TheHaitian
Senior Associate
Joined: Jul 27, 2014 19:39:10 GMT -5
Posts: 10,144
|
Post by TheHaitian on Nov 29, 2018 13:29:24 GMT -5
If you had to go through everything and make cuts, what absolutely would you keep as an expense?
It is that time of the year to make inventory of our expenses and make plans for next year.
We don’t budget and basically the goal is to minimize on going monthly expenses (end goal is to eventually cover all expenses under 1 income by either increasing income / decrease or maintain expenses or combo of both). Basically we have a good/descent lifestyle and I try to not let the lifestyle creep get out of hand .
Been considering cutting cable since our contract has been up since September; never got around to it. So today mention it to my wife and she said she would rather keep it, is is her only form of entertainment and she rather I try to cut elsewhere.
I was not suggesting we go without TV at all, I was thinking about getting sling + Netflix + amazon stick since we have prime. Also was considering “ring” as a replacement for the security.
We currently pay ~$325/month for: - security system (~$30/month) - phone (plan was cheaper to have one) - internet - cable (showtime, hbo, stars) - Netflix
Per looking around I think a switch can reduce our bill to about ~$100/month which is at a minimum $200 month, even if it is as low as $150 that is still good.
Nope she still won’t hear of it, she does not think she will like Sling, etc. and with Carlie we must have cable (Disney Channel etc) and her mom watches Tele novellas and what not.
So Cable is her “sacred cow”.
I am not going to push it and leave it as is. My sacred cow is not as expensive but any assault on her sacred cow make it open season on mine... let’s see where else we can cut back that lifestyle creep.
Mine is “meat”... no meal to me is complete without that. My wife is vegetarian and my mother in law is semi-vegetarian so that leaves me consuming 80-90% of the meat purchased. And meat can easily be 30-50% of our total grocery bill (I try to to chicken as much as possible to keep it on the low side and my wife made me give up pork which was my other cheap option ... something about it is bad ; same for hot dogs).
I guess I can always call and threaten to cut it!
|
|
Lizard Queen
Senior Associate
103/2024
Joined: Jan 17, 2011 22:19:13 GMT -5
Posts: 14,659
|
Post by Lizard Queen on Nov 29, 2018 13:35:06 GMT -5
Including meat in your diet isn't on par with cable, IMO. We don't have cable, and it is just fine with the kids. There's dvd's and tons on things for them to watch on Netflix, and they'd be on Youtube and playing internet games all day if we'd let them. They already get too much screen time without even touching the TV.
Your MIL, on the other hand, is another story. I think cable might be better for older folks.
|
|
NomoreDramaQ1015
Community Leader
Joined: Dec 20, 2010 14:26:32 GMT -5
Posts: 47,931
Member is Online
|
Post by NomoreDramaQ1015 on Nov 29, 2018 13:46:57 GMT -5
You can get Disney Junior thru Sling. Depends on the package. We have the one with Nick Jr.
If you want them all it's just another 10 bucks a month still way cheaper than cable.
They also have a Spanish channel package for the same price.
Still cheaper than cable.
|
|
Blonde Granny
Junior Associate
Joined: Jan 15, 2013 8:27:13 GMT -5
Posts: 6,919
Today's Mood: Alone in the world
Location: Wandering Aimlessly
Mini-Profile Name Color: 28e619
Mini-Profile Text Color: 3a9900
|
Post by Blonde Granny on Nov 29, 2018 13:47:08 GMT -5
In my opinion Carl, you are going at it backwards. Start with a YNAB budget, and stop winging it. By putting your spending in black and white according to the categories in your spending plan (see, I didn't call it a budget) is the only way to figure out what your goals are and how to reach them.
My income is $3k/mo and my monthly expenditures are about $2K/mo. What is left at the end of the month goes into savings.
So, what could I cut is a better option for me instead of looking for a sacred cow:
Hair cut - yes Church - yes restaurants - yes gun range membership - yes clothes - yes Misc - yes (late DH always said there was no such thing as misc. since it let's you overspend) I don't pay any attention to that Groceries - yes
However I don't have to cut back since I already live very frugally there's not much point in me being concerned about it. YNAB forces you to give every dollar a job, and a category for every time you spend money.. You can d/l and use it for 34 days free , then IIRC, the new version is about $5/mo. Believe me, it's the only way you and Mrs C will ever actually get a handle on your spending.
|
|
pooks
Familiar Member
Joined: Mar 11, 2017 16:45:43 GMT -5
Posts: 637
Today's Mood: Angry
|
Post by pooks on Nov 29, 2018 13:53:42 GMT -5
I don't know if I would call the cable a "sacred cow", because you don't need to cut something. If you had a hardship and she was refusing to cut cable, that would be a different story.
