Owning a pool offers lots of benefits: a place to relax on your own turf; a built-in venue for events like birthday parties and family celebrations; an easy way to cool down during the hot summer months. But you may need more reasons than fun and relaxation to invest in a backyard swimming pool.
If you’re looking for ways to further reconcile the short- and long-term costs of installing and maintaining your own swimming pool, read on to get some food for thought.
1. Save on gym memberships.
The average gym membership in the United States costs $58 per month, or $696 annually. The typical gym membership holder heads to the gym for a workout just twice a week—and believe it or not, 67 percent of those who hold gym memberships never use them. Instead of wasting your money on a membership that, in all likelihood, you won’t get much use out of, invest in a pool where you can swim laps. You’ll be more likely to get your exercise in, since the workouts will take place right in your backyard—and you’ll keep that $696 in your pocket every year.
2. Cancel the country club.
Most country clubs offer lots of amenities, but many members don’t take full advantage of everything that’s available. If you find yourself and your family mostly heading to the club for a quick dip in the pool and lunch at the poolside snack bar, a backyard pool may be a more cost-effective option for you. And with the average annual membership costing $7,000 (not including initiation fees, meal costs and extra charges), that’s a pretty sizeable chunk of change you could be putting toward your own, private swimming oasis.
3. Skip the neighborhood pool entrance fees.
Chances are, there’s a public pool near where you live; it may even be relatively convenient to your home. But admission fees for these facilities can run anywhere from $2 to $6 per child, and $4 to $7 per adult. That means that a family of four (two adults and two children) could pay up to $26 for a single day at the pool—and that’s before locker and towel rental fees, snacks and drinks and transportation costs. If your family visits the public pool numerous times each summer, installing your own backyard pool will pay for itself in just a few years.
4. Eliminate summer camp costs.
If your child’s favorite summer camp activity is swim time, it might be more practical to install a backyard pool. That way, he can indulge his love of swimming daily throughout the summer, and you can save the fees you would have spent on camp. While camp charges vary widely, you can be sure to save at least several hundred dollars—and possibly thousands.
Ultimately, the decision to install a backyard pool is a personal one that involves a wide range of factors. But the money-saving prospects of owning your own pool can be enormous. Spend a little time crunching the numbers, and you may find that a pool installation is the most cost-effective option for your family.
