Kids these days have extremely busy lives- their extracurricular activities probably run circles around your own! While it’s great that your child is active, all the costs that come with soccer cleats, piano lessons, ballet recitals, and football jerseys can really put a strain on your budget. Fortunately, there is more than one way to save on your child’s athletic equipment and stop dipping into your savings to fund his/her sport.

First of all, always buy used equipment. Many towns have local used sports shops- check out your yellow pages for listings. Check online sites such as Craigslist for used equipment- the site is broken down by geographic region and you can usually find locally based sellers. Ask friends or relatives for leftover equipment from their sons/daughters former sports days that you can use for the season- in fact many may offer to give these items away free of charge.

If you do have to purchase equipment, consider buying off brands- name brands aren’t necessary and the extra money you’re paying is mainly to cover advertising and packing of the product. You can usually get away with buying one or two grades below top of the line- again, there is usually no noticeable difference in quality). Also, if you know that your child is going to play a certain sport ahead of time, be on the lookout for end-of-season sales when equipment is marked down by as much as 75%.

If your child is older, and a stand-out talent in the sport, talk with the coach about getting a manufacturer to provide equipment free of charge through a sponsorship or donation. The manufacturer can write off the equipment on their taxes, and you’ll save a significant amount of money. It is usually best to go through the coach for these types of requests, although approaching the manufacturer on your own is an alternative option.

Don’t forget uniforms when you’re calculating costs for sports teams- each child is usually responsible for their own shoes, belts and pants. Considering checking out yard sales for these items, or talk with other parents in your neighborhood or school to see if they have leftover uniforms from older children’s participation in the activity. If this is your child’s first season playing a sport, this might be the best option economically speaking. By the end of the season, your child may never want to play again! Therefore, you don’t want to invest a lot of money in these items.

Ultimately, the one rule to live by when it comes to purchasing sports equipment on a budget is to never pay full price.

Posted in Home Budget

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