I’m about to say something really obvious: Cheer is expensive.
We’ve been paying for cheer for so long, I don’t even want to think about what we might have been able to pay for if we’d saved that money over the years….college? a month-long Sabbatical in Maui? a private jet?
My favorite running cheer joke right now is when a cheer mom posts about her athlete’s new skill and calls it “the $10,000 back handspring,” or “the $20,000 tuck.” It doesn’t get more real than that.
It makes sense that almost every cheer mom I know is looking for ways to offset the cost of cheer. Money is not easy to come by, and with all the practices and trips to the gym for those private lessons that will supposedly get your Susie to that back tuck faster.
Team fundraising can be a good way to discount your fees, but it can be time-consuming, and not every program offers it. So, I thought I would offer some creative ways to help you offset the cost of cheer that will fit into your own lifestyle and in your own time.
BE AN INSTACART SHOPPER
I don’t wanna brag right out of the gate, but I was using Instacart before the pandemic hit and everyone started using this AMAZING grocery delivery service. If you’re looking to save time, it’s incredible.
You log into their website or on their app, pick your grocery store, and shop away. A real person picks out your items and messages you along the way, and then they deliver it right to your doorstep.
If you’re looking to earn extra cash for cheer, being an Instacart shopper is a great way to start; especially if you’re already out doing the grocery shopping for your family. It’s super easy (and free) to apply, and you make a commission plus tips.
Learn more about how to be an Instacart shopper, here.
TAKE ONLINE SURVEYS
I wanted to try this one out, solely for the purpose of research for this blog post, and I gotta tell ya, I’m addicted! Sites like Survey Junkie will pay you to take surveys for different companies.
You guys, I seriously just sat in front of the TV and took surveys for an hour. They don’t pay a lot, but it adds up over time and it’s super easy! It’s free to sign up and you can take as many or as few surveys as you want and on your own time.
This is an efficient use of your time during those long hours at the gym or even at competitions (when you’re not walking miles and miles across an event venue, just to find a plate of sad nachos).
ETSY
Can you make something? Literally anything? Etsy might be for you.
My cheer mom friends are so creative. I, on the other hand, hate glitter. It’s messy and it never looks right when I use it. I can’t sew, and I don’t own a Cricut. Sometimes I think I should be banned from being a cheer mom just for the fact that I don’t own a Cricut.
Anyway, because of my lack of craftiness, I have to buy the gifts that I should be able to make. My first stop? Etsy.
If you can make cheer bows, pillowcases, earrings, art made of toenail clippings…ANYTHING: you might want to look into having an Etsy shop. It’s simple to set up, you can make things during those long hours at the gym and turn around and sell them. (Although, I’m not sure if they allow toenail clipping art to be sold. I totally made that part up.)
FIVERR
Similar to Etsy, Fiverr is a place for people who are digitally creative. Can you make a logo? Edit things in PhotoShop? Transcribe things? Make a spreadsheet of data for someone? Translate? Do data entry? All of these services are available to freelance on Fiverr. It’s like Uber for digital freelancers.
SELL ON POSHMARK
Poshmark is an online platform where you can buy and sell clothes and accessories secondhand. Think of it as Facebook meets your favorite clothing or accessory store.
They have everything from JCrew to Madewell to Addidas. I even spotted a TON of cheer apparel and accessories on there.
It’s easy (and free) to be a seller on Poshmark. They do take a cut when you sell something, but all you have to do is take pictures and post your items and it goes out to tens of thousands of people. No more garage sales. No more shady people on Facebook who SAY they’ll come to pick it up but never do.
It’s a fun way to make money from home!
