In today’s episode, we tackle the question that doesn’t have a great answer: how do you budget for a year of being a competitive dancer? It’s tricky. Yes, there’s the base cost of X dollars per month for the dance training itself, but then there’s all the extras that really gouge you:
Costumes
Photo shoots
Teacher appreciation gifts
Teammate appreciation gifts
Senior dancer appreciation gifts
Misc meals and snacks
Gas/mileage
Gifts for teammates during Valentine’s Day, Halloween, holiday season, etc.
Team swag (optional but…are you going to be the parent that doesn’t get their dancer a hoodie to wear at school?)
Team swag for parents (optional but encouraged)
And if you have an end-of-year dance competition that you have to travel out of town for, get ready for more financial pain with:
Hotel costs (jacked up during competition season)
Meals (God bless you if you’re a strategic enough of a planner to bring your own food to the hotel…for us it was lots of eating out)
Other costs for being out of town (house sitters, dog sitters, babysitters, etc.)
Hope this helps! And while you’re reading this, why not subscribe?
Thanks,
-Brian
