One of the things I notice most about living in {well, I’m not sure what to call it – certainly not in poverty, but, maybe, with nary a cent left over?! 
} is that very small increases have a massive impact on our family and budget. With increases in food and petrol, the weekly budget gets tighter, even when already pinched! When non-essentials become more expensive, sometimes tough decisions need to be made.
My daughter has taken an activity for the last almost 2 years, that she absolutely loves. As far as extra-curricular hobbies go, it is one of the cheapest. It is usually her only activity, plus swimming lessons which a lovely, wonderful couple in our lives pays for. The activity had cost on average about $40 a month, with a pay-as-you-go option which we always used. For that she’s enjoyed 45 minutes of physical activity a week, her balance has improved, as has her coordination, and most importantly, she has had fun! Late last year some small changes happened, the pay-as-you-go was stopped, so we had to commit to $52 a month, and a certain range footwear was required, but it was still reasonable as we went for the cheapest option {@ $19/pair}. The increases were certainly felt, but mostly manageable. This year they’ve made even more changes, little changes as another parent noted, but big changes when there is little room in the budget. The fees have gone up by $1.50 a week making the class $60 a month, a very specific type of footwear is needed at $65 {which, with my daughter’s typical feet growth, means finding that 2x a year!}. In addition they are requiring a very basic uniform, probably running around $20, with encouragement (but no pressure!) for a less basic one, in the $200 range (!).
Year 1 the activity cost us on average of $40/month
Year 2 the same activity cost us on average $56.20/month (footwear calculated over a 9 month period)
Year 3 the same activity is going to cost $75/month
(footwear and basic uniform calculated over a 9 month period)
For many people finding an extra $35 a month isn’t going to make any difference, but for some like us it will. And here is the thing, when you are living in poverty, or things are tight or you have significant demands on a limited income, small changes mean big sacrifices elsewhere and sometimes the reality is there is no place to find/make those sacrifices. If you don’t have $35 extra hanging around a month, then where does it come from? Food? Medication? Petrol? Those are the only 3 options.
Perhaps this is one of the biggest differences between choosing a frugal lifestyle and having one enforced on you. When you choose it, you may decided not to continue with something because saving is more important. I’ve long said there is a huge difference between a family only chosing to spend $50 a week on groceries but they have more money if/when needed, vs. the family that only has $50 they can allocate to food that has no “out” when emergencies arise – this means a sick child who needs medication results in reduced spending on food, vs. simply not saving as much that month. And I guess this is the same thing. These lessons aren’t essential, in fact they are a luxury, but in many ways the choice of whether to continue isn’t a choice when you are living close to/on the line, because where to find an extra $30 a month when things are already stretched, isn’t really a choice, but more of a door being gently closed.
I’m not sure what we’ll do. I’ll probably take a couple of weeks to decide by looking at the monthly budget and trying to plan for short and long-term needs. But I’ve learned an important lesson {one I probably haven’t understood in the past}, however small something seems, in difficult times, it may appear mammoth.
