Hey everyone! I’m totally worn out today. Yesterday was a very long day. I got up at 5:30 am to drive RB40Jr and his teammate to a debate tournament in Silverton, OR (about an hour drive). Then Mrs. RB40 and I went for a 4-hour hike in the Silver Falls State Park. Unfortunately, I forgot my trekking poles and got totally blown out on the trails. Afterward, we visited the Benedictine Brewery in Mt. Angel for a flight of dark ale tasters, ciders, and meatballs. We had a great time at the brewery, but had to walk around the Seminary for about an hour before I could drive home. Those dark ales were strong! The campus was really nice and peaceful. I rested at home for a few hours, then drove back to Silverton to pick up RB40Jr at 9 pm. The team went out to DQ to celebrate, a kid with “mild” lactose intolerance tried a Blizzard, and spent 20 minutes in the restroom. The DQ employees finally kicked us out at 10 pm. We didn’t get home until 11 pm. Ooof, it was a long day for all of us.
Hence, the reason for a short blog post today. I’m tired and don’t have much to write about. Today, I’ll share the cost of raising a high school freshman. RB40Jr is a great kid. He is smart, athletic, and he is super frugal. However, it is still quite expensive to have a teenager at home these days. Let me share some of his expenses in the first quarter of his freshman year.
- New glasses – $350. He broke his glasses while playing soccer at school. I tried to fix the glasses with J-B Weld, but it didn’t work. We had to get a new pair of glasses right away, so we went to a local store. They made the lens in a few hours and charged us $350 for a nice pair of glasses. We got $100 back from insurance. This was the second pair he broke while playing soccer. His head is like a magnet for the soccer ball.
- Backup glasses – $95. I learned from this experience and got a pair of backup glasses from Warby Parker. It’s much cheaper when you don’t need it right away.
- Debate club fee – $270. Whoa, that isn’t cheap. But I think it’s worth it. Speech and debate is a great club to join. RB40Jr is learning so much, and he did pretty well at the meet. His team went 3-1 yesterday. Great job kids! Public speaking is a great skill to have.
- An adult suit – $0! RB40Jr outgrew his boys’ suit from Target. I thought we had to get him a new suit. Fortunately, my old suit fits him almost perfectly. He is a bit skinny for the suit, but he’ll fill out soon enough. I’m glad we don’t have to buy a new suit for him yet. Kids grow up so fast. He wore the suit to the debate tournament.
- Ultimate Frisbee Fall Season – $85.
- Ultimate team shirt – $20.
- Ultimate gloves – $14.
- Ultimate tournament – $40. He participated in the Halloween tournament. Our team did pretty well and won 3 out of 4 games.
- Adidas cleats – $25. He outgrew his old cleats. These Adidas cleats worked out very well, and they were pretty cheap. I think the normal price is around $50.
- Jiu Jitsu – $100/month. RB40Jr quit Wushu and started Jiu-Jitsu this summer. Wushu was nice, but I think Jiu-Jitsu is more useful. Wushu was primarily about forms and performance. There is no contact. It’s like gymnastics. The next step for him was to sign up for private lessons and compete in Wushu tournaments. However, the price was too steep. I believe it costs around $600/month plus travel. That’s a lot of money and time commitment. Jiu-Jitsu is a better exercise because the kids spar at the gym. It’s more practical as well. RB40Jr is enjoying Jiu-Jitsu, so I think it was the right move for him.
- New Gi and belt – $125. I probably should have purchased a cheaper starter gi for RB40Jr. This one is really nice. Good thing he likes Jiu-Jitsu. His gi is high quality and should last a long time unless he grows out of it…
- Racquetball team fee – $270. RB40jr’s high school has a good racquetball team. I encouraged him to join because the Ultimate season is over. He needs exercise, and racquetball seems like a good sport for his college application.
- Racquetball team jersey – $37. Yikes! Official school gear is expensive.
- Racquet – $3. I found a used racket at a local thrift shop. Score! If he’s good, we’ll get him a better racket.
- Safety goggles – $15. The team requires eye protection.
- Spotify – $12/month. RB40Jr’s first subscription. We made a deal with him – one subscription at a time.
- Moto G cellphone – $140. He dropped his old cell phone and cracked the screen. I got him a used cellphone to replace it.
- Cellphone plan – $14/month.
- Orthodontist – $214/month for 2 years. We are almost done with this one.
- AP test fee – $80. He is going to take the AP test for Computer Science.
- Summer school – $850. He wanted to take Geometry over the summer to get ahead.
- Tennis shoes – $55. A pair of Adidas running shoes.
- Columbia boots – $50.
- Back-to-school shopping – around $500. This included a new jacket, clothes, socks, a calculator, notebooks, and various other things. RB40Jr grew a lot this year. He’s taller than me now.
- Speech Therapy – $650. This was our copay for 10 sessions of speech therapy. The full bill was around $1,000 per session. Insurance covered most of this. Healthcare is out of control in the United States.
Whoa, a teenager is expensive today! Life was much cheaper when I was a high school freshman. My parents didn’t have much money, so we didn’t spend much when I was young. I didn’t participate in any school activities. When I was a freshman, I was busy babysitting my younger brothers anyway. My parents were working all the time and weren’t home much. That’s lifestyle inflation for ya. Parents want the best for their kids. Those who can spend more will spend more.
Alright, that’s it today. Are you spending a lot of money on your kids like we are?
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