Bungalows - how do YOU do it?

Zehava

Mon, Jul 29 2019, 3:30 pm

amother [ Babypink ] wrote:

Zehava, amother Denim is right. There's terrible fights and politics going on in some bungalow colonies. I've seen women in tears. They have cliques like high school girls and behave like children. There was a huge fight in my sis n laws colony and some women decided to BBQ for dinner and told afew others in their faces that they shouldn't dare come and disrupt them. This is one of many examples I've heard of bungalow colony fights.

I believe you. I know colonies like that. I think it’s a matter of who you surround yourself with. If the crowd is a good one it can be an amazing experience.

amother

Royalblue

Mon, Jul 29 2019, 3:38 pm

Ruchel wrote:

If you don't do camp, and don't do anything during the year
also if you cook, cheaper

Except that most people don't choose between camp and bungalows; it seems that most people at the bungalows send their kids to camps there, and that the older kids still go to sleepaway camp (ob another thread, where people pointed out that there would not be other 14 year-olds at a bungalow colony for her child).

Its also the fact that there are very very very few jobs that would allow one to take off 10 consecutive weeks, or to work remotely for that period of time, so its highly likely that most of the families are single-income families.

amother

Babyblue

Mon, Jul 29 2019, 3:49 pm

amother [ Royalblue ] wrote:

True. Kids from 8th grade and above are in camp. Day camp in the catskills are not cheap at all these days. The Majority of pple do not have a job working there. Even if u get a cheap bungalow you still have to pay for tuition in the city. Rent or mortgage. Food upstate is prohibitive let alone eating out or going on Sunday excursions. Gas and toll for dh to come out for The Weekends, etc.
From my experience, (I went 3x for half summer in 15 yrs) it really sets u back several thousand dollars. And that was when my kids were young and I didn’t have to send to sleep away camp yet.
Oh, don’t remind me of the cliques. Definitely prevalent everywhere.
Again, I don’t begrudge those who go. Quite the contrary, I’m grateful they do since they allow me to enjoy the city to the utmost while they are away. I hate to go, And yet I do believe everyone can use a change of scenery.
But to say that it comes out cheaper than staying home is laughable at best.

doodlesmom

Mon, Jul 29 2019, 5:01 pm

keym wrote:

To clarify, playgroup and backyard are $100 or a bit less PER WEEK. 8 weeks, total $750-$800 a summer.

Im paying $95 a week, total $780 each for a 2 year old and 5 yr old. 9:15-3.
How much are bungalow backyard camps and what hours are they?

I pay $350 for my 3 year old in the Bungalow Colony day camp. The hours are little but they play outside the rest of the day.

my older girls go off grounds for $525 per child plus transportation.

Cheiny

Mon, Jul 29 2019, 5:40 pm

Raisin wrote:

Spinoff of the takonos thread. I just don't get how people can afford to rent a bungalow for 2 entire months plus (or own one, and pay the mortgage on it) and take off work for 2-3 months. I guess it makes sense if you are a teacher or academic or school based speech therapist or wtvr (or a sahm) married to a very wealthy guy but otherwise it makes no sense.

In Europe families who can afford it go away for a couple of weeks and no one feels deprived. Only very wealthy people own summer homes.

I am sure this is an amazing experience, I am just baffled how (non wealthy) people afford it. And how to justify spending that kind of money if you are not paying full tuition.

My kids have off 8 weeks in the summer. They go to day camp for a couple of weeks, we go away for a couple of weeks and the older kids might go to overnight camp for 2 or 3 weeks. And they survive being bored at home the rest of the time. We go on trips and shop for school and go to the library and play with friends.

Based on the other thread, apparently they don’t pay full tuition! LOL

Raisin

Mon, Jul 29 2019, 6:02 pm

amother [ Babyblue ] wrote:

Also, there is the option, if you are a SAHM or can make your own work hours, to not send kids to day camp in the city and entertain your kids yourself. So that is definitely an option.

amother

Royalblue

Mon, Jul 29 2019, 6:06 pm

Raisin wrote:

Also, there is the option, if you are a SAHM or can make your own work hours, to not send kids to day camp in the city and entertain your kids yourself. So that is definitely an option.

How could anyone other than a SAHM, or a teacher who doesn't work in the summer, take off 10 weeks to spend in the Catskills?

southernbubby

Mon, Jul 29 2019, 6:23 pm

[quote="Raisin"]Also, there is the option, if you are a SAHM or can make your own work hours, to not send kids to day camp in the city and entertain your kids yourself. So that is definitely an option.[/quote

There is a pool and playground here as well as a basketball court. The Liberty library is tiny and a library card is $20 a year but there's an interesting selection. The Monsey library, however, gives passes to dozens of museums and science centers and the Liberty library apparently only has a pass to a museum in Bethel Woods. I did bubby camp here today so we went to the charming library in Liberty but I see more activities available in the city. Luckily I have a car because this colony is too far to walk to anything else.

amother

Blonde

Mon, Jul 29 2019, 7:21 pm

I didn't read the whole thread and I don't go to the bungalow colony but there's a huge element here that people tend to gloss over.

I live in Crown Heights, for those of you who have never been here, it's basically grass-less, tree-less and all around nature-less. I have two little ones in a tiny apartment with no porch and windows that face the concrete back alley and the house behind me. My kids have virtually no exposure to grass as the parks nearest to us are just playgrounds. It's really not a healthy way to live, we're here for our jobs and hope to leave soon. At the moment I don't have the money to think about the bungalow colony but every time my kids do get a chance to play in grass, I come home and tell my husband that if for some reason by the time my kids are around 5 we are still living here, we will need to find a way to do something like a bungalow colony every summer. The kids need it so so so badly.