I can't think of anything I wouldn't cut if there was a true hardship in my household. We have cable, but I have offered to cut it multiple times and we have the lowest package ($60). Downgrading our internet($85), may be a "sacred cow" for us. Between DH's work and streaming, I don't think we could stay below the data limit for the cheaper option.
Otherwise there are things we don't cut to save more, even though they aren't necessary items.
|
|
billisonboard
Community Leader
Joined: Dec 20, 2010 22:45:44 GMT -5
Posts: 38,168
|
Post by billisonboard on Nov 29, 2018 13:55:04 GMT -5
My at least once a month Red Robin burger.
|
|
Tiny
Senior Associate
Joined: Dec 29, 2010 21:22:34 GMT -5
Posts: 13,467
|
Post by Tiny on Nov 29, 2018 13:56:26 GMT -5
TheHaitian: It sounds like you have enough people watching/enjoying cable so keeping it isn't that bad. I have heard from many, many, many people that it's worthwhile to pester your service provider for a better deal and to ALWAYS review the bills as fees creep up or a "service" gets added. Have you inventoried your TVs/Cable boxes and compared that to your bill? Maybe you can eliminate a box (or fix an error on your bill if you are being charged for devices you do not have.) If you are 'renting' the router from your service provider - look into purchasing a compatible one and sending the rented one back. In the long term it's more cost effective. (I 'rented' a router for 10 months at 9.99 a month ($100.00). I knew I could buy a router but I didn't (I had a temporary complication in my life and I wanted the new fangled internet/wifi to work and not be my fault if it didn't work). When I got the notice that the 'rent' was going up to $11.99 (on my almost a year old router) -- I said enough (the complication has resolved itself and I can now 'fix' something that isn't 'broke') . I purchased a top of the line replacement router for $180 (with taxes) and installed it myself. I should have bought it sooner. I shouldn't ever have to 'rent' or 'lease' a router again.
But, to the topic:
I don't have a lot of "fat" in my expenses. I've only recently (2 years or so) gotten a "real" smart phone and service for it along with "real" internet (higher speed? or something). So, I've only spent 2 years worth on money these kinds of things. I could shop around and probably cut my cell phone expense and possibly my internet expense. Not sure if it would free up much $$ maybe $30 a month? I could easily drop Netflix (and a couple of other subscription entertainment things) - that would free up about $30 a month. I don't have that much time to watch TV (or stream video to my phone or pc or whatever). That's why I never had cable - for the 8 to 12 hours of entertainment a week it wasn't worth it.
I guess my "sacred cow" is my land line and the phone number associated with it - cost me about $45 a month. I do use my landline phone alot (I talk to friends/relatives several times a week). The phone number has been in the family for over 50 years. I don't want to give it up just yet - I don't use my cell phone enough (all the carriers have crappy reception in a 6 block radius of my house - it's the "dead zone") or I would just have the landline number moved to a cell phone. I would give up other stuff to keep the landline/phone number.
|
|
TheHaitian
Senior Associate
Joined: Jul 27, 2014 19:39:10 GMT -5
Posts: 10,144
|
Post by TheHaitian on Nov 29, 2018 13:59:05 GMT -5
🤦🏾♂️🤦🏾♂️🤦🏾♂️🤦🏾♂️🤦🏾♂️
|
|
giramomma
Distinguished Associate
Joined: Feb 3, 2011 11:25:27 GMT -5
Posts: 22,024
|
Post by giramomma on Nov 29, 2018 13:59:25 GMT -5
I love Sling. Our sacred cows are pretty much the kids stuff: private school and activities. I won't even tell you how much I'll be spending on a backpack for DD1 for cheer.
Well, and grad school for me right now. And needed home maintenance projects.
