February 16, 2011

How To: Keep That Budget LOW!

As mentioned previously (in this post: How To Budget Your Skating, and make it work), there are many many elements which make up a figure skating budget. However, I'm sure you were already aware of that!

Keeping budgets as low as they can go will give you more freedom, and let's face it, who doesn't enjoy not constantly being border-line over-budget? The worrying, the making ends meet, the innocent expectation in your child's face, not the mention the arguments. If you can have one less thing to worry about, then all the better.

February 13, 2011

How To: Budget Your Skating (and make it work!)

OK here comes a mammoth post! I was thinking a lot today about budgeting for figure skating. As a parent, how do you manage to do this, especially if you have a family consisting of more than one child?

Between ice patches, coaching, costumes, boots and blades, music cutting, travel expenses and petrol money, it can get crazy expensive real fast. You really need a hold of your money, and a good sense of when enough is enough.

February 12, 2011

How To: Beat The Mid-Season Blues

We're well and truly in the thick of it now. With the season starting in some areas as early as the end of August, and with no end in sight yet, many skaters (and parents alike) will be starting to feel the strain.

I always got a little overwhelmed come the New Year, especially after the joyous holiday period, and the return to the bleak white nothingness that is the month of January!

How to: Be Fair To Your Non-Skaters

You're probably not superbly rich, but you probably do have more than one child. That's the sort of household I grew up in, and I'm guessing I'm not the only skater from a working class family whose parents juggled skating with the whole other realm that is family life.

Yes, it would be lovely indeed, to call Jeeves to collect Skating-Sister from school, cook her dinner, help with homework, make that crafts project, and keep a watchful eye on the friends she has over. But I didn't live in fantasy-dream-land, and chances you don't either!

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