Man, I’ll never forget that first away game last season. Our booster club treasurer cried looking at the receipts for the bus rental alone. We needed a better game plan, fast. Here’s exactly how we tackled this without benching the season.
The Cold Reality Check
First thing Monday morning, I dragged our coach and the club treasurer into the equipment shed (only quiet spot we got). Spread all our receipts, gas bills, and concession stand invoices across a tackling dummy. Added every burger meal, every motel night. Almost choked seeing that total.
What Flopped Badly
We tried easy fixes first. Total dumpster fires:
- Car washes? Nah. Kid soaked two parents’ minivans inside-out. Still owe them for detailing.
- Gofundme? Raised $87. Fifty bucks came from Grandma.
- Slapping cheap motels? Coach nixed that faster than a false start. “Teams gotta sleep safe,” he growled.
What Actually Saved Our Budget
Here’s where my Walmart notebook filled up with scribbles:
- Food Hustle: Ditched fast food runs. Bulk-bought bread, cold cuts, giant bags of chips at Costco instead. Parents took shifts building sandwiches in the damn bus aisle during rides. Saved $42 per kid per trip. Bigger kids got double meat. Simple.
- Hydration Hack: Abandoned bottled water. Bought heavy-duty 5-gallon Gatorade jugs. Everybody refilled their OWN bottles. Marked names with duct tape. No mix-ups. Trainer stopped complaining too.
- Motel Haggling: Called places myself late at night. Said straight up: “We’re broke as hell. What’s your bottom dollar rate?” Played 5 spots against each other. Ended up locking in last year’s price plus waffle breakfast.
- Minivan Mafia: This was gold. Got desperate parents driving minivans with half-filled tanks. Promised booster club bucks discount for volunteering. Calculated miles and gas versus renting a huge bus. Rented one bus just for kids. Coaches and gear piled into 4 parent minivans following behind like ducklings. Gas savings? Bananas.
The Final Scorecard
Started the season dreading a $5,000 expense for three away games. Ended it tallying receipts at $2,100 total out of pocket for the team. Cut over half the cost without skipping a game. Your turn. Stop whining about costs and start hassling motels or cramming sandwiches. Don’t be proud. Just win.