Summertime is great - the weather, the food, and more. There’s lots to do, but all the fun can quickly eat through a bunch of money if you aren’t careful.
Take advantage of free attractions in your area. In addition, if you look, you can find lots of activities that don’t cost much. Here are some ideas to get you started:
- Zoo. On Friday I took the kids to the zoo. We packed a lunch, so the total for a terrific outing… zero!
- Strawberry Picking. Yesterday we went to a strawberry patch and picked our own berries. It was a fun, cheap event and we enjoyed fruit salad in seconds for dinner.
- Farmer’s Market. Shop the best produce each week. You’ll feel great and save money as well.
- Special Events. Check the events section of your local paper for activities like ice cream socials, festivals, and chamber of commerce events.
- Fireworks. With the Fourth of July just around the corner, there is sure to be a free fireworks event nearby.
- Snow cones. Enjoy an old-fashioned summer and relax.
- Run/Walk. Pick a charity you like and sign up for a run/walk with friends and family. You’ll get your exercise in preparing for the event and feel proud when you finish.
- Botanical Gardens. We have a terrific arboretum and botanical gardens in our city. I’m hoping that you have something just as great to visit.
- Paint Your Own Pottery. Want to explore your creative side? Sign up for a beginner art event to paint pottery or make stained glass. Give your final project to a loved one as a gift and your money will stretch even further.
- Plant Tours. If your local area is famous for a certain product, have you toured the plant? It’s a fun way to see how things are made… and you usually get a free sample at the end.
- Water Yoga. Enjoy the weather and relax in the pool.
What other frugal activities do you enjoy in the summer? Feel free to share your ideas in the comments.
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Awesome list. I especially like the strawberry picking and going to the farmer’s market. Kids today don’t realize that their food comes from the earth, not the grocery store.
Ron@TheWisdomJournalJune 23rd, 2008 at 2:37 pm
@ Ron: How true! My two year old thought that finding the strawberries hidden under the leaves was very intriguing.
June 23rd, 2008 at 8:40 pm
The zoo, frugal? You have to be kidding. We went the other day and two adult tickets, after using the coupon that was stuck to my fridge for two months, came to $32. The zoo is a treat.
EricJune 28th, 2008 at 8:39 am
As I’m only going to be a sophomore in college, frugal summer fun is a necessity.
Redbox is an excellent form of entertainment. You can’t beat a new release rental for $1.07!
BlakeJune 28th, 2008 at 3:48 pm
@ Eric: I’m lucky to live in a city where we have a free zoo! Of course our tax dollars are probably higher to support it.
Wow, $32 after a coupon is steep… I hope they have a lot of great animals to make it worthwhile.
@ Blake: I had never heard of Redbox - off to check it out!
June 30th, 2008 at 1:53 pm
Love the list. I agree with blake, Redbox is the way to go. You can’t mess up on a 1.07 movie even if it’s lame
BostonJune 30th, 2008 at 4:06 pm
Letter-boxing!
Katehttp://letterboxing.org/
Technically you need a notebook and a stamp, but really all you need is some paper and a pen (we drew pictures in the books we found instead of stamping them). But it was a great way to get out in the fresh air, and we even got a hike/walk out of our letterboxing trek this 4th!
July 7th, 2008 at 6:06 am
@ Kate: Looks like fun… I’d never heard of letterboxing before!
July 8th, 2008 at 11:27 am
Here are some more free summer activities for kids:
-Sign up at your local library for their Summer Reading Program
Frugal Parent-Check with your local library and local Mall for free summer children’s entertainment
-Many cities have a “Concerts in the Park” series
-The beach (if you live near one)
-Check with local Museums. many offer free Museum Days
July 19th, 2008 at 9:30 pm
@ Frugal Parent: Excellent additions! I completely forgot about concerts in the park, we have that here and love it.
August 4th, 2008 at 12:50 pm
love the list and redbox is simple way to go
hilperAugust 22nd, 2008 at 2:26 am