I haven't decided if it's frugal or not to join our local pool. It's open from Memorial Day to Labor Day (which is pretty much the extent of pool season here, unlike California where I grew up; we were in the pool all year screaming Marco Polo at each other).
So I am (naturally) tracking our pool usage this summer to see if $400 for the family is a good deal or not (versus $1.50 for F and $6 for D and I at the public pool). We have gone 4 times so far. We would have spent $36 (we are not yet up to $400, but there is an entire summer left!)
Some advantage of the pool membership over our public pools: you can swim all day (no restricted hours), the chemicals aren't as disgusting, we see the same people over and over so for F it's like a playdate, the water is warmer, there are lounge chairs, it's an outdoor pool, the locker room isn't gross, the showers are warm, there are other amenities like bbqs/pool table/foosball/table tennis and a little playground for the kids.
I think I just convinced myself that it's worth it. Oh - one little bit of frugality to note: I shower F and wash her hair at the pool after she swims; that's her bath for the day, so we don't have to use water at home!
Frugal Summer Fun: Our Local Pool
June 5th, 2013 at 05:42 am
June 6th, 2013 at 11:21 pm 1370557281
June 6th, 2013 at 11:51 pm 1370559094