Bungalows - how do YOU do it?

amother

Blue

Mon, Jul 29 2019, 9:20 pm

I did find the bungalow colony a huge expense because I did way more shopping pre summer - stocking up on all the things that I needed like rain boots, raincoats, extra sneakers, bigger sheets etc etc But the real reason I stopped going was because leaving my husband behind in the city just didnt sit right with me

southernbubby

Mon, Jul 29 2019, 9:36 pm

amother [ Blonde ] 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.

The kids are out playing all day here but some people can't do bungalows because of the cost, their jobs, or the 9th month.
Maybe some of the mothers drive or take cabs to Prospect Park.

chestnut

Mon, Jul 29 2019, 9:40 pm

southernbubby wrote:

The kids are out playing all day here but some people can't do bungalows because of the cost, their jobs, or the 9th month.
Maybe some of the mothers drive or take cabs to Prospect Park.

You absolutely can't compare playing out "here"/Monsey and Brooklyn. Weather wise and spacewise (if in a building)

southernbubby

Mon, Jul 29 2019, 9:41 pm

chestnut wrote:

You absolutely can't compare playing out "here"/Monsey and Brooklyn. Weather wise and spacewise (if in a building)

I am currently in the bungalow and not in Monsey.

amother

Blonde

Mon, Jul 29 2019, 9:43 pm

southernbubby wrote:

The kids are out playing all day here but some people can't do bungalows because of the cost, their jobs, or the 9th month.
Maybe some of the mothers drive or take cabs to Prospect Park.

I understand that it's very difficult for some people to make it work to go to a bungalow, at the same time people who look at it as frivolous spending need to understand that there are children who don't get ANY nature during the year except when their mothers are willing to shlep car seats into an Uber to bring them to prospect Park which you can't compare to kids who play on their front lawn every afternoon. For some families, bending over backwards to go to the country is vital for their childrens well being

chestnut

Mon, Jul 29 2019, 9:46 pm

southernbubby wrote:

I am currently in the bungalow and not in Monsey.

Even worse comparison!!! It's not a matter of what to do in Brooklyn. It's a matter of kids playing outside, not going to museums. And playing outside in brooklyn in the summer is pretty much impossible, in the park or otherwise

southernbubby

Mon, Jul 29 2019, 9:52 pm

chestnut wrote:

I am trying to say that the entire city of Brooklyn doesn't completely empty out for the summer and some people have to make peace with plan B.
I would never suggest playing outside in Brooklyn but some kids ride bikes and scooters.

amother

Burgundy

Mon, Jul 29 2019, 9:53 pm

We manage to pay for the country by going to an old dingy bungalow that costs about $5,000 dollars a summer-and with an income of about $25,000 a month we can definitely find the money for it.
I do agree that the fancier the bungalow is the more expenses come along with it, and the fact that I go to this amazing but super old and simple place (amazing because of the people who are like one family) it fits into my budget.

Some choices people make to budget for the country:
Not having a cleaning lady can save people $500-$1000 a month in the 2 months of summer
Paying for the local day camps on premises comes out much cheaper than the city day camps
Taking kids on trip on Sunday while in the city can become quite costly too
Going away to a hotel for one extended weekend can cost about what a dingy bungalow costs for 3 weeks.

It definitely is more expensive than staying home but.....

southernbubby

Mon, Jul 29 2019, 9:56 pm

amother [ Blue ] wrote:

I really do believe that it can be great for children... but I struggle when it’s at the expense of dh

Very few men here during the week. It is great for kids and the mothers have each other. There are exciting places to shop. It's great if you can do it.

chestnut

Mon, Jul 29 2019, 9:56 pm

southernbubby wrote:

Have you spent a summer in Brooklyn? I live here and no kid in their right mind would ride a bike/scooter for more than 30 mins on most days.
Yes, there are plenty of kids in Brooklyn in the summer. No, they aren't playing outside for hours

amother

Smokey

Mon, Jul 29 2019, 9:57 pm

When I was a kid I was jealous of my poor relatives who went to the bungalow colony.
They had many kids and lived in a 2(!) bedroom apartment in a building. For them leaving the small apartment in the city was a necessity. They didn’t go to a nice colony. The bungalows were old and small but their kids were out all day. No organized day camps just kids playing together/ swimming together with mothers supervising. It WAS cheaper for them to live in the bungalow colony for 2 months than to pay for day camps in the city or perhaps not paying and having everyone home in the summer in their apartment which would have made them all crazy.

When I took my kids to a bungalow colony for 10 days I went to a place with no day camp. Kids were fine playing, biking and being creative. There really is an option not to spend too much in the country if you don’t want to. It does seem to me though that most mothers are looking for a bit of a vacation for themselves and really would rather pay for day camps in the country so they can relax and have fun while kids are out.

southernbubby

Mon, Jul 29 2019, 10:05 pm

chestnut wrote:

I have spent summers in Brooklyn and walked in the heat to Prospect Park. I said that staying was plan B. I'm not sure what your solution is. I am always there as the babysitting Bubby but I try to find things to do.
Here in Loch Sheldrake, the mothers don't have to arrange activities but the 9 days might be more of a challenge and sometimes it even rains here.

amother

Blue

Mon, Jul 29 2019, 10:08 pm

southernbubby wrote:

Very few men here during the week. It is great for kids and the mothers have each other. There are exciting places to shop. It's great if you can do it.

Oh I know that! Its great for the kids and the mothers have each others and the men left back home- what exactly do they have?

southernbubby

Mon, Jul 29 2019, 10:16 pm

amother [ Blue ] wrote:

Oh I know that! Its great for the kids and the mothers have each others and the men left back home- what exactly do they have?

What do the men have? Some places in the city have meals for lonely men but there were some threads on here years ago about what men have been suspected of doing.
It's the price to pay for raising kids in the city.

amother

Blue

Mon, Jul 29 2019, 10:19 pm

southernbubby wrote:

What?!

amother

Blue

Mon, Jul 29 2019, 10:23 pm

southernbubby wrote:

I am raising my children in the city, have tried the bung colony, had a wonderful time but made the decision to give it up for dh. We have many day/ evening trips and mini vacations instead and are having a beautiful summer. I dont believe living in the city automatically means sacrificing your husband because one “has to go to the country”

amother

Yellow

Mon, Jul 29 2019, 10:31 pm

I go to the country even though we struggle to pay our bills all year. Why?

-I live in a 2 bedroom apartment in the city with a bunch of kids. It's not so bearable for the summer, especially the long Shabbos afternoons and Sundays. There is no eiruv in my neighborhood, so we are limited in what we can do on Shabbos.

-I pay for the bungalow with part of my tax return. I also work from the country.

-Going to the country doesn't necessarily cost more that staying in the city would. Our bungalow costs about $4000, and day camp here is $450 a kid for the whole summer. In the city, there are no day camps in my neighborhood for kids over pre1A, so I would have to bus them to the same camp everyone else sends to, which costs about $2200 per kid. I don't drive, so I wouldn't have cheaper options, even if they did exist close enough.

-If I did have to pay more for the country than to stay in the city, then I would probably still prioritize it because of the benefits for the whole family. You just can't compare the freedom here with the jail-like feeling of living in a tiny apartment in the city with no eiruv.

amother

Blue

Mon, Jul 29 2019, 10:34 pm

I was thinking: I love the heat but cant handle the cold. My kids and I hibernate for weeks during the frigid winter. I think I’m gonna move to a villa in Florida this winter for ten weeks and have dh join me for shabbat!
Jk!