From tapping your local park system to creating your own camp, cheap ideas abound.
Summer is almost upon us. That means your kids or teens may be gearing up to spend the next couple of months watching TV and YouTube clips and playing computer games while you slog away at work, feeling guilty that they aren't doing something more productive and fun, like going away to that almost mythical place, a yearly ritual for many kids: summer camp.
Unfortunately, not every parent
can afford a traditional summer camp, especially if we're talking the overnight variety in which your kid bonds with a bunch of other kids and plays hilarious pranks on the camp director. (If you've never seen Bill Murray's movie "Meatballs," rent it now.) According to stats from the American Camp Association, the weekly cost of an overnight camp averages about $690, but as any parent who has done a little research knows, the costs can eclipse that, exceeding $1,000 a week.
Unfortunately, not every parent can afford a traditional summer camp, especially if we're talking the overnight variety in which your kid bonds with a bunch of other kids and plays hilarious pranks on the camp director. (If you've never seen Bill Murray's movie "Meatballs," rent it now.) According to stats from the American Camp Association, the weekly cost of an overnight camp averages about $690, but as any parent who has done a little research knows, the costs can eclipse that, exceeding $1,000 a week.