing school ball and AAU or USSSA at the same time. They made a family decision that that's where they wanted to spend their "extra" and everyone has been happy with that for years.
Both of my nephews are quarterback on the football team, pitcher on the baseball team and point guard on the basketball team, so my sister just looks at it as "paying for college now"! LOL!

Good luck with the decisions you make and to your children in their gymnastics and whatever they choose to do.

[skfleming255]

Gymanstics is expensive. I have one on the team and a 3 year old in rec gymnastics. They said the 3 year old will be moving up soon to team. More money!!!!!! Well. I clean a house twice a month for $100 to help with the costs. I do not work a regular job, so I don't contribute anything to tuition, except the $100. My kids love it, so we just sacrifice in other areas. Are you a stay-at-home mom or do you work? If you stay at home, consider a part time job. A few hours a week would probably pay for it.