Every year, our family has a crazy competition “season.” “Season” might not be the best word considering both of my children chose activities that are year-round. From the end of September until around the first week of August, we generally have at least one competition or performance a month for one activity or the other, but starting in January we double up and even have to split weekends where my husband takes one kid and I take the other. In addition to entire weekend-long competitions or performances every other weekend, both activities involve some travel – sometimes A LOT of travel.
There were times I seriously thought I would lose my mind looking ahead at my calendar at the first of the year, and a lot of anxiety about how in the world we were going to survive the next 7-8 months. Yet in 2020, when pretty much everything in those months got canceled, I missed those crazy times. I missed seeing my kids do what they love. I missed cheering their entire team. I missed seeing them accomplish their goals and their proud smiles. I missed hugging them and telling them to keep going when they didn’t reach their goals. I even missed the planning and preparation, packing and travel. I finally had a system that worked and I missed my system.
We’re in the midst of the chaos right now. Here are a few tips that have helped to save my sanity during competition “season.”
Not My Gear, Not My Problem
This has been my number 1 sanity saver. From their first day at t-ball, I have made my kids responsible for their stuff. They pack their own bags and gear, and if they don’t have it, I am not driving back to get it or finding a store to replace what they forgot. I am that mean mom.
Inventory and Clean Out Bags During Breaks
With so many competitions back-to-back, I use the times we have a few weeks off to help the kids clean out their gear. At least once or twice a season, we pull everything out of the bags and wash what we can, make sure everything is dried, organize the bags, boxes, cases, etc. with what should be in there, and hang everything back where it needs to go.
Lists, Lists and More Lists
This item kind of goes along with the first. Again, it’s a bit more work on the starting end but makes life so much easier in the long run. My kids and husband make fun of me every time we have to prepare for competitions because I have multiple lists, and even more when the competition involves travel. But this saves me so much trouble in the long run because I do not have to question whether my kids know what they should grab for the suitcase or constantly nag my husband to get his clothes together. I hand them their list and trust that they will have what they need. All I have to worry about is my own items, the shared items, and packing for the pup if she comes with us. And when someone comes to me crying because they forgot socks, I explain that they had a list and were responsible for making sure their items were included. Yep, still the mean mom.
Meal-Prepping and An Instant Pot Save Our Budget
It is EXPENSIVE paying for practice fees and competition fees and then adding in hotel and eating-out expenses, it’s unrealistic. There’s not much I can do to cut costs in the first categories without making my kids quit their activities. But we can save on hotel and food. We use apps like Hotels.com and have a rewards card with just about every hotel chain there is. We also compare hotel prices and rentals like Airbnb, which offers discounts for longer stays. We have even stayed with my parents or another family when rentals are super expensive.
The area we have found that saves the most money is FOOD. First of all, I have a male teenage swimmer. No amount of food is ever enough to satisfy a person that requires a million calories a day. But in all honesty, eating out is crazy expensive and super unhealthy, so we have found ways to limit eating out when we are traveling. Cooking meals helps to cut costs and keep the competitors and spectators nourished for the full competition.
Have Fun and Enjoy the Competition!
After all of the craziness preparing for the competition, I am able to sit back, relax, and enjoy watching my kids and their teammates do what they love.
