Dear Fellow Parents in Lakewood,
Maybe you can advise me or the camp owners on how to avoid falling into credit card debt.
I, along with many others, are not making ends meet. We are struggling and scraping the pennies to make sure we pay our tuition and basics.
We are now given a deadline to sign up in middle of the winter for camp, paid in full, to hold a slot for our kids. Before I even get to my sleep away camp kids I have to come up with several thousand to pay in full to my younger kids day camps. Not only do they warn that they will not hold my space for me if I don’t sign up fully paid, but they incentivize the campers that do sign up by the deadline with camp specials. My kids keep asking me why I didn’t sign up yet because they want the incentives.
I don’t have the heart to tell them that I don’t have enough money in the bank to cover it all right now.
But I’m at deadline point and I have learned the hard way from previous years that they fill up and you can’t get into camp if they’re full.
My ONLY option (aside from davening and relying that Hashem will send, which I have been doing) is to put it on credit cards and pay interest on it till I have the money to pay for it.
And as much as I am against credit cards because of the severe debt troubles that so many fall into, I totally understand how and why people just do this. Because we have no other option!
And no, leaving the kids home is not an option. I’ve tried that in the past and it was the worst summer ever.
What else are we parents supposed to do? How can we get the camps to accommodate without forcing full payment on so many of us when we don’t have it all at once to pay?
I try not to get anxiety with each reminder text, email, and mailing that my kids slots will no longer be held for them as previous campers, and full registration begins.
Would love solutions!
Until then, it’s going on my card 🙁
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If not going into debt wasn’t an option, you’d have to keep them home. Keeping them home is an option, you’d just rather go into debt. Not sure what else to take away from this letter.
That’s a silly thing to say! Ppl need to send to daycamp in order to work. The camps that allow you to spread out the payments are being mentchlich
Not really. If parents work then it is not an option to keep them home.
never keep kids home in the summer, debt or not, it’s called camp, vacation etc. but in reality it is to preserve the whole school year, for long last.
it doesn’t need to be expensive, but it is an expense that needs to be.
Good Morning, LAKEWOOD is not affordable for many.
So move OOT, take a smaller salary? You still have the same sleep away options…
I’m in the same boat as you it’s really stressful 😫
Sadly many don’t even have that option….
Same story here
Like anything else in life that you can’t afford. You can ask for tzeddaka, tell your children no (I do understand why this isn’t an option), increase your income to cover the cost (side job, selling on eBay etc), take a 0 percent credit card so that you can pay it off over time without interest. If it’s a necessity it’s and you know it’s inevitably coming each year, put money aside monthly so that you are not “surprised” by the expense.
Get a new CC with a promotional 0% interest rate for 6 months. Certain cards will also give an additional reward (to cover the cost of the bus to and from camp). Just make sure to pay it up before interest is charged.
It pays to at least ask the camp if they’d give you a discount based on you finances. There’s also a camp fund that helps cover the cost of camp.
When everyone will stop giving in to this camp fad including incentives etc they will stop their techniques, but as long as everyone else gives in, they will continue to exhort pressure on the parents. Why? Because they see that they can get away with it. Maybe reconsider where you are sending your kids to camp. Some camps let payment plans during the year. Time to reassess priorities in life. It’s the best lesson you can teach your kids.
It’s insane that the standards are going out of wack. Many kids would appreciate the simple geshmak program,one trip a half. I have to say my freinds daughters attended a Chassisishe Sleep away that was not crazy expensive. They had a blast fun from beginning of the summer until the end. I was amazed how they were able to come up with awesome activities that didn’t break the bank. I might add my neighbor is balabatish not the shlumpy time. It’s about time we come up with the same setup. The problem is everyone wants to make buissness.
Fake news. No camps require payment in full.
My daughters camp does!
You must be single or living on a different planet
Don’t get any credit cards, you will fall in debt and never be able to pay them back!!!
Thank you for your heartfelt letter. I’m sorry for your pain. I think u can try going to a Gemach for an interest free loan. I think that’s most ideal for your situation, as it seems to me that to you, there’s no alternative to sending your kids to camp.
I would like to suggest some camp alternatives that may or may not work for you. U can try something like going to the Mountains/renting a bungalow.
Maybe going on a family road trip or something similar.
Another idea is to send kids to cousins in different cities for a week at a time. I used to love doing that as a kid.
Best of luck. I mean it. you’re not alone in your predicament. In matter of fact, statistically, most are like you exactly.
Sincerely,
A fellow lakewooder..
ps. One more alternative for camp that may work for you. Rent out your current residence for the summer and use the rental money to change scenery.
Ha ha bungalows cost minimum $10,000 a month not cheaper than camp. Plus you have to pay for camp in thecolony!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
good point. I would hope you can rent a bungalow at a cheaper colony than that. But IDK.
