Let’s face it – sending your kids to summer camp can cost a fortune. But here’s a secret: you can save up to 25% or more off your camp tuition if you know the right people and use the right strategies.
Sending your child to camp can be just like buying a car – you don’t want to pay full price…and you don’t need to! So let’s start with 5 things you can do right now to save money at camp:
Early Bird Discounts
Camp directors want to fill their camps as soon as possible, and they want to get paid as soon as possible, perhaps more so than in other industries because camp directors only get a few months per to make as much money as they can. So you’ve got some leverage here. Most likely, a camp will offer you discounted tuition in exchange for your early registration (and sometimes prepayment). So make sure you ask the camp director about early bird discounts because you might be pleasantly surprised how much you can save.
Camp Coupons
Everyone uses coupons at the grocery store, but did you know you can save money with coupons at camp? There’s a website in development called campcoupons.com. It probably won’t be online for another few months, so it may not benefit you this year. But it’ll be loaded with all kinds of great coupon offers and discount opportunities from camps around the country. You’ll be able to print free money-saving coupons from your favorite camp(s) absolutely free.
Meanwhile, there’s another Website called gocamps.com that, last we checked, was offering offered discounts of at least 25% from participating camps on its site. Last we checked there were discount offers from camps across the USA. So visit www.gocamps.com, click on Registration Discounts and see what you can find.
Sibling Discounts and Group Rates
You might not see a sibling discount advertised, but don’t let this stop you from asking because you can probably get one anyway. Most camps I’m aware of will generally provide a 5% discount off the second child’s tuition…but they may not volunteer this opportunity is available. So remember, ask for a sibling discount!
Group discounts may be available for an even larger savings. How much of a savings are we talking about? The amount will vary from camp to camp and the size of your group. At a minimum, your group should save at least 10% off camp tuition. Why? Because it’s a camp director’s dream-come-true to register a bunch of kids at once, rather than expending the time, money, and other resources to seek out and enroll one kid at a time. You’re making things easier on the camp, so your group should be rewarded with a nice discount.
Lock-in your tuition rate the year before
Camps generally raise their prices every year, so here’s a little known secret that can save you lots of money. You can often freeze your tuition at this year’s rates so your rates won’t go up next summer, even though everyone else will be paying full price.
Similar to the Early Bird discount program described above, some camps offer Advance Registration discounts where, for a month or two after the current summer ends, you can prepay for the following summer at this year’s prices. Even though you’re essentially prepaying for camp year in advance, you’re also freezing your tuition at the current year’s rates and the savings can be tremendous.
Tax Breaks
Did you know you might qualify for a tax deduction (credit) on your income taxes? In our experience, those who’ve qualified for this credit are parents sending their kid to day camps, not overnight camps. You will need to consult your tax advisor for the specific details because we are not qualified to give tax advice, and you should not construe this information as such. But if your child attends a day camp and your can get the camp’s federal tax id number you may qualify for a tax deduction child care credit. Here’s a link for more information from Bank Rate.com:
http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/Taxes/CutYourTaxes/TakeATaxBreakForSummerCamp.aspx
So there you have it. Five tips to help you save money at summer camp. Remember, even if you don’t see any discounts offered or actively promoted by the camp, it doesn’t mean they aren’t available. Sometimes all you have to do is ask…good luck!
Copyright Eric D. Naftulin and Aloha Beach Camp Summer Camp. All rights reserved.
Tags: Bird Discounts, Camp, Camp Director, Camp Directors, Camp Tuition, Discount Opportunities, Early Bird, Fortune, Free Coupons, Free Money, Grocery Store, Group Rates, How To Save Money, Leverage, Money, Money Saving Coupons, Money Saving Coupons From, Print Coupons, Registration Discounts, save, Sending Your Kids, Sibling, Summer, Summer Camp
Own a hotel in Blackpool? In this time of a recession, it is more crucial than ever to tighten your belts, so read out top 10 tips on saving money as a hotelier.
Our recommended top ten tips to save money as a hotelier;
Consider buying a garbage disposal unit (also known as a waste disposal unit) for the sink to reduce purchasing bin bags from the council. Switch radiators off in the rooms where guests are not staying. Put a polite sign up asking guests to turn off electrical equipment including the main light when leaving the rooms. Install an integrated keycard system for the door locks and electrical equipment, automatically turning off all electrical equipment when the guest leaves the room. Ask guests to reuse towels as they would at home thus saving the environment. Put an online booking system on your website. Use a free service such as the Hotel Services System with no commissions or upfront costs. Cook breakfast to order, minimising food wastage. If running a small hotel, don’t do it all yourself. Employ staff so you have time to concentrate on advertising, and selling more rooms. Make sure the building has energy light bulbs, timers on hallway lights, loft & cavity insulation, double or triple glazing, energy efficient boiler and radiators. Shop around for your stock. The trade suppliers are not often the cheapest, and the chain supermarkets can be better for low volume alcohol especially when deals are on.
We are planning on another top 10 tips next week if this article proves popular, so please leave some feedback or recommendations.
Tags: Blackpool, Hotel, Money, Read, save, Tips
Ever had the desire to quit your lame 9 to 5 job, tell your boss to shove it, pack up and start traveling the world?
All of us have had that desire at one point! The thing that stopped you was probably the same thing that stops most people: money.
“How will I pay for my flights, food, lodging, transportation, yada, yada, yada,” you asked yourself.
Don’t let these concerns bother you too much, because there is an underground, growing group of travelers who are utilizing some simple but hidden techniques to make significant incomes while traveling.
