During the school year, sending your kids to school each day serves a couple of purposes. In addition to educating them for the future, you will also have a place for them to go while you are at work (for part of the day, at least).
Of course, when school lets out for the summer, you lose that benefit and you?ll need to make other arrangements. Unfortunately, those arrangements can be quite expensive, and they can quickly put a dent in your budget.
To help you cut back on the expense of summer childcare, we have listed four cost saving ideas below.
Look for Camps
If your child plays sports, or takes part in other activities, you may be able to find local camps that run during the summer. This is not a plan that is going to last all summer long, but it might be able to help you out for a week or two.
Of course, these camps aren?t free, so you?ll need to compare the cost of such a camp with the cost of other childcare arrangements. In addition to solving your childcare problem, camps are just a great way for your kids to have fun and interact with others.
Work from Home
Depending on the age of your kids and the nature of your job, you may be able to work from home on occasion to reduce your childcare bill. This is only going to work if your children are at just the right age ? old enough to mostly occupy themselves during the day, but not old enough to be left at home alone.
If your kids are too little, they will need your attention through the day and you won?t be able to actually get any work done.
Family Help
For those with local family, asking for a bit of help in the summer may be possible. This is most often the case when it comes to retired grandparents who can watch the kids during the workday.
Even if you only take advantage of this arrangement once or twice during the week, you could wind up saving a significant amount of money over the course of the summer.
Shop Around
At some point, you may have no other option than to take your child to a childcare business for at least some of the days during the summer. If that is the case, you would be wise to plan ahead and shop around for the best combination of rates and service.
Remember, this is somewhere you are going to be leaving your child for several hours, so you want to be comfortable with the business and their reputation. Don?t just shop on price alone ? make sure that the price you are paying also comes with the kind of service and care you expect for your child.
Childcare isn’t cheap and when you have to pay for full-time childcare in the summer, it can be hard on your budget. Use these ideas to find a solution that works for your family and your? budget.
Where do your children go in the summer? Do you have other ideas to save on childcare?
Photo courtesy of: eklisgirlbuh
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