Perhaps swap houses with an “out of town” relative
Not if u rent abnb. Much cheaper.btw there are dirt cheap day camps where if u don’t need the jazz u ok. I paid very cheap for my kid to go to belz day camp. Had every part of camp minus sleeping and shabbos. A special shout out to Rabbi Herzog the head counselor for making a awesome program. We are not close to belz. Our kids speak yiddish at school only pretty much. It’s doable if u are litvish hiemeshe.
Don’t camps require head checks? Never heard of being required to pay in full. There’s usually a non refundable deposit that goes towards the total of camp.
Hi this is a real issue with all most no place to turn for help, however there was an organization that started out this past summer to help all such families camp scholarship fund hopefully this summer a lot more camps will participate (campscholarshipfund@gmail)
see from the past https://www.rayze.it/campscholarship2024/
campaign is no longer active and no longer receiving donations. if u wanna give, try the email
For donation this link works
https://pay.banquest.com/campscholarshipfund
Some cards are giving 12 months no interest for a new account.
Send to a camp that doesn’t require payment in full to hold the spot…. Just signed my kids up today, boys and girls, deposit to hold the spot.
EVERYONE STOP COMPLAINING!!! All these letters that tls posts of everything on people’s chest are all complaints on top of complaints
It drives the views. Look, you and I are both here. Best of luck…
I have no affiliation with the letter writer. However, if someone is venting their pain, the least you can do is either me compassionate or keep quiet. If you have nothing nice to write then don’t write anything.
I couldn’t agree more!
I feel for you. Not sure how old your kids are but definitely reconsider your options. Maybe you can send to backyard camp, or she can go to daycamp for a half of summer and work the other or you can keep them home for a half of summer and send them to relatives out of town for a week or go away for week.
My wife used her babysitting money to pay for her own camp when she was of age. u can ask your kids to do the same.
Yep, along with the rosh chodesh sweaters
I think this should be Louie Scheiner’s or some other big Gvir’s next project. Aderei Campers.
I have no affiliation with the letter writer. However, if someone is venting their pain, the least you can do is either be compassionate or keep quiet. If you have nothing nice to write then don’t write anything.
I SO agree, I thought ppl would be reaching out if they can be of help & send some money, or commit to daven for those in need…
Let’s get to the point of the issue. The writer is not taking issue with the high cost of camp, rather with the up-front six months in advance payments.
Can the camps justify these charges? How much money do they need to lay out up front? How many vacancies and changed plans to they expect if not paid up front? If they tried installments, how much do they have to beg to get the additional installments? Then we can decide if it’s abuse or just nebach on the parents.
It’s amazing to see how many people come to the defense of the camps, and tell the parent it’s tough luck, while when schools put pressure to get parents to pay subsidized and discounted rates after the fact they are the face of Evil. I don’t see too many comments here about (moderated) roshei-camps who are making a killing over our dead bodies. Exorbitantly high camp costs are attributed to ‘over the top entertainment’ while chinuch costs don’t indicate a higher investment in chinuch?
How many times to we have to open our eyes to realize that our system doesn’t work for the middle class and we will continue to suffer if we dodnt change things. I forgot nothing will ever change because it has not changed in the past 50 years.
Although I don’t have any good ideas I feel your pain if camps really ask for all the money upfront they should be closed down the problem is that camps became big business it probably was always in litvish world chassidish camps used to charge minimal it was part of summer school but when it comes to our children camp business have to have compassion and let you pay up until week before camp starts and let these good parents breath hashem should help you to be able to pay for everything you and your children need
Btw bungalow cost a fortune and the parents work how are they going and the kids still need day camp
Who says he has good credit for 0 Apr promotion credit card or maybe he has to many already and can’t get another one
And some of you have some compassion either your a Boucher or never had financial limits in life don’t belittle someone’s pain
I don’t live in the HJLM metro area, but with so many people interested in a simpler camp experience etc, it seems everyone is waiting for “someone” to do something. Get together offline and make some hishtadlus?
There are cheaper options. You don’t want to do them clearly. Look into it and you will see. There are still backyard day camps. There are camps that have slots later on. If you want the brand name you have to pay for it. We vote with our feet. Go for the cheaper option.
agree, there are probably other day camp options that will give your kids a fun summer. I know it is hard to tell your darling that she will not be going to day camp with her best buddies, but that is ultimately your choice as the parent.
I opened a Chase Ink credit card for my kids camp. my children’s camp I did not need to pay in full but I paid partial. There is no interest for the first year and there is no monthly fee for having the card,. and there is a welcome bonus that you earn for spending a certain amount of money within a certain amount of time
look into it and do it safely hatzlacha
If your children are in their teens, they’ll find a way to take care of themselves during the summer months, especially if the cost of camps is untenable for you. Hatzlacha!.