We have a lot of sacred cows. I kinda wish I had cheep sacred cows.
|
|
Virgil Showlion
Distinguished Associate
Moderator
[b]leones potest resistere[/b]
Joined: Dec 20, 2010 15:19:33 GMT -5
Posts: 27,448
|
Post by Virgil Showlion on Nov 29, 2018 13:59:57 GMT -5
My at least once a month Red Robin burger. That's more of a steacred cow.
|
|
Deleted
Joined: Sept 15, 2024 15:33:36 GMT -5
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Nov 29, 2018 14:04:55 GMT -5
The hardest part about cutting cable, is cutting cable. Just making the decision to do it and following through. I've been without for over a decade and don't miss it a bit. I spend WAY too much time in front of the TV and all I spend is what I would on Amazon Prime anyhow and Netflix which I share and am gifted my half from my parents anyhow....so...my out of pocket is about $9/month. There's also $50/month for internet, but that we have to have anyhow and there are no other options where we live. You don't need cable for kids shows there is TONS on Netflix and Prime and bonus no commercials so your kids aren't begging you for crap all the time. Limiting screen time is hard enough as it is without letting them have access to 300 channels.
My budget is pretty bare bones at this point, but I do spend a lot on kids activities and I'm not getting rid of any of the pets to save money. I'm kind of of the opinion that once I take them in I'm responsible for them forever, even the ones that may never die in my lifetime, like the gecko... I suppose if it got down to us eating or the animals they would have to go, but that's getting pretty bad. I did continue college savings through some super rough financial times, so I guess that could be considered my HTDO.
|
|
raeoflyte
Senior Associate
Joined: Feb 3, 2011 15:43:53 GMT -5
Posts: 14,931
|
Post by raeoflyte on Nov 29, 2018 14:18:11 GMT -5
Right now it's martial arts. We're spending a decent size car payment for all 4 of us to go, not including uniforms (the kids are growing like weeds), sweatshirts just for fun, etc. But we love it and are all getting benefits from it. So...it stays. Along with a bunch of other spending on kids activities.
|
|
movingforward
Junior Associate
Joined: Sept 15, 2011 12:48:31 GMT -5
Posts: 8,383
|
Post by movingforward on Nov 29, 2018 14:18:53 GMT -5
Well, my cleaning service only started a month ago but it is quickly becoming my sacred cow. It has made my life so much easier. I don't have cable and use Ting for my phone so there isn't much fat to cut there. Like MPL said, once you cut the cable cord you don't miss it AT ALL. I have Amazon Prime, Netflix and Hulu Plus. Those along with internet is still way lower than cable and I have PLENTY to watch. I don't think I would go back to cable even if it cost less.
I could definitely cut down on food/eating out. If I had to (which I currently don't) I would probably cut that before cutting my cleaning service.
Vacation spending could absolutely be cut down. I am only doing domestic trips next year, and using points for a lot of things, so it should be pretty low in 2019.
|
|
TheHaitian
Senior Associate
Joined: Jul 27, 2014 19:39:10 GMT -5
Posts: 10,144
|
Post by TheHaitian on Nov 29, 2018 14:22:49 GMT -5
TheHaitian: It sounds like you have enough people watching/enjoying cable so keeping it isn't that bad. I have heard from many, many, many people that it's worthwhile to pester your service provider for a better deal and to ALWAYS review the bills as fees creep up or a "service" gets added. Have you inventoried your TVs/Cable boxes and compared that to your bill? Maybe you can eliminate a box (or fix an error on your bill if you are being charged for devices you do not have.) If you are 'renting' the router from your service provider - look into purchasing a compatible one and sending the rented one back. In the long term it's more cost effective. (I 'rented' a router for 10 months at 9.99 a month ($100.00). I knew I could buy a router but I didn't (I had a temporary complication in my life and I wanted the new fangled internet/wifi to work and not be my fault if it didn't work). When I got the notice that the 'rent' was going up to $11.99 (on my almost a year old router) -- I said enough (the complication has resolved itself and I can now 'fix' something that isn't 'broke') . I purchased a top of the line replacement router for $180 (with taxes) and installed it myself. I should have bought it sooner. I shouldn't ever have to 'rent' or 'lease' a router again. Going to pester them later today! Just taking inventory of everything now and I offered that up as something we may not want and DW shut that down quickly... I considered buying the boxes because we rent 2 or 3 now; just never got around to it. With Verizon moving in the neighborhood I think I have a good “sale” to get them to lower it. But that was not the “topic” like you mentioned but what everyone jumped on. The cable bill is not killing us or something we must cut, heck if we had a hardship it would be gone ASAP (did it the first 2 years of our marriage, lots of DVD rented from library or purchasing shows we like from Apple)... but something that right now DW/DD and DMIL enjoys (even if I don’t think my wife watches much TV like me) and she would prefer to cut something else than that. Same way I am looking at switching car insurance / home insurance to save money , or combining them together (we will see what they offer). Been with car insurance company for over decade (Progressive) but hear they are terrible choice for home insurance so was easier to keep them... and been with home insurance for 4 years but every year they have been slowly creeping the price. Maybe time for a change. 50 years? Was it your parents #?
