Comments on: Paying for Activities http://almostfrugal.com/2009/09/16/paying-for-activities/ Learning about frugality Thu, 18 Aug 2011 11:32:01 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Kellyhttp://almostfrugal.com/2009/09/16/paying-for-activities/#comment-7303 Kelly Fri, 02 Apr 2010 17:47:58 +0000 http://almostfrugal.com/?p=3672#comment-7303 Catherine, I often ask for 'experience' gifts as well. Certain people don't like it (my dad, for example, prefers getting a physical object, like a book, instead of paying for an experience), but others are so grateful to have an idea for a gift that will actually get used! Sometimes we go for a 'theme', ie one grandparent paying for lessons, another person paying for supplies and someone else getting books related to the topic. That's always fun! Kelly Catherine,

I often ask for ‘experience’ gifts as well. Certain people don’t like it (my dad, for example, prefers getting a physical object, like a book, instead of paying for an experience), but others are so grateful to have an idea for a gift that will actually get used!

Sometimes we go for a ‘theme’, ie one grandparent paying for lessons, another person paying for supplies and someone else getting books related to the topic. That’s always fun!

Kelly

]]> By: Catherinehttp://almostfrugal.com/2009/09/16/paying-for-activities/#comment-7300 Catherine Fri, 02 Apr 2010 15:27:01 +0000 http://almostfrugal.com/?p=3672#comment-7300 My five-year-old boy is taking art lessons on Wednesday mornings. I also live in France, so kids are off school on Wednesdays. We pay 125 euros every ten lessons. It's pretty costly but my son loves it. The teacher is really enthusiastic and has great ideas each week. At Christmas, my French mother-in-law asked us what she could get for the kids. I asked her to pay for some of the art lessons instead of getting him yet another toy. My five-year-old boy is taking art lessons on Wednesday mornings. I also live in France, so kids are off school on Wednesdays. We pay 125 euros every ten lessons. It’s pretty costly but my son loves it. The teacher is really enthusiastic and has great ideas each week. At Christmas, my French mother-in-law asked us what she could get for the kids. I asked her to pay for some of the art lessons instead of getting him yet another toy.

]]> By: Imenehttp://almostfrugal.com/2009/09/16/paying-for-activities/#comment-5734 Imene Wed, 16 Sep 2009 22:05:36 +0000 http://almostfrugal.com/?p=3672#comment-5734 You make miss France right now. We live in NJ and the cost of the activities is insane. 12 weeks of gym is $450, 8 weeks of soccer is $240... And there seem to be an unwritten law that states that you have to sign up your kids to as many activities as possible or you're a bad mother. So I decided to be a bad mother. Right now the boys go to a french preschool and they have swim lessons and that'a about it. They are 4 and 3. I don't believe you should overwhelm children with activities. As they grow older and request things I will allow one sport and one artistic activity and I think that's enough. But I sometimes feel judged by other parents. .-= Imene´s last blog ..<a href="http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/AJourneyToASimpleHappyLife/~3/-RRpozyGEO8/wip-wednesday-tomten.html" rel="nofollow">WIP wednesday : Tomten</a> =-. You make miss France right now. We live in NJ and the cost of the activities is insane. 12 weeks of gym is $450, 8 weeks of soccer is $240…
And there seem to be an unwritten law that states that you have to sign up your kids to as many activities as possible or you’re a bad mother. So I decided to be a bad mother. Right now the boys go to a french preschool and they have swim lessons and that’a about it. They are 4 and 3.
I don’t believe you should overwhelm children with activities. As they grow older and request things I will allow one sport and one artistic activity and I think that’s enough. But I sometimes feel judged by other parents.
.-= Imene´s last blog ..WIP wednesday : Tomten =-.

]]> By: Lis @ Ace Cash Expresshttp://almostfrugal.com/2009/09/16/paying-for-activities/#comment-5733 Lis @ Ace Cash Express Wed, 16 Sep 2009 21:25:21 +0000 http://almostfrugal.com/?p=3672#comment-5733 I think that adding more activities like above will have a positive result to them in the coming years. As long as they are not burned out, the children will increase their stress tolerance. The problem is if the activities are becoming too much for them that they'll eventually realize that they're not progressing on anything. I think that adding more activities like above will have a positive result to them in the coming years. As long as they are not burned out, the children will increase their stress tolerance. The problem is if the activities are becoming too much for them that they’ll eventually realize that they’re not progressing on anything.

]]> By: Nancyhttp://almostfrugal.com/2009/09/16/paying-for-activities/#comment-5729 Nancy Wed, 16 Sep 2009 13:34:12 +0000 http://almostfrugal.com/?p=3672#comment-5729 When our kids were young I always found it hard to keep their number of activities to a 'reasonable' number. I didn't want them (or me) to feel like they were missing out on something that they should/wanted to be in. I also found that sometimes the time commitment was alot. More than we (the parents) wanted. More than the kids wanted. As the kids got older it seemed that it got easier. We f inally made a family rule that each child could do no more than 2 activities at the same time. This helped all of us. Now, they're teenagers and it seems that we're constantly running again. However, I've come to the conclusion that I just need to enjoy it because before long they'll be gone and we won't have anyone to run after. .-= Nancy´s last blog ..<a href="http://3blondesandthelaw.blogspot.com/2009/09/feel-good-weekend.html" rel="nofollow">feel good weekend</a> =-. When our kids were young I always found it hard to keep their number of activities to a ‘reasonable’ number. I didn’t want them (or me) to feel like they were missing out on something that they should/wanted to be in. I also found that sometimes the time commitment was alot. More than we (the parents) wanted. More than the kids wanted. As the kids got older it seemed that it got easier. We f inally made a family rule that each child could do no more than 2 activities at the same time. This helped all of us. Now, they’re teenagers and it seems that we’re constantly running again. However, I’ve come to the conclusion that I just need to enjoy it because before long they’ll be gone and we won’t have anyone to run after.
.-= Nancy´s last blog ..feel good weekend =-.

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