If you live in Lakewood or somewhere out of town where grass and trees are a normal thing, it's much less of a necessity than for kids growing up in a concrete jungle.

thunderstorm

Mon, Jul 29 2019, 7:27 pm

amother [ Blonde ] wrote:

And to add to that , when you live in small apartments on a fourth or fifth floor the kids have nowhere to play besides the hallway. I am lucky to live on a nice large property with grass and trees but my mother lives in an apartment building now on the fourth floor and I avoid going because it was so stifling being cooped up like that. Especially in the summertime.

amother

Pink

Mon, Jul 29 2019, 7:34 pm

I go to an upstate NY bungalow colony for a month each summer and have been since I was a child. My children love it here. So do I.

We afford it by moving into my parents (very large) bungalow. Because the bungalow rent includes several children in day camp, and my parents don't have any day camp aged kids, my kids day camp is paid for as well. My parents aren't wealthy and don't provide financial help in the traditional sense, but this free summer vacation is such a special gift.

For the past several summers I traveled back and forth to Lakewood each week to work; this year that's not feasible, and I took off for the month. The loss of income is going to make us very tight at the start of the year, but I think it's worth it.

I have never seen the type of politics some other posters described. How horrifying. I've found our bungalow neighbors to be lovely, wonderful people.

amother

Floralwhite

Mon, Jul 29 2019, 7:37 pm

amother [ Royalblue ] wrote:

How could anyone other than a SAHM, or a teacher who doesn't work in the summer, take off 10 weeks to spend in the Catskills?

I have a few friends who work and "go to the country". They are either teachers, babysitters or therapists; they either have off in the summer or work up in the mountains. I think most working frum women with large families work in one of these types of jobs.

amother

Green

Mon, Jul 29 2019, 7:49 pm

amother [ Floralwhite ] wrote:

I know someone that works in an office as a secretary. In the summer she comes in to the office each Monday and the rest of week she works remotely . She always says it’s not a vacation for her but she’s happy to be upstate all summer

bsy

Mon, Jul 29 2019, 7:52 pm

amother [ Babypink ] wrote:

Wow, I'm shocked. I grew up going to a bungalow colony every summer. Now I go to my parents bungalow for a few weeks each summer. I have never ever seen or heard of such a thing. I'm having such a hard time wrapping my head around such things. It's so hard for me to believe that grown people can make such comments and be so immature.

Sunny Days

Mon, Jul 29 2019, 8:14 pm

Shocked about amother denims post too. Nothing of the like going on here.

How do we afford it? My husband is employed full time and I work remotely. We get free room and board (a tiny 1 bedroom bungalow) we live in Brooklyn on the 6th fl in a shoebox with no porch/ backyard. Here my kids have free reign and run around all day. Day camp is $310 per child for full summer ($175 a half) it runs for about 5 hrs a day and the rest the kids play outside. I have to pull them by their ears Wink

to get them into the bath and bed every night.
No eating out (we get plenty food) and the only ‘food’ we have to buy is snack for the kids. Oh, the ice cream truck doesn’t come here so yay for us Smile

and no power cars on premises either so no takanus.
So no secrets here Smile

this is how we do it and it’s pretty much a priority. My husband works in a 2x2 office bent over a desk all yr round so even with him working VERY hard in the heat and round the clock, it’s just as important for him to get some fresh air.
Edited a typo

southernbubby

Mon, Jul 29 2019, 8:29 pm

amother [ Blonde ] wrote:

Crown Heights has no grass or trees but Prospect Park does and Rutland Park has sprinklers. There are 3 museums in Crown Heights, 2 public libraries and one Judaica library there. Also the botanical gardens. The kids are busy here in the bungalow playing with other kids but the city has plenty to do.

amother

Blonde

Mon, Jul 29 2019, 8:41 pm

southernbubby wrote:

I can't walk all the way to prospect Park without melting and Rutland park is also too far. I'm 8 months pregnant so we're not taking 35 min walks in the heat and then running around and then coming home.
It's not about having what to do, I can keep my kids busy playing and reading at home, it's about playing outside in nature. It's a wholesome and healthy experience for kids and the fact that they don't have it all year round makes it very very important in the summer.

amother

Slategray

Mon, Jul 29 2019, 8:44 pm

I'm in the Catskills now and this is my experience:

I am in a dinky two bedroom, with no washer dryer (that's my biggest problem).

I am a teacher and so are many women here. The rest are therapists (a few work up here, not many) or work from home or go in every week or two for a bit. My husband has to travel for work and actually works much more because he travels much of the time when we are in the country, whereas in the city he would feel guilty and cut back as much as possible.

Day camp in the city at an established day camp for kids older than 3 costs between $1500-$2600 per kid for the summer. Here it's between $650-$800. Kosher food is more expensive here, so I stocked up on chicken and protein in the city and my husband brings up. Fresh produce is quite cheap, as are many non Jewish products. I have time to shop around because I'm not working. No one in my colony buys takeout, ever. They actually probably spend less on food because dinners are very simple like eggs or pasta etc.. If the husbands are buying takeout, that's another story.

In terms of politics, I have definitely heard it and people in general and women specifically can be catty. However, I specificity chose this colony because I had heard it had the least politics out there. Bh it's true. There are some small things, but overall everyone is nice and friendly and doesn't talk behind people's backs. If someone is left out, it's by accident.

My kids grow so much here. They have so much more freedom and independence that I can't give them at home. Plenty of physical activity and social interaction. It's definitely more work because of the washer dryer thing, no cleaning help and the very small and dinky conditions. But it's amazing for us, particularly the kids.