How much do you spend on clubs?

[Stewberman]

We are a family that is big on hobbies. Four kids, all play instruments and do sport. I also have a PT at the gym which is expensive but the only way I can motivate myself to do exercise.

I totted everything up the other day and realised I spend £640 a month on hobbies. Is this just ridiculous or what I should expect when I have four DC and a personal trainer?

PS. Yes I know I’m lucky to have the money to do this but the pay off is that we never go on holiday.

Ha. I have two kids.
Current tot up monthly is:
£340 on music lessons
£250 on sports including swimming

But you know op, 1st world problems and all that.

We have horses so it’s an open cheque book

Faints. It's madness.

I suspect the issue is 4 kids rather than extravagant hobbies. £640 between six of you isn’t that bad.

As per PP, we’ve got horses so £640 between 5 people seems like a bargain 🤣

I mean, it's only £100 per person which is nothing, really.

The issue is you have a large family

None

Ds does football twice a week, but it’s completely free.

We obviously pay other activities like if we take him swimming but that’s all ad hoc

Football practice €380 per year, art class €20 per month, for DC2.
DC1 doesn't do extra activities.

Four kids. I am lucky it’s really cheap just now guides 20 subs per month for two. Scouts £5 per month. Army cadets free. Everyone gets free music lessons as part of a trad band group which has gotten funding. Rugby £20 per dc per year. Youth group £1 a session per child Lots of free / cheap clubs round our way. Netball, Archaeology, basketball, running.

I have funded lots of expensive stuff previously swimming, ski, ballet, musical theatre, ballet, circus skills.

Not too bad at the mo as my PT stopped working and I haven’t found another 😭 and cricket has stopped, and a couple of DS2’s clubs he’s taking a break from.

Weekly:
1 piano lesson for a child (they alternate so each have 2 weeks between lessons but we go/pay weekly) - £33.50

1 piano lesson for me - £33.50

1 singing lesson for me - £42

Swimming lesson for DD - paid for a term but it’s about £20 a week and we never go as she hates it 😱

Football at school - £11/week for 2 kids - bargain!

Rocksteady (at-school piano) - £44/month so £11/week

Softplay on average once a week for DD, which she lives for so I’d call it a hobby (she’s 3) - maybe £15 a week.

So £166 per week. Feels like pretty good value tbh. I far more resent spending that amount on the weekly food shop 😄

PLUS 4x after school club (2 kids, 2 days a week) and 3 days nursery which I’m sure probably doesn’t count 😂 plus tutoring which is £40 ish a week (1 hr).

Edit - no idea why I thought we were doing weekly. Monthly £664 so comparable to you OP with 1 less kid. That much a week WOULD be mad!

I read the thread title and thought "Nothing, my clubbing days are long over!" 🤦‍♀️🤣

We spend about £300 pcm, only two children though.

It's a bit confusing because some things are per half term, some are per term, and some are yearly but...

£400ish (2x DC a term of swimming)
£210 a year of football club membership (DS1)
£71 half term of football training (DS1)
£75 half term of dance (DS2)
£220 all the school clubs both childcare and fun ones (2× DC per half term)

That's possibly still cheaper than the nursery years though.

How much is the PT?

We are big on clubs too.
Dance, acro, swimming, singing, piano, cricket, science and gymnastics between 2 DC.
I honestly don't even want to tot up the cost as it's probably terrifying 😬

Every child is different but I do think for lots of kids, clubs are great. It gives them exercise, new skills, social skills, a wider friendship group etc. And mine have lots of energy - they need to be kept busy!

Horse riding €200 a month
Martial arts €105 a month
GAA subs are €20 a year!

So €305 for two children (oldest no longer does any sports/hobbies). It’s the horse riding that’s the killer as gear/competition costs are extortionate but I suck it up as it’s great that my children have activities they love and work at

DC are all grown up

£4500 per annum joint membership at health club/spa

£2500 DH’s golf club plus he has lessons.

Wow, some of these amounts are so high. I have 3 DC, it's £125 a month for all 3. £50 a month for my daughter to do 3 hours a week of dance/gymnastics, £30+£20 for my DS1 to play in 2 football teams and £25 for DS2 to play football.

Obviously all of those have extra costs like kit, boots, tournaments/competitions. But it's not every month.

Oh and DS 1 does 3x training and 2x matches a week for his subs and DS2 does 1x training and 1x match for his.

£280 a month, one DC, covers gymnastics, swimming, maths games, athletics and after-school club 3 times a week (some are shorter sessions after an activity) there used to be dodgeball too but that clashes now and DS is on the wait list for beavers but I don't think that's expensive.
There are also annual insurance and registration fees for gymnastics.
DS is an only with a lot of energy so likes clubs

I've no idea what DH spends on hobbies! (Gym, bike, dungeons and dragons, painting, comics the list is an endless one of outing MN hobbies). Mine is usually just gym membership about £70 a month but that's paused at the moment for medical reasons. I also do book club but that's free and I sometimes paint a bit but no real regular cost to that

That's so cheap we pay £60 a month for DS to do 90 minutes of gymnastics a week and set have to pay annual fees on top

£40 a go.

I think the music lessons are what are ruining me though.

2 adults, 1 child (6yrs)

£15ish scouts (approximation as paid termly)
£100 swimming lessons (private 1:1)
£93 gym for 2 adults 1 child
£260 for my coach/PT

Thats not including all the stuff like days out, national trust memberships, annual passes to various places though

DD1...£60 a month climbing, £10 scouts
Dd2... £14pm (averaged out) Rugby, £13pm Scouts
DH does Warhammer and Rugby

We are thinking of joining a new watersports club as well. (Well me and the girls!)

Not a lot now as my kids play Cat 1 football so it’s all free now (including kits, physios, gym and equipment) but before this:

Football - £450 month
Swimming - £50 month
Piano - £50 month
Gym - £50

Unfortunately since the kids do footie four times a week and game on weekends there isn’t a lot of time for much else!