crafts, sing and play outside with some Old and New Testament stories sprinkled in. A week-long program rarely tops $80 per child, and many churches offer discounts for sibs. Though technically not a nonprofit, the Parks Department itself offers a $500/summer program through a lottery. Student Practitioners If you or your child needs a service like a haircut, dental work, ADHD or speech therapy or even a family portrait photography session, make a call to a local professional school. To get the practice they need, student apprentices will knead your muscles, snip your locks, address your lisp or drill your cavities under the watch of a veteran—at next to nothing. You can also call the school’s placement offices and ask about how to hire recent graduates. Believe it or not, I did this to find my most recent (OK, only) home decorator. She was young—but kept me from making some headache-inducing mistakes. Oursource Parenting If you can make it happen, ship the kids to the grands in a cheaper zip code for a week or two of intergenerational bonding over this summer. Even if you enroll the kids in camp, living expenses go down radically when you’re almost anywhere but here. And if you can’t accompany your kids on the drop-off or pick-up trip, consider the fact that you generally pay only an extra $50 to $100 for an unaccompanied minor (aged 5 to 11) to fly solo on non-stop flights.
Negotiate New York is full of mom-and-pop businesses, and just about everyone from dentists to the proprietors of kids activity and enrichment centers may lower their bills if you ask. One friend with three kids tried this for summer camp and was so stunned at the discount offered by the camp that he told the owner he didn’t expect that much of a break. Given the economy, even big businesses like hospitals may offer after-the-fact rebates if you receive a bill that’s higher than you expected. School Auctions To raise money, many local schools now feature some of the items from their annual benefit on their websites prior to the actual benefit. These are great ways to find big breaks on local children’s classes and birthday parties, among other things. And you don’t have to buy a ticket, dress up or go somewhere to participate; they just want your money. Also, check out biddingforgood. com, an online auction clearinghouse where schools, foundations, religious organizations and other charities across the country auction off summer camps, trips, memberships, jewelry, sports tickets and other donations all year round. This spring, I snagged a
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local museum membership, baseball class, professional consulting, dolphin watching and a chess camp for less than half the price that I had paid in the past. Final Thought In case you’re pondering a move to the land of lawn care and shopping malls to cut costs, you may want to reassess. Assuming you move close enough to the city to keep your day job, chances are your monthly outlay is likely to remain similar to whatever it was in the city, if not more. Soon enough, you’ll wonder where it all goes at the end of the month (much as you probably do now) thanks to paying for niceties like lawn care, garbage collection, snow removal, commuting, heating and cooling, lighting for an extra 2,000 square feet, a car (or two), insurance on those vehicles and higher real estate taxes. On the positive side, with your extra hour (at least) of commuting each day, you’ll have the plenty of time to figure it out. Hillary CHura is a freelanCe writer, longtime business reporter and nyC mom of two. look for Her work on newyorkfamily.Com, wHere sHe’ll soon be starting a blog about, yes, parenting money savers. www.newyorkfamily.com
6/23/12 12:56 PM