Does anybody else find the cost of Ballet lessons just crippling? The subs, the kit, the shoes, then the shows, the costumes, the exams...

[emkana]

... it's ridiculous really.

I want the dd's to stop, dh says let them carry on if they want to do it.

We stopped dancing because I was sick of the bitchness from the mums and the principal but most importantly because my DCs wanted to give Tennis a go.

The cost was amazing. One of the older girls (15 year old was doing her exams and the cheapest one was £70. She was doing 5 )

We did competitions for a while one was 3/4 hours drive away and so most people hired a caravan or stayed in hotels for the week.

Oddly enough none of the children have missed it.

I would say i'm thankfl I have boys but

they do carnival

£50 a week in fuel

probably about £2 a year in other bits minimum

but when dh and I did it at top level it was costing us my salary

If you can, let them carry on emkana but see if you can build in some form of 'earnback'- a chore to earn the layout (obviously a token but helps to make them aware)

Buda, where in Chester are you? My DD does ballet in Saughall but it is very informal, just in a church hall and no shows. £3 per lesson. She's only 4 though.

I just stopped my dd ballet and tap. We just couldt afford it the ways things are at the moment. It was £5 a week for ballet and £4.50 per week for tap (small discount for 2nd class) Thats just the class obvsiouly the ballet outfit and shoes are not cheap by any means and then she was asked to take part in a peformance but there would be tw extra rehearsal classes per week for the month leading up to it at full cost per seeion! its a joke