GREENSBORO, N.C. — Every summer parents and guardians have two goals. Keep their children safe and keep them busy! Then there is the ultimate dream of securing a summer camp or activity that is not too expensive.
Money expert Ja'Net Adams knows all about that! She is a mother of two and a financial expert who wrote the book, The Money Attractor.
“School is almost out and now is the time to get children ready for the summer. But there are some things you should consider before finding activities and paying for them,” Adams said.
Following these three tips will guarantee you ways to save as you search. The first tip is to keep it simple.
‘As parents, we tend to go into overload during the summer. We look at what they should be doing during the day but we forget our children have been sitting in a classroom from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. for the last eight months and may not want every minute of their day to be consumed by some summer camp or sports training. If you are not careful you could end up wasting a lot of money and have an exhausted child going into a new school year,” said Adams.
You also want to get your child involved in the decision-making and ask their opinion.
“To avoid wasting money and time, ask your child what they want to do for the summer. You may want them to go to gymnastics all summer, but they may want to do ballet. If you don't ask them then you end up wasting money. Asking for their input is not always about saving money. Sometimes it is about making sure they have a happy summer,” Adams said.
The third tip to follow allows time for you to make changes to the plan, if necessary.
“There is no way to be sure how your summer will go so you need to be flexible so that you can make adjustments when necessary. For example, a summer camp may not last all the way up until school starts so you need to be prepared to find an alternative for that child during that time gap. Leave room for vacation too. No one wants to go straight from summer activities right into another school year. Make sure to keep your summer schedule open for vacations. The vacation spot could be a plane trip away or it could be a staycation where you stay at a nearby hotel.”