Extra-curricular activities

Most sports and things really aren't that expensive. We're quite lucky here, soccer is only $35 per kid, as is baseball. When we first signed my daughter up for dance it was only $3 a class, paid monthly, plus the cost of the costume. Now it's a base rate of like $15 a month, or $65 for the year plus costume. Baton is only $40. Sometimes they'll give you a fundraiser to earn the money back too, or at least part of it. That's how it worked in the last town we lived, which is good because the cost was $50 for 1 kid for soccer. But the fundraiser helped us earn $25 back.

We are very lucky here, our PTO offers the dance classes, ballet, jazz or tap at a very reasonable price. It's about $65 for the year, it runs from Oct to April and there is a recital in April. The costumes are usually inexpensive as well, we have a $25 deposit by November than have to pay the remaining when we pick up the costumes in April, and the past 2 years the remainder has been $10 or less. This is the first year she's doing 2 dance classes, last 2 years she's only done ballet.