|
|
TheHaitian
Senior Associate
Joined: Jul 27, 2014 19:39:10 GMT -5
Posts: 10,144
|
Post by TheHaitian on Nov 29, 2018 14:26:09 GMT -5
Right now it's martial arts. We're spending a decent size car payment for all 4 of us to go, not including uniforms (the kids are growing like weeds), sweatshirts just for fun, etc. But we love it and are all getting benefits from it. So...it stays. Along with a bunch of other spending on kids activities. Nice, at least it is an activity you enjoy as a family. DD turns 2 in January and we are thinking about signing her up for a few activities; I have a price point limit though lol that DW is trying to nudge up. I think at her age 1 activity per season is more than enough to get our of the house on weekends, my wife was hoping for 2. Now it is what? I want swimming lessons while my wife wants ballet... she will probably win (I still would prefer gymnastics over ballet but then she says she can do both ... then I switch to “guess ballet it is”).
|
|
andi9899
Distinguished Associate
Joined: Dec 6, 2011 10:22:29 GMT -5
Posts: 31,214
|
Post by andi9899 on Nov 29, 2018 14:26:30 GMT -5
Vodka. My sanity keeps others safe.
|
|
TheHaitian
Senior Associate
Joined: Jul 27, 2014 19:39:10 GMT -5
Posts: 10,144
|
Post by TheHaitian on Nov 29, 2018 14:28:13 GMT -5
Vodka. My sanity keeps others safe. What Vodka do you drink? Must be TOP shelf . I drink Rum but does not cost enough to make it to the top of the list to be considered “sacred cow”.
|
|
Lizard Queen
Senior Associate
103/2024
Joined: Jan 17, 2011 22:19:13 GMT -5
Posts: 14,659
|
Post by Lizard Queen on Nov 29, 2018 14:28:30 GMT -5
Right now it's martial arts. We're spending a decent size car payment for all 4 of us to go, not including uniforms (the kids are growing like weeds), sweatshirts just for fun, etc. But we love it and are all getting benefits from it. So...it stays. Along with a bunch of other spending on kids activities. Nice, at least it is an activity you enjoy as a family. DD turns 2 in January and we are thinking about signing her up for a few activities; I have a price point limit though lol that DW is trying to nudge up. I think at her age 1 activity per season is more than enough to get our of the house on weekends, my wife was hoping for 2. Now it is what? I want swimming lessons while my wife wants ballet... she will probably win (I still would prefer gymnastics over ballet but then she says she can do both ... then I switch to “guess ballet it is”). I'd suggest swimming for a couple years, then switch to ballet. Ballet is a complete waste of time and money at that age.
|
|
andi9899
Distinguished Associate
Joined: Dec 6, 2011 10:22:29 GMT -5
Posts: 31,214
|
Post by andi9899 on Nov 29, 2018 14:31:33 GMT -5
Vodka. My sanity keeps others safe. What Vodka do you drink? Must be TOP shelf . I drink Rum but does not cost enough to make it to the top of the list to be considered “sacred cow”. It's not top shelf. Now I have to think of a different thing. What is the minimum dollar amount?
|
|
MJ2.0
Senior Associate
Joined: Jul 24, 2014 10:27:09 GMT -5
Posts: 11,049
|
Post by MJ2.0 on Nov 29, 2018 14:31:39 GMT -5
My at least once a month Red Robin burger. That's more of a steacred cow. womp womp
|
|
NomoreDramaQ1015
Community Leader
Joined: Dec 20, 2010 14:26:32 GMT -5
Posts: 47,931
Member is Online
|
Post by NomoreDramaQ1015 on Nov 29, 2018 14:32:20 GMT -5
Nice, at least it is an activity you enjoy as a family. DD turns 2 in January and we are thinking about signing her up for a few activities; I have a price point limit though lol that DW is trying to nudge up. I think at her age 1 activity per season is more than enough to get our of the house on weekends, my wife was hoping for 2. Now it is what? I want swimming lessons while my wife wants ballet... she will probably win (I still would prefer gymnastics over ballet but then she says she can do both ... then I switch to “guess ballet it is”). I'd suggest swimming for a couple years, then switch to ballet. Ballet is a complete waste of time and money at that age. Amen. I'd say any dance at that age is a waste based on my observations. It's more for the parents at that age IMHO.
|
|
justme
Senior Associate
Joined: Feb 10, 2012 13:12:47 GMT -5
Posts: 14,618
|
Post by justme on Nov 29, 2018 14:32:22 GMT -5
I have directv now not sling and I like it better than when I had cable. Their dvr capability is a little lacking, but otherwise I like that I can favorite channels so my guide only shows channels I watch. And hulu makes up for it. The basic does have Disney and nick - not sure if the basic has the jr versions or not. I also love that I can easily pull it up on my phone or tablet.
