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so it got me thinking (it doesn't take much) how much does softball really cost my family? in terms of monetary value, can i realistically tabulate the everyday, weekend cost of playing summer ball and even school ball? So I want to provide u, dear reader, with a clear and concise evidence that softball is definitely an investment if one is willing to put that time into it.
Why? believe it or not, it is not an effort to beef up my posts...lord knows, i have that down already. This will be statman's last go-round, the last hurah, the end of the picture! My oldest dd will be playing her last year at 16's. My younger kids will be needing more time from me so this will probably be the last year i really post anyway, until the little DD gets ready to play in about 7 years. With the economy the way it is, maybe others can read what i spend, relate or help me cut costs some how. We are a thriving online community of friends and supporters, might as well try something new.
So what r my rules? I figure to tabulate the following:
a. mileage--to and from practices, shopping for softball and traveling. I figure i will average the amount of gas it will actually cost
b. equipment and lessons--to b a competitive 16u athlete, one needs to keep themselves well equipped and well trained, so any expense from hitting lessons to new shoes will b recorded.
c. team fees
d. hotel fees for stays out of town
e. concessions (hopefully not too many walking tacos!)
f. groceries that directly relate to softball...gatorades, water, fruit we stockpile on the weekend, propane for the grill, etc. I wont list everything, just a running tab of expenses. imagine the amount and prices of bags of dill pickle seeds?
g. extra school expenses (pictures, uniforms, etc)
h. time (this, to me is the most expensive tabulation but most likely the most rewarding)
i. statman equipment (glover's book refills, pencils)
j. gate/parking fees/t-shirts
k. college preparations (skills videos, etc)
did i miss anything?
i will most likely keep it in a blog to keep it out of the main thread (maybe not)..but will look forward to people's comments and maybe realize what not to spend the next weekend. also, i'm hoping to actually finish something--statman's biggest loser became "summer of the french fries". Failed on that attempt (thanks to wgman, i may get started back again in the fall once school starts). Ranking team schedules? hey, when no one responds cant do that either--although, i am trying to coordinate a 16/14 fan poll. we will see how that goes.
So, we begin today. DD's tryouts are over. So no expenses to report as of yet. Stay tuned.
Why? believe it or not, it is not an effort to beef up my posts...lord knows, i have that down already. This will be statman's last go-round, the last hurah, the end of the picture! My oldest dd will be playing her last year at 16's. My younger kids will be needing more time from me so this will probably be the last year i really post anyway, until the little DD gets ready to play in about 7 years. With the economy the way it is, maybe others can read what i spend, relate or help me cut costs some how. We are a thriving online community of friends and supporters, might as well try something new.
So what r my rules? I figure to tabulate the following:
a. mileage--to and from practices, shopping for softball and traveling. I figure i will average the amount of gas it will actually cost
b. equipment and lessons--to b a competitive 16u athlete, one needs to keep themselves well equipped and well trained, so any expense from hitting lessons to new shoes will b recorded.
c. team fees
d. hotel fees for stays out of town
e. concessions (hopefully not too many walking tacos!)
f. groceries that directly relate to softball...gatorades, water, fruit we stockpile on the weekend, propane for the grill, etc. I wont list everything, just a running tab of expenses. imagine the amount and prices of bags of dill pickle seeds?
g. extra school expenses (pictures, uniforms, etc)
h. time (this, to me is the most expensive tabulation but most likely the most rewarding)
i. statman equipment (glover's book refills, pencils)
j. gate/parking fees/t-shirts
k. college preparations (skills videos, etc)
did i miss anything?
i will most likely keep it in a blog to keep it out of the main thread (maybe not)..but will look forward to people's comments and maybe realize what not to spend the next weekend. also, i'm hoping to actually finish something--statman's biggest loser became "summer of the french fries". Failed on that attempt (thanks to wgman, i may get started back again in the fall once school starts). Ranking team schedules? hey, when no one responds cant do that either--although, i am trying to coordinate a 16/14 fan poll. we will see how that goes.
So, we begin today. DD's tryouts are over. So no expenses to report as of yet. Stay tuned.