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Creatively
Frugal Summer Fun
"What are you favorite ways to plan
summer fun for your family without spending a fortune?"
"Sign up for the summer reading
programs (or any programs for children or teens) at your local
public library! You can't get more inexpensive, wholesome and
educational than those! If your library is shy on programs, help out
by surfing the Internet and find out what other libraries are doing
and present the ideas to the children's and YA librarians." ~Alene
"Depending on your location, I have a year-round 'deal' to
share, which is particularly helpful in the summer with kids. My family
and I joined the Explorer's program at our nearby children's museum.
Whereas a year long
membership is usually around $60, for $100 my family enjoys the
reciprocal benefits of being able to go to any children's museum or
science museum in the country. When we plan day excursions, I
always look up the locations of these other museums and plan our
adventures accordingly." ~ Lisa
"One way to cut costs is to share the summer fun with another
family. We are renting a house on an island for a week through my
sister-in-law's co-worker. We save by renting privately instead of
through an agency and we save because we are two families renting
it--making a luxury suddenly an affordable one. Obviously, too, we can
then make our own food, saving on eating out costs. On another trip to a
beach town, we are going to stay with friends. Because they only have a
very small
cottage there, we will camp in our own tent in their yard. We get the
pleasure of spending time with them and free accommodation!" ~
BethAnne
"What we do for
summer fun (I have two boys –age 10 and 12 years) is that in May, I
have them make a list of all the fun things they can think of that they
want to do this summer. (Of course I tell them ahead of time, 'We’re
not going to have time to do EVERYTHING on your lists!') I give
them our City, park, walking trail, and local attractions, and local
town brochures, craft idea pages, craft books and 'rainy day idea
books.' I ask them to prioritize with numbers which fun things to
do would be the most important to them. I ALSO make them think about costs
by having them but an 'F' for Free, 'L' for Low Priced, 'M' for Medium
Priced, and 'H' for High Priced (which considers # of people going).
They always list things I forget about but like to do, and fun things
too. Some ideas my son listed today included: Garage Sales (take a
small SET amount of money); go to a different park or splash pad or pool
every week (we get family swim passes to the pools in the summer);
having a friend or cousin over; going to a friend or cousin’s; going
to visit Grandma’s; going to Church camp; Scrapbooking with Mom; going
to the Library once a week; going to the Amanas (and other local
attractions); going to the movies (we have a free summer flick series
for kids!); catching tadpoles; science projects; 'taking apart and
fixing broken stuff'; getting a tour of his Aunt’s chemistry lab and
trying out the equipment (he’s been invited); band camp; Adventureland
(tickets were free to us!); trying out different ways to 'make money'
– 'becoming an entrepreneur', having a car wash or lemonade stand,
biking or hiking recreation trails, roller-skating, cheap ($10) bowling
pass which lasts for summer. His list went on…
So…(for over 5 year olds, they are a great help…ask your kids…you
can always nix the outrageous…or tell them ahead of time what you’re
looking for.
Also, both my kids have Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder plus
other ODD, sooo,,,,,, They need LOTS of routine. I think most kids do.
We keep a summer routine (of course it has to have some
flexibility…it’s summer!). This way they know, for instance,
Monday is Library Day, every 2nd and 4th Thursday
we go to Garage Sales, Tuesday is Grocery day. They’ll know that
unless they are grounded, they get 1 ½ hours combined Computer and TV
time only, no exceptions per day.
Also during the
summer, we all love to read ½ hour per day (Mom too), and we do ½ hour
of keep–up or catch–up academic work. This summer we’ll be
covering 'study and organizational skills', and 'writing skills.'
Hope some of these ideas resonate. There are some terrific books
on things to do for summer at the library, but my best ideas have come
from local newspapers and city guides. Sometimes just riding the
City bus or going to see a 'real farm' is exciting for a child who’s
never done it before.
" ~ Kara
"We took our vacation
during spring break and mostly stayed with relatives. Then we had more
money to do more things.
We just talked today about Christmas. (I know it's early.) Anyway we
decided we would go on vacation for Christmas. No presents. Any money we
would have spent on gifts we would put together for a nice vacation.
Maybe to Disney World or Cooperstown." ~ Brenda
"I’m sure most
people have thought of these, but just in case, I’ve come up with a
small list of things we do here in our rural village:
* Go to the library and stock up on books, magazines, music cds, etc.
* A round or two of mini-golf and an ice cream cone at a small ice cream
stand in town. My son and I can play 2 -18 hole games and each have a
small cone for about $10
* Fishing in the village creek or river in the downtown near us.
* Pop a bowl of popcorn and veg out with movies checked out of the
library for free.
* Read books aloud to each other.
* Camp out in the backyard.
* Take a free tour of the papermill in town (maybe the fire station,
newspaper, bank, hospital or local businesses would give tours, too.
Interesting to learn about products/services in the community)
* Pack a picnic lunch and play in the park.
* Blow bubbles, run in the sprinkler, or chase each other with squirt
guns.
* Have my son plan and make a simple dinner or brunch. Or make cookies,
muffins, bread, etc. He loves to cook, and he’s learning an
important life skill.
* Set up a cold drink stand (cheap lemonade or cheap cans of iced soda)
under the tree in front of the house on a hot day.
* Go bike riding in the village or skating in the local park (we don’t
have sidewalks)
* Check out the free activities listed by the local Chambers of Commerce
in our area.
