As a part-time, work at home mother with an active teenager, an adventurous three-year-old, and an energetic two-year-old, weekend family time is very important to us. In addition to the financial demands of a mortgage, day care, car payments, and household expenses it is essential that we find fun and educational activities that make for lasting happy memories during our children’s juvenile years that won’t disrupt our monthly budget.
Summer is a time full of excitement and fun for most families. But careless spending can make managing a summer budget can become difficult, especially when there are kids involved. Below are some simple tips to help with summer money saving without sacrificing family fun.
- Budget for Summer Activities. Early in the year, make a list of all the places you would like to go and things you would like to do this summer. Budgeting and saving for those activities in advance will help you to understand how much summer money you can afford to spend. Putting aside just $25 a week from January 1 to June 1 will yield you almost $600 for summertime activities!
- Track Spending. This is a great way to stay within your budget. Keep a notebook or use budgeting software to track where you spend your money. After a month of tracking, look at where you are spending the most money. Can you cut back a little here?
- Cut Food Costs. You can decrease how much money that you spend on your weekly food budget by planning ahead and packing your lunch or cooking daily instead of eating out. This is also a great way to ensure the freshness of the food you eat. Make use of coupons to create even bigger savings.
- Use a Crockpot or Grill Outdoors. Save on gas and electricity by using a crockpot or grilling outdoors. This will also minimize how warm your kitchen gets in the dog days of summer. Here are some great crockpot recipes to get you started.
- Line-Dry your Laundry. As a kid, my grandmother use to line-dry her laundry. I remember how good air-dried laundry use to smell and feel. You can easily air-dry your laundry either with a folding clothes drying rack or on a line, inside or outdoors . Plus air or line drying your laundry a great way to save money on your gas or electricity bill.
- Walk More, Drive Less. Remember walking or biking everywhere you wanted to go as a kid. Relive that experience by walking or biking to places you frequent versus driving. Not only will you save on gasoline but you will also get a little exercise in too.
- Start a Carpool. If you absolutely have to drive, save on gas by carpooling to work or to your kids’ daycare, sports activities, or summer camps. This is especially helpful if you have to travel far for work.
- Have a Staycation. If you can’t afford a vacation this year, don’t worry. Vacation does not always mean travelling far and spending a lot of money. Plan a staycation and visit all of the local free places in your area like the library, farms, walking trails, parks, museums, etc.