Here’s an overview of how we make money traveling and by landing travel jobs:
Underground Travel Income Method #1 – Traditional Travel Job - Hold a job that either a) pays for us to travel or b) is located in the place we wish to travel to. This is the lowest paying and most complicated method of all, but is the most commonplace.
Common jobs that pay for travels are for professional speakers, salespeople, package couriers, flight attendants, travel nurses/doctors, conservationists, cruise ship workers, etc.
Travel jobs located in the places we wish to go to can be any of the above, but also are specific to the location we travel to. There are some FUN jobs overseas that are looking for foreign workers!
Underground Travel Income Method #2 – Travel Writing – Travel writing jobs for magazines are more common than you may imagine. However, there are LOADS of other ways to write as you travel and make money, including blogging, picking up projects from sites like Elance and Guru, and writing travel guides, both online and offline.
Underground Travel Income Method #3 – Selling Affiliate Products – Using a simple website, you can drive online traffic to a product that will be of interest to your online followers. Don’t be intimidated by this! It can be as easy as using your very own Facebook or Myspace profile. Affiliate products typically pay 50% to 75%, so you can make a very healthy income for selling just a few objects.
Underground Travel Income Method #4 – Filming Your Adventures – If you’ve got the camera out and you’re taking pictures, why not switch it to ‘film’ mode and make money from it? You simply make a video of your destinations using iMovie or Windows Movie Maker, then use your videos to create a customer base!
Underground Travel Income Method #5 – Podcasting – If filming scares you off or intimidates you, you can make an iTunes podcast. It is easier than ever to get listed in iTunes and there’s a HUGE audience of podcast listeners. Simply talk about the places you visit two or three times a week and watch how your following grows… and how your bank account grows!
Underground Travel Income Method # 6 – Ebay – The common misconception about Ebay is that you have to sell a physical product to make money. Here’s the trick: You can set up a fulfillment house to ship your product (or hire your little sister or the neighborhood kid). All you have to do is create your Ebay post from an internet café and collect the money!
Take any one of these six ‘travel job’ methods, and there are hundreds of travelers all over the world making more money than they would at a regular ‘job…’ and they’re living it up at exotic, world-class destinations. Take your pick, and take action on the ideas here!
**Attn Ezine editors/Site owners**
Feel free to reprint this article in its entirety in your ezine or on your site as long as you leave all links in place. You may not modify the content and must include our resource box as listed above. However, you may sign up as an affiliate at MoneyForTraveling.com and insert your affiliate links to earn income for your efforts.
Tags: Jobs, Make, Money, Travel, While
Ever had the desire to quit your lame 9 to 5 job, tell your boss to shove it, pack up and start traveling the world?
All of us have had that desire at one point! The thing that stopped you was probably the same thing that stops most people: money.
“How will I pay for my flights, food, lodging, transportation, yada, yada, yada,” you asked yourself.
Don’t let these concerns bother you too much, because there is an underground, growing group of travelers who are utilizing some simple but hidden techniques to make significant incomes while traveling.
Here’s an overview of how we make money traveling and by landing travel jobs:
Underground Travel Income Method #1 – Traditional Travel Job - Hold a job that either a) pays for us to travel or b) is located in the place we wish to travel to. This is the lowest paying and most complicated method of all, but is the most commonplace.
Common jobs that pay for travels are for professional speakers, salespeople, package couriers, flight attendants, travel nurses/doctors, conservationists, cruise ship workers, etc.
Travel jobs located in the places we wish to go to can be any of the above, but also are specific to the location we travel to. There are some FUN jobs overseas that are looking for foreign workers!
Underground Travel Income Method #2 – Travel Writing – Travel writing jobs for magazines are more common than you may imagine. However, there are LOADS of other ways to write as you travel and make money, including blogging, picking up projects from sites like Elance and Guru, and writing travel guides, both online and offline.
Underground Travel Income Method #3 – Selling Affiliate Products – Using a simple website, you can drive online traffic to a product that will be of interest to your online followers. Don’t be intimidated by this! It can be as easy as using your very own Facebook or Myspace profile. Affiliate products typically pay 50% to 75%, so you can make a very healthy income for selling just a few objects.
Underground Travel Income Method #4 – Filming Your Adventures – If you’ve got the camera out and you’re taking pictures, why not switch it to ‘film’ mode and make money from it? You simply make a video of your destinations using iMovie or Windows Movie Maker, then use your videos to create a customer base!
Underground Travel Income Method #5 – Podcasting – If filming scares you off or intimidates you, you can make an iTunes podcast. It is easier than ever to get listed in iTunes and there’s a HUGE audience of podcast listeners. Simply talk about the places you visit two or three times a week and watch how your following grows… and how your bank account grows!
Underground Travel Income Method # 6 – Ebay – The common misconception about Ebay is that you have to sell a physical product to make money. Here’s the trick: You can set up a fulfillment house to ship your product (or hire your little sister or the neighborhood kid). All you have to do is create your Ebay post from an internet café and collect the money!
Take any one of these six ‘travel job’ methods, and there are hundreds of travelers all over the world making more money than they would at a regular ‘job…’ and they’re living it up at exotic, world-class destinations. Take your pick, and take action on the ideas here!
**Attn Ezine editors/Site owners**
Feel free to reprint this article in its entirety in your ezine or on your site as long as you leave all links in place. You may not modify the content and must include our resource box as listed above. However, you may sign up as an affiliate at MoneyForTraveling.com and insert your affiliate links to earn income for your efforts.
Tags: Jobs, Make, Money, Travel, While