My parents are considering cutting their cable and I'm trying to talk them into splitting my directv with them. It'd be just over 50 for 3 screens on the basic plan.
|
|
Blonde Granny
Junior Associate
Joined: Jan 15, 2013 8:27:13 GMT -5
Posts: 6,919
Today's Mood: Alone in the world
Location: Wandering Aimlessly
Mini-Profile Name Color: 28e619
Mini-Profile Text Color: 3a9900
|
Post by Blonde Granny on Nov 29, 2018 14:46:34 GMT -5
Just recently Carl posted:
Why do we spend so much when we are stressed out or overwhelmed? Had this conversation earlier with DW that we need to be more mindful in the coming months....
Both her and I were so swamped with work in the beginning of November that we took our eyes off the ball... used $$ to make life easier. Meaning before we knew it both her paychecks were gone and we did not know what we spend it on... so had to take 2k from Savings to cover bills.
Yesterday was off so was supposed to go through our bank account line by line to see where the money went. Nothing jumps out me just frivolous spending here and there...
|
|
Lizard Queen
Senior Associate
103/2024
Joined: Jan 17, 2011 22:19:13 GMT -5
Posts: 14,659
|
Post by Lizard Queen on Nov 29, 2018 14:48:06 GMT -5
I'd suggest swimming for a couple years, then switch to ballet. Ballet is a complete waste of time and money at that age. Amen. I'd say any dance at that age is a waste based on my observations. It's more for the parents at that age IMHO. At that age, I'd call any dance, "barely dance", while swimming lessons could actually be useful in getting the kid used to the water, and comfortable getting her face in it. That was the big obstacle for my kids.
|
|
flamingo
Well-Known Member
Joined: Dec 17, 2012 10:38:09 GMT -5
Posts: 1,954
Mini-Profile Name Color: 7c65d4
|
Post by flamingo on Nov 29, 2018 14:54:56 GMT -5
Every time I complain about our cable bill, my DH whines about it and I cave and keep it. Clearly that's his "sacred cow" LOL. Having said that, when I lost my job 5 years ago, we did cut cable. The complex we lived in at the time offered super basic cable for free (we got lot 20 channels), so we canceled our pricey package. I also made us stop eating out for breakfast every day and really streamlined things like running errands to save gas. I'm the breadwinner, though he was making quite a bit more money 5 years ago, so we weren't in real danger of financial ruin, even though I felt like the world was ending every time I spent any money.
In my world today the one thing I wouldn't give up is my gym membership. I go to a super cheap gym, so it's not breaking the bank, but that's the one thing I absolutely would not give up.
|
|
grumpyhermit
Well-Known Member
Joined: Jul 12, 2012 12:04:00 GMT -5
Posts: 1,444
|
Post by grumpyhermit on Nov 29, 2018 14:57:14 GMT -5
I don't know that I have any true sacred cows. Maybe an apartment with off street parking? I'm flexible on a lot of things, but that isn't one of them.
If we are talking monthly, non-housing, expenses, one of the last things to go for me would be quality, high speed internet. Cutting cable (or drastically reducing) didn't bother me. The first year I moved to CT there was a deal with low cost high speed internet (no cable, no phone). However, when that deal expired, the most cost effective solution was a cable (SUPER basic) and internet (around 50-75 MB/ps) combo package. About the only time I actually turn on my cable box (no DVR, but I do spring for the HD at another $10 a month) is to watch football on Sundays. My current cable bill is just under $100. I think a lower tier, internet only, package was going to be like $85 or something and at that price difference, it just didn't make sense.
I would cut a lot of things (not that I have that many - my budget is pretty lean) before I would downgrade my internet.
