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Studies have shown that parents who engage their children in healthy activities at an early age have a much improved relationship with their children as they get older. Experts also agree that while getting an early start is better, it is really never too late to get started in building that healthy relationship, even later into the teen years. For most families, the problem is not only trying to find the time for such activities, but also figuring out exactly what those activities could possibly be and how to afford to engage in them while keeping within the family budget.
One of the most popular outdoor activities has always been water sports. Anything to do with water has an almost magnetic appeal to youngsters. However, the idea of boating usually has connotations of being an expensive endeavor. Once the costs of a boat, a trailer, registration, fuel, and long term winter storage are all added up, it is easy to see why boating is most often only wishful thinking for most families. What the family on a budget needs to keep in mind is that it isn't necessary to spend a fortune and impress the neighbors just to have some healthy fun with the kids. For the innovative family, alternate ways of engaging in healthy outdoor activities can be found with no more expense than an average outing at the movies.
Breaking down the costs of two different activities over a period of time is a useful way to get a good comparison. Consider a typical family of four who enjoy going to the movies. Assuming they go to one movie a month, their annual expenses might look something like this:
* two adult tickets $20.00
* two children's tickets $15.00
* drinks and popcorn for four $20.00
* total for 12 movies per year $660.00
A second family, also with a limited amount of disposable income, decides to look for something that is not only a fun activity, but has the added benefit of going outside for some fresh air and a bit of exercise. With just a little bit of internet searching, they find a cheap way to get involved in boating with the purchase of a couple of inflatable kayaks. Once thought of more as a toy, modern advancements in their manufacture have now placed them into the ranks of safe, durable, and most importantly, affordable watercraft.
* TWO 2-person inflatable kayaks $550.00
* Four life vests $80.00
* total cost $630.00
At a quick glance, the two activities look to be very comparable in total cost. However, when looking further, there are more things to take into consideration before coming to a final cost comparison. Most family economists teach their clients a term or concept known as the 'cost of entertainment'. This is basically defined as the amount of money spent per hour in the pursuit of entertainment or recreation. In the example of the movie family, they spent $660.00 to watch 12 movies that lasted an average of two hours per movie. So attending movies had a 'cost of entertainment' for them of $27.50 per hour. When the movie is over, so is the entertainment outing and it's time to go home.
By comparison, the boating family spent a total of $630.00 to go out on the water anytime they wanted. They also went out 12 times in one year, but they spent an average of 4-6 hours enjoying their newfound water sport and they were able to decide for themselves when it was time to go home. With an average of 5 hours per trip, their cost of entertainment was only $10.50 per hour for the sixty hours they spent on the water. So in this example, water sports, once thought of as being too expensive for the average family, is now cheaper than going to the movies. The benefits don't stop here though, they have really only just begun. In each of the following years, the movie family will have to purchase more tickets and popcorn for each additional trip. The new boating family already have all of their equipment, which will last them for several more years with no additional costs. They can even get some of their investment back later on by selling their used kayaks.
The bottom line is that with only a little creative thinking it is possible for families to find fun outdoor activities that are easy on the budget. It is also pretty obvious that the health benefits of paddling around on the water for a few hours far outweigh that of sitting still for two hours in the dark while munching on popcorn and soda.
Duane Caldwell, author, is an avid outdoor enthusiast and can provide additional information about Kayaks. His website has ten pages of tips related to all aspects of kayak fishing and help in selecting that first kayak for those new to the sport. Visit http://www.toptenfishingkayaks.com/ and enter coupon code ART-12 to get $5 off of any inflatable kayak (for a limited time) just for reading this article.