I thought to get an idea of my lifestyle you might need a little more info on me. Just to give you more of an idea of our spending.

My son plays travel baseball. Brace yourself. We will spend about $10,000 this summer alone on his baseball. I'm ready for the fire so go ahead let me have it. LOL He's been on this team since he was 7 and is now 12. We travel all over the place. This weekend we will be in Shreveport, LA. (I live in Arkansas) and we also have a tournament in Cooperstown NY in June and one in Orlando Fl in July.

The one in Cooperstown in June my son is being inducted into the little league baseball hall of fame and will recieve a hall of fame ring. We've decided to go to NYC after his tournament is over for a few days. The main reason is because we have always wanted to go to NYC and since we will only be 4 hours away and already had to buy our plane tickets we figured we might as well.

Now I have been a stay at home mom for YEARS! I did work last year for a few months and had a great job just couldn't get along with a woman that I worked elbow to elbow with who made everyday miserable and I quit. Now I wish that I didn't.

I've talked to my husband and after this baseball season is over I'm going to look for a job. I really want to feel like I'm helping some besides just milking my husband dry. I'm waiting till after this ball season because he has those huge tournaments coming up and I already have my plane ticket to NY and Yankees tickets and I really don't want to miss all of it.

This travel ball won't last much longer. He's in the 6th grade right now and in the 9th grade they start to play school ball. I've decided that after this season he will be a little older and won't miss his mom as much if I'm not at his games. My husband is one of the coaches.

I know that the amount we spend on ball is probably a shock to most of you. I know that you know that people out there live like this (like I do) and I really want to cut back on some things. Some things my husband won't go for. For example he will play travel ball for the next few years. But like I said I'm going to get a job after this summer.

Okay the dollar amount is huge but so is the baseball thing. I think its great that you and dh are so supportive of his sport and obviously he must be good to be getting into the hall of fame. Congrats to him by the way. As long as you can afford it and he loves it, more power to you.

I understand feeling like you aren't helping out. When I wasn't working (granted it was just for a few months) I felt like I had to justify everything that I spent. Not because of dh because he didn't care, but just to make myself feel better. If its something you think you can do and not be miserable and your family not suffer because of it then go ahead. But that is a decision you will have to make yourself.

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Thanks. Yes he is good and yes the dollar amount is huge. It is something however though that my husband won't quit. My husband really isn't a big spender himself but some of the things he won't do without are my sons baseball and his tv programming.

I really do think it's time for me to look into getting a job. My kids are older and since I don't HAVE to work I can probably be pretty picky and find a job near to home and with hours that would be good for me and my family.

Okay, my question is can you afford to spend this much money. If you can, I don't see what the big deal is. Are you charging all of this on credit cards and racking up debt, or are you able to cash flow everything or pay the credit cards off every month. I don't fully understand your post, are you wanting to change your spending habits? I know some people who the wife traveled to every game, (nothing like you), but still spent money. She charged everything and ended up having to refinance her house with a big payment to pay off the cards. Now a couple of years later they are charged up again. Too me, that is crazy, but if you guys can afford it and it makes you happy, why not? If you think your doing too much, maybe cut out a few things here and there and try to be more frugal on the trips.

Okay first of all no we aren't charging any of this. I've posted in another post before that we are self employed (or hubby is at least) and regardless of what he makes a month he gives me the same amount of money each month and the rest goes into the business account or savings. Money for the ball tournaments is also paid for with cash so I guess the answer is yes we can afford this. Should we? Don't know about that.

The reason that I posted this is because even though yes we can afford the trips for his tournaments it is taking away from saving for things like college. We have some put away but not enough. I can afford today not to work but not sure if I can afford it tomorrow. Does that make sense? The reason that I posted this is because I think I'm going to start looking for a job starting after this ball season.

This is going to be a huge change for me since I've stayed at home for years with exception to a few months last year.

I am going to look at the baseball thing in a diffrent perspective. If you can afford it now than do it. You are making wonderful memories as a family together. I know you said something abotu saving it for this or that but there are a lot of what if's in life and I have started to deal with the hear and now because I ,my dh, one of my kids, a family member, someone I really care about or someone special to my child may not be here tomorrow and if we don't do something because we are saving for this or that ( I can understand saving some but a lot ) and mis out just beacuse of the future is not worth it to me.

I do think that baseball is great! I do love the life of traveling around watching my son play ball. I do think that I can do it a little cheaper though. For one thing I've talked to my husband and on the eating out (which we do all weekend when we are gone) we are going to share some of our meals. That will help with money and with calories. Also I'm gonna limit concessions. Take a water bottle for my son and bring in snacks instead of buying them at the ballpark.

I think all of it is your business and your decision. It is you and your family. We must make our own choices. I'm not trying to sound hateful.

I know it is my business and my decision. I just wanted to give you all more of a view of my lifestyle and spending habits so that I could get better info from all of you on how to do better.

I mainly posted about his baseball because I am thinking of getting a job now. I would do it now but we are already in the middle of ball season and I have plane tickets to NYC and am excited about that trip.

Maybe I shouldn't have shared that info. Don't know but it doesn't bother me that I did and I don't take offense to your post either.

Also suggesting that you get a hotel room with a little kithchenet it in and a mini fridge keep your own drinks in there and also can go to a local store and buy things for sandwiches and some have microwaves too ...HTH. The rooms may be a little more money but with the food savings from going out you will save in the end. Also a cooler in the car if you are driving helps with while on the road.