I easily have hundreds of dollars in food, and random discretionary spending each month that I would go after first. I need to eat. I don't need to eat wild caught sockeye (but I like to). I waste a LOT of money on food.
|
|
giramomma
Distinguished Associate
Joined: Feb 3, 2011 11:25:27 GMT -5
Posts: 22,024
|
Post by giramomma on Nov 29, 2018 15:08:36 GMT -5
Amen. I'd say any dance at that age is a waste based on my observations. It's more for the parents at that age IMHO. At that age, I'd call any dance, "barely dance", while swimming lessons could actually be useful in getting the kid used to the water, and comfortable getting her face in it. That was the big obstacle for my kids. I think, again, it depends. Swim lessons for DS weren't really useful until he was 14, when he was ready.
|
|
azucena
Junior Associate
Joined: Jan 17, 2011 13:23:14 GMT -5
Posts: 5,599
|
Post by azucena on Nov 29, 2018 15:19:22 GMT -5
If you had to go through everything and make cuts, what absolutely would you keep as an expense? It is that time of the year to make inventory of our expenses and make plans for next year. We don’t budget and basically the goal is to minimize on going monthly expenses (end goal is to eventually cover all expenses under 1 income by either increasing income / decrease or maintain expenses or combo of both). Basically we have a good/descent lifestyle and I try to not let the lifestyle creep get out of hand . Been considering cutting cable since our contract has been up since September; never got around to it. So today mention it to my wife and she said she would rather keep it, is is her only form of entertainment and she rather I try to cut elsewhere. I was not suggesting we go without TV at all, I was thinking about getting sling + Netflix + amazon stick since we have prime. Also was considering “ring” as a replacement for the security. We currently pay ~$325/month for: - security system (~$30/month) - phone (plan was cheaper to have one) - internet - cable (showtime, hbo, stars) - Netflix Per looking around I think a switch can reduce our bill to about ~$100/month which is at a minimum $200 month, even if it is as low as $150 that is still good. Nope she still won’t hear of it, she does not think she will like Sling, etc. and with Carlie we must have cable (Disney Channel etc) and her mom watches Tele novellas and what not. So Cable is her “sacred cow”. I am not going to push it and leave it as is. My sacred cow is not as expensive but any assault on her sacred cow make it open season on mine... let’s see where else we can cut back that lifestyle creep. Mine is “meat”... no meal to me is complete without that. My wife is vegetarian and my mother in law is semi-vegetarian so that leaves me consuming 80-90% of the meat purchased. And meat can easily be 30-50% of our total grocery bill (I try to to chicken as much as possible to keep it on the low side and my wife made me give up pork which was my other cheap option ... something about it is bad ; same for hot dogs). I guess I can always call and threaten to cut it! So your sacred cow is cow?! Sorry couldn't resist.
|
|
Lizard Queen
Senior Associate
103/2024
Joined: Jan 17, 2011 22:19:13 GMT -5
Posts: 14,659
|
Post by Lizard Queen on Nov 29, 2018 15:25:18 GMT -5
At that age, I'd call any dance, "barely dance", while swimming lessons could actually be useful in getting the kid used to the water, and comfortable getting her face in it. That was the big obstacle for my kids. I think, again, it depends. Swim lessons for DS weren't really useful until he was 14, when he was ready.
Betcha he would've been ready earlier if he learned to have fun splashing, gliding, and blowing bubbles at 2. The place we go is really great about easing into it, and the kids love it. This summer, my kids finally learned to doggie paddle enough to get by, which was a huge relief to me. They still don't know any regular strokes, but that's okay. My fear of their drowning is greatly diminished.
|
|
giramomma
Distinguished Associate
Joined: Feb 3, 2011 11:25:27 GMT -5
Posts: 22,024
|
Post by giramomma on Nov 29, 2018 15:37:36 GMT -5
I think, again, it depends. Swim lessons for DS weren't really useful until he was 14, when he was ready.
Betcha he would've been ready earlier if he learned to have fun splashing, gliding, and blowing bubbles at 2. The place we go is really great about easing into it, and the kids love it. This summer, my kids finally learned to doggie paddle enough to get by, which was a huge relief to me. They still don't know any regular strokes, but that's okay. My fear of their drowning is greatly diminished. Nope. He did parent child swim lessons from 18 months to 3, when he aged out of the program. DH and I both took turns with the classes..but we did have fun splashing, singing songs, and jumping around in the pool.
Once we couldn't be in the pool alongside him, that was the end of that. And personally, I didn't think it was safe/appropriate to ask one swim teacher to focus on the crying/tantruming/non-complaint kid and ignore the other kids in class. Our group swim lessons are taught with one teacher.
|
|