* Plant and tend a garden, then enjoy the fruits of your labor.
* Check out the free historical museum in town.
* Participate in the library reading club and weekly activities.
* Pick a new hobby or craft and learn more about it.
* See what art exhibits are in your town’s cultural or art center or
the local university’s exhibit hall.
* Our local Cooperative Extension offers some inexpensive children’s
classes or programs.
* Write stories, poems, or a journal.
* Start a rock collection and see what’s available around you.
* Perform a random act of kindness for a neighbor or relative.
Keep it a secret – that’s half the fun!
* Take a walk around the neighborhood and see what’s new. Take a trash
sack with you to collect trash you see.
* Make your own frozen popsicles with juice, yogurt, or lemonade.
* Hang out on the screened in porch and just daydream.
Okay, that’s
all I can think of for now. Thanks so much for the work you put
into this newsletter! I always look forward to reading it." ~
Jill
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"1. Last Summer, a few of us stay-home moms hosted
kid-swaps. Every other Monday, my son went to friend #1's house. On off
Mondays, my son and friend #1 were at my house. We swapped with friend
#2 on Thursdays. This gave each mom one day a week some no-cost kid-free
time, and gave our children a sense of structure.
2. Many churches offer VBS. Usually,
the programs last about 3-4 hours a day for 1-2 weeks. Costs are usually
minimal, and you can't beat the message!
3. Engage in a volunteer activity with
your child. It costs nothing but time, and teaches your child to care
for others.
4. Contact your local park district.
Many offer free or low-cost Summer afternoon nature outings."
~ Suzanne
"Summer vacation is never fancy on a limited income and no
vacation time due to a new job. Take day trips to a beach,
hiking, parks, waterfalls while packing picnic lunches or grilling hot
dogs. Take advantage of friends or families camps or cottages,
ask if you could stay a weekend. I love day trips because you
get to sleep at home and enjoy many weekends!" ~ Candy
"1)
Every couple of years our large extended family picks an area in the
US and finds a large house to rent. We then split the cost of
the rental and we spend a week reconnecting with our family!
2) The public library is a great place to spend the summer. Our
local parks and recreation department has neat classes to take too.
3) Picnics in the park, at the lake, etc
4) Don't overlook local museums and your state parks!
5) We like to do a Shopping Scavenger Hunt. We split up the
family and the grocery list and then we see who can make it back to
the cart first. You're disqualified if you're running or rude to
the other customers.
6) There is nothing on TV anyway so go outside and play in the
evenings. Look for lightning bugs, card games on the outside
table, star gazing, etc
7) Pick your own fruit and preserve it. It's is a great way to
take up an afternoon and teach the kids about canning.
8) Gardening is something my kids love to do. Checking out the
farmer's market is a fun afternoon, too.
9) Volunteering is a wonderful experience!
10) Give each kid a day or evening to plan. They can come up
with some really neat ways to spend an evening that doesn't cost a
lot." ~ Amy
"For summer, we're really blessed in
that we live just opposite the sea, so walks along the beach are a
definite holiday pastime.
Our local Council is very kind and has
free barbecue hot plates for use in wonderful parks. So we
wander down to an adventure playground/lake walk and have a great
afternoon.
Invite friends over, have a video/DVD
night with your own popcorn and cordial.
Do the same with a games night, once a
week, where a nominated family brings their favourite boardgame, and
teaches everyone else.
Camp out in the backyard.
Camp on the beach, if it's allowed.
Teach your dog new tricks.
Check with your local Council about any
festivals, markets or freebie entertainment that's going on.
Visit someone who is sick or is a
shut-in. Take something you have made, grown or is edible.
Start a family garden plot, with
favourite seeds selected from a discount store." ~ Leonie
"We love camping! Sometimes
we camp with our extended family. Once we had 15 of us (ages 2-65)!
We booked 3 campsites and most already had tents, etc. Each family
provided their own food, etc. We picked a campsite that was only
about an hour from home, but had plenty of activities for the
children - swimming pool, game room, water slides, etc. and nearby a
famous National Park. Sometimes we bring the bicycles or
fishing gear along. Camping can be expensive if you buy
an RV and have to have the nicest of everything! But, we have
picked up supplies over the years at yard sales, etc. Do your
research and buy at the end of the season when everything is
discounted. We have used the tents for camping out in the
backyard as well! This is great for when cousins come to visit
and the kids want a bit of privacy. The memories are priceless."
~ B in Kentucky
"Oh we just love summer! We try
to visit relatives as "vacation" as well as go camping.
We will be going to a local amusement park my son won a ticket for
during the school year for reading (of course we will take our lunch
and water!). We will also participate in our library program- keeps
those minds going and earns lots of prizes! We pick blueberries and
strawberries at local pick-your-own places and then make ice cream,
etc. Most churches also have Vacation Bible School. Plan play
dates with friends. And just relax a little in the hammock!"
~ Angela
"This year we found out about the 'Affordable Family Fun Card'
offered by our city. They have a yearly income cut-off depending on the
size of your family. The card entitles you to 80% off the regular
registration with City programs, swimming, arts & crafts, day camps
plus 50% off leisure passes each month.
It's worth checking into in your town/city. I've lived here all my
life and JUST found out about this. I put all three of my children into
swimming and it only cost me $30.00 as opposed to $130.00 - which can
now go to other things we need." ~ Darlene
Editor's Note: Thanks to these readers for taking time to share
their ideas!
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