How Much Do You Spend on Your Child's Sports Gear?
My youngest son is part of a track club and I'm convinced it will forever be the most inexpensive team experience we'll encounter in his athletic life.
The only required gear? Good running shoes.
There is no uniform for this particular team, only a club t-shirt that the coach provides after participants attend the second practice. The kids can wear whatever they want and their outfits usually consist of shorts or athletic pants, t-shirts and baseball caps to block the sun. If it's raining, they might wear jackets but usually opt for a fun soak as the water pours down.
But for now, every six months we spend about US$50 on a pair of New BalanceKids running shoes. (We opt for this brand because they sell wide shoes with good arch support and slip-on options without Velcro straps.) If our kid didn't have wide feet, we could probably snag a pair of running shoes for under fifty bucks.
This particular expense is paltry compared to what we could be spending if he were playing youth baseball like his big brother. You could pick up a decent bat for US$50 but players still need a glove, baseball cleats and extra pants...and those are just basic items.
Other youth sports like hockey, lacrosse, and fencing come with big price tags for their associated and required equipment. (We'll talk required gear versus desired gear another day...)
How much are you spending on your kid's sports gear?
