How I’d Track Payments and Reimbursements as a Cheer Team Mom

Being a team parent for an all star cheer team is basically a part-time job. You’re collecting money for gifts, booking team dinners, grabbing last-minute supplies from Target, and maybe even fronting the cost for comp-day snacks or hotel room decorations. And if you’ve ever floated money for a bulk order of 18 Labubu bag charms, you know just how quickly these costs add up.

So let’s talk about the one thing that keeps team moms from losing their minds (and money): a system for tracking reimbursements.

Why You Need a Reimbursement Tracker as a Team Parent

Whether you’re buying things for the whole team or just covering something temporarily, it’s way too easy to forget who’s paid, who still owes you, and what you already Venmo’d someone else for.

Without a system, you’re scrolling through text threads, digging through your Venmo history, and hoping you didn’t forget to charge someone back for that $87 Amazon next-day order.

A tracker helps you:

• Know exactly how much each parent owes you
• Keep proof of payments and requests
• Reconcile your cheer-related spending at the end of the season

Three Ways to Track Cheer Reimbursements

You don’t need to be a spreadsheet queen to stay organized. Here are three solid options:

✅ 1. Use a Pre-Made Reimbursement Spreadsheet (Like This One)

I created a Team Parent Budget & Reimbursement Tracker that you can plug everything into—expenses, reimbursements received, outstanding balances, and notes for each athlete.

It’s especially helpful if:

• You collect money from multiple people
• You’re managing lots of small payments (e.g., socks, bows, pins, snacks)
• You want a running total of how much you’ve spent and how much you’ve been paid back

➡️ Grab our team parent budget spreadsheet here

✏️ 2. Create a Simple Spreadsheet Yourself

Start with columns for:

• Date
• Item purchased
• Total amount
• Who owes what
• Paid? (Y/N)
• Payment method
• Notes

It doesn’t have to be fancy—it just needs to be consistent.

 

🖊 3. Go Old School with Pen and Paper

If spreadsheets stress you out, you can still make it work with a dedicated cheer notebook. Just be sure to:

• Log every purchase as soon as you make it
• Check off reimbursements when received
• Add up totals weekly or monthly

Pro tip: snap a photo of each page in case your notebook vanishes into the cheer abyss (aka your car) or is accidentally left under your chair at awards.

The Bottom Line

If you're acting as the cheer team parent, you're not just helping the team—you’re also putting your own money on the line sometimes. A good reimbursement tracker keeps it all clear, so you’re not chasing down payments in May for things you bought in November.

Whether you use my spreadsheet, make your own, or stick with pen and paper—what matters most is having a system.

Want the done-for-you version?
You can download our Team Parent Budget & Reimbursement Tracker right here:
👉 Team Parent Budget Tracker