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It was the last inning of the T-ball finals and my 5 year old son, Timothy was on second base. The batter hit the ball to center field and Timothy shot a beeline for third base, rounded it and headed toward home. Two yards before he touched home plate, Timothy suddenly stopped. Completely disconnected from the excited, shouting crowd, he bent over to examine a rock on the baseline. After a few excruciatingly long seconds, Timothy slipped the rock in his pocket and walked the few remaining steps, putting his foot on home plate a split second before the ball landed in the catcher's mitt! "Safe!" the umpire yelled. The crowd burst into unrestrained cheers and laughter. Timothy calmly walked to the bench and showed his buddy, who was on the ground making grass angels, the cool rock he just found. And so with that season, our sports participation began.
As parents, we can enjoy a great sense of pride seeing our little guy or gal in uniform giving all they have for their team. However, it's another thing to keep the costs under control. Some sports are less expensive than others but none are totally free. Here are the strategies that have helped us participate in sports without taking a karate chop to our wallet.
Equipment
There are two primary ways to save on sporting equipment. First, pick a sport that requires less equipment or less costly equipment. Only a good pair of shoes is needed for track but football requires a myriad of protective gear. So if you're choosing between two sports that are enjoyed equally, let the cost of equipment play a factor in your decision.
Second, find creative ways to acquire the equipment. Connect with friends who have an older child in the same sport and offer to adopt or buy their outgrown equipment. Remember, many sporting goods are unisex like baseball gloves, soccer shin guards, and cleat shoes. If you don't know of anyone, ask the coach if they can recommend someone from a past season.
Our soccer league has a Free Exchange Day where parents bring their kids' outgrown equipment to trade and barter with other parents. If your sports association doesn't do this, offer to start one! Also ask about lost and found items. They may be happy to let you have something from last year's lost and found box.
We've been able to buy bats, gloves, balls, soccer goals, etc. at garage sales for pennies on the dollar. Watch for garage sales sponsored by other sports teams. My husband Tom was reluctantly dragged to a garage sales one Saturday and hit the jackpot on baseball bats. He was able to pick up several high quality bats for only a few dollars.
Check out the sports consignment stores. The merchandise is previously owned but still in good condition. The price can't beat a garage sale but is generally 50% less than full retail price.
Uniforms
Find out which uniform parts are included with the league fee and which you will need to get. Then substitute some of the needs which you are responsible for with clothing you already have. With our baseball team, only the shirt is issued each year. The pants, socks, and shoes must be bought personally. Our sons wore regular gray sweatpants rather than purchase official baseball pants. Instead of $20 cleats and $4 baseball socks, they wore cleats I got at a garage sale for 50¢ and regular socks.
Fees
Fees are essentially non-negotiable. However, if you are willing to put in some time as a coach or administrative helper, you may be able to work-in-trade for the fee. Some areas offer reduced fees for those with low incomes or foster children.
Fees may be transferable. After a few practice sessions in Pony League baseball, we discovered Timothy's head was a magnet for baseballs. Before the season even started, Timothy resigned his baseball career for basketball because in his words, "Mom, the ball is softer." Our youngest son Adam decided at the last minute that he did want to play baseball. With one phone call, the league was willing to swap Timothy's registration fee for Adam's. All we had to do was ask.
So enjoy all the fun and healthy benefits of participating in sports without the excessive cost by using some of these frugal ideas.
Angie Zalewski and Deana Ricks are co-founders of the Frugal Family Network, Inc. They produce a popular thrift newsletter to help people live contentedly within their means and present workshops on stretching the family dollar.
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