Budget For Outfitting A Ballplayer-2 perspectives

I have 2 kids playing ball, Nic will be 14 this year and Brad is 12. Nic is an average to good ballplayer while Brad is a stand-out. Here are my 2 budgets.

Nic
Glove-$80 Mizuno 12"
Bat-$95 TPX 33/28
Cleats-$50
Pants-2 Pr.-$40
Socks-2 Pr.-$10
Equiipment Bag-$20
Total-$315

Brad
Glove(s)-$159 Mizuno "Classic" 10 1/2"
-$89 Rawlings Catcher's Mitt
-$60 Mizuno 12" Outfielders glove
-Catcher's mitt needs replacing and 12" was a hand me down.

Bat(s)-$30 Wood 31/26
-$50 Reflex C-Core Blem bat 32/22
-$159 Redline C-Core 32/20
Cleats-$65
Pants-4 Pr.-$80
2nd. League Fee-$85
Travel League Fee-$50 +/- depending on sponsors
Catchers gear-$170-Hockey type helmet,chest protector, shin guards.
Equipment Bag-$50
Socks-6 Pr.-$30
Travel fees-???

That's good for $1,050 before travel expenses. FYI-we just went to Florida for a tournament. Add the 65 or 70 leather balls I have plus the plastic BP balls, my glove, etc. and it gets pretty expensive. However, I do not look at it as a one time price. I like to break it up to a per game cost. If we use the Redline as an example, I can break it down. Let's say he used it in 50 games since we got it part way through the season. 50 games X 3 at-bats/game= 150 uses. That's just about $1/AB. That does not include BP or any uses next season. When all is said and done, it breaks down to less than
$ .25/use. I try and use that formula for all the equipment I buy. Brad played 80+ games last summer so I tend to buy the higher end equipment so it will last. The disparity between the 2 boys may seem unfair, but when you take into account that Nic plays maybe 20 games and plays over 80, you can see where the disparity comes from.

Hope that helps.

PS-Don't forget all the $$ spent on the cages!!