DOAD #2: How do you budget for competitive dance?

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 This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.dadofadancer.com