Participating in sports requires athletes to spend quite a bit of money for the things they need to participate, but why spend so much? From shoes, to practice clothes, to headgear, to kneepads, to racquets, etc., there are numerous things needed to take part in sports that can be ridiculously expensive. However, there are ways around these high expenses.

One of the best ways to save money are sales. Many sporting stores have sales every now and again, especially around holidays, in which there are several great deals on sporting goods. What normally would have cost $20 may be as low as $15, $10, or even $5! Keep your eyes open for sale dates. Black Friday is one of the best days for sales; almost every store will have large sales so take that as your opportunity to go out and get the sporting gear you need for low prices.

Another method to save money on sporting goods is coupons. Stores like MC Sports and Dick’s offer coupons both online and in the papers. Coupons help reduce costs and they keep your wallet satisfied. Look out for them the next time you grab a newspaper or shop online.

Shopping online is a great way to save money on sporting goods too. There are thousands of sites that sell athletic gear for low prices like 6pm.com and EBay. Sites that sell used things tend to be cheaper though.

A great way to save money on practice clothing is going to thrift stores. Sure the clothing is used, but you only really need athletic wear for practice so it shouldn’t matter. The athletic wear you find at thrift stores will be much cheaper than at department stores and name brand stores, plus much of the athletic wear at thrift stores are name brand.

Another method for athletic wear and equipment is hand-me-downs. Check with your friends and family to see if they have any athletic wear or equipment they no longer use. You don’t have to spend a dime doing it this way, which makes it one of the best ways to go for getting sporting goods.

Sporting goods should not empty our wallets. How we go about buying sporting gear determines how much money you’ll waste or save.