11 Ways I Plan to Keep Summer Vacation Affordable

The expense of school supplies is nothing compared to how much money you can spend when your kids are at home all day every day in the summer. I know I have a really hard time sticking to a budget when I’m hot, sticky and surrounded by loud, possibly whiny children. I think we’ve all had those moments where no price is too high to buy yourself five minutes of peace and quiet – until you go to look at your bank balance and wonder how on earth you managed to spend so much on doing nothing in particular.

Here are a 11 things that have been working well to keep my family on budget this summer.

1. Stay out of the stores. You’d think that the last place I’d want to go with five boys is Target, but somehow we wind up there several times a week. Or rather, we did until I decided that even if I had to make the baby diapers out of old dish rags and make soap out of rendered lard, I was not going shopping unless I could go alone. That dollar section is dangerous enough on my own, let alone with small children!
2. Take full advantage of memberships to local attractions like the zoo, museums and botanic gardens. These are generally very affordable and in my experience most pay for themselves in 2 to 3 visits. I really save by asking the grandparents to purchase my family memberships for birthdays and holidays instead of more toys to clutter my house. Not only are the attractions fun in and of themselves, but often they have free or very low cost activities which can break up the monotony of summer. Of course, the playground is always free!
3. Get on the right mailing lists. I’ve found so many great free or low cost activities for my family just by signing up for the email list of various attractions in our area. One of the best deals was a free family summer pass to one of our local museums and nature centers. Often, you don’t even have to give out your email address as most places now have Facebook or Twitter accounts you can follow to get the scoop.
4. Don’t stop packing lunch just because school is out. Of course, everyone knows that it saves a ton of money to bring a picnic lunch whenever you’ll be out all day but I’ve also found that having lunches ready and waiting at home can be a lifesaver. It’s hard to think about throwing together sandwiches when everybody is tired and fussy and you’ve got low blood sugar yourself. It doesn’t have to be fancy, but having fruit and veggies washed and sliced and some sandwiches or a meat and cheese tray with crackers in the fridge can save you another trip through the fast food drive through.
5. Speaking of sandwiches, keep salad and sandwich fixins in the fridge at all times. A build your own sandwich or salad night with plenty of cool, crisp veggies, lean meats and great bread with fruit for dessert is delicious and doesn’t require much effort at all, especially if you prep the vegetables in the morning. Cold rotisserie chicken goes well with both! The leftovers will be great for lunch the next day, too.
6. Let my kids be bored. My husband is always giving me grief about this but I do tend to want to give the kids something fun and exciting to do every day. Plus, if they aren’t in my house, they aren’t messing up my house. The problem is that they are developing some very unreasonable expectations and find it hard to know what to do if they aren’t being actively entertained. So, I’m making it a point to have as many at home days as zoo/pool/museum days. A kid that can entertain him/herself will save tons of money down the line.
7. Make quadruple sure to keep sunscreen and bug spray out of reach. I’ve spent more money replacing creams and sprays that little ones have gotten ahold of and completely emptied than I care to think about. There is no such thing as “just set it down for a minute” in my household, not any more.
8. While I have an obsessive love for fancy art supplies and kits, my kids seem to do just as well with some plain paper, crayons, scissors and glue. Several of the museums in my city offer free art classes/activities for kids so they still get the chance to experiment with different materials with the added bonus of not getting glitter in every crevice of my hardwood floors.
9. Have a designated spot where all sandals, goggles, hats, helmets, water bottles and other gear should go the minute we get in the house. Reusable water bottles aren’t saving the earth or my wallet if we have to replace one every week and it’s frustrating to not be able to find things when we need them. I have noticed a huge correlation between my frustration levels and my ability to be thrifty.
10. Reading is a great way to fill a blazing hot afternoon while the smaller ones are napping. Since we seem to have a problem with returning library books in this house, I’ll keep my older ones in reading material by patronizing the Friends of the Library bookstore this summer and donating the books back after we’ve read them. It’s cheaper than paying fines for late, lost or damaged books and the money goes to a great cause. We’ve found all sorts of excellent deals on series books there, like Junie B Jones and Magic Tree House. While we are teaching our kids to be more careful with books, for the time being we’ll be doing it with books we own.
11. Keep screen time to a minimum. While it doesn’t directly save any cash, putting a strict limit on TV and video games limits the gimme gimmes and keeps everybody in a calmer mood. Remember stress-free parents make much better decisions.

By following all of these tips, I hope to save enough cash to completely fund our back to school shopping in August. Do you have any tips or tricks for keeping kids happy, fed, safe and occupied on a budget?

Tracy O’Connor is the mother of 5 boys and a ghostwriter who also writes a personal humor blog.

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