Ah, sweet summer. Tis the season for poolside hangouts, neighborhood barbecues, family vacations and all things outdoors. But while those and all our other favorite warm weather activities are fun, they’re not exactly free—and the costs can get out of control if you’re not careful.
So, to make sure you stick to your budget, we’ve got 15 summer savings tips to help you save money without sacrificing any fun.
15 Ways to Save Money this Summer
1. Cut your entertainment budget.
Having fun these days can be quite expensive. Date nights, movie nights and afternoons at the mall can add up quickly – up to hundreds of dollars. Ouch! Fortunately, there are many ways to have fun during the summer without spending a gazillion dollars every month.
Make the most of free things like outdoor concerts, movie-on-the-lawn nights and free days at local museums. Borrow DVDs for free from the public library or take advantage of free streaming services instead of overspending at the movie theater. Cook dinner for your friends at home, and share the cost instead of going to a restaurant.
Taking steps like those could easily wind up saving you $100 a month.
2. Skip the theme park.
The price of a one-day theme park ticket ranges from about $50 to well over $100 per person (thanks, Disney). That means a family of four could pay anywhere from $200-400 just to get into the park – and that’s not even counting food, drinks and that souvenir roller coaster photo. Sheesh!
Amusement parks are definitely fun, but you can save a lot of money by visiting an outdoor state park instead. Many parks are free or only charge a small entrance fee per carload. And plenty of state parks have great swimming spots and beautiful places for a picnic lunch. So pack the swimsuits and some sandwiches, and have a great day.
3. Have a garage sale.
Who doesn’t love a good old fashioned garage sale? More importantly, who doesn’t love the extra $100 you can make from pawning your antiques? The truth is, we all have a ton of junk that we haven’t used in years. So now is the time to jump on that spring cleaning train, dig through the attic, and start planning for a garage sale.
And if you don’t feel like setting up tables and sitting in the heat all day, sell your stuff online! Post pictures and prices of the items on social media, let people Venmo you the payment, and then all you have to do is drop the item off at their doorstep. Or, try apps like VarageSale, eBay and Facebook Marketplace.
4. Skip the car wash.
Skipping the car wash six times this summer could easily save you close to $100. Grab the kids, get the suds, and clean your wheels on your own. Or let the nice summer rain take care of the job for you every time. Every week you skip a car wash, transfer $15 to your summer savings account.
5. Save on A/C costs.
Energy costs can increase significantly during the summer as your A/C works overtime to prevent the heat from spreading into your home. But taking a few steps can add up to some serious savings when that bill comes in at the end of the month. Here are three great tips to save on A/C:
- Close your curtains and blinds during the day. You might feel like a vampire, but the payoff could be worth it. The US Department of Energy says that 76% of the sunlight that hits standard double-pane windows becomes heat when it enters your room, which means your A/C unit will crank up nothing but to keep up.1
- Keep the doors inside your house closed. It might sound strange, but keeping the doors closed to rooms you don’t use could save you a bundle. Your A/C won’t have to keep pumping air into those closed rooms, which means it will have less square footage to cool. Simple solutions like this can affect your energy bill in a big way.
- Caulk your windows and doors. Closing your windows and doors will definitely help you save on energy costs, but you can go a step further seal your windows and doors. How much will that save you? In some cases, caulking your windows and doors could save you as much as 20% on your energy bill.2
6. Sell your old clothes.
Spring cleaning is in full swing! Go through your closets and take all those clothes you haven’t worn in years to a consignment store, or sell them from the comfort of your own home through an online marketplace like thredUP or Poshmark. You can put the money you make towards new school clothes for your children in the fall or just add it to your summer savings fund.
7. Wait for a tax-free weekend to make big purchases.
Check to see if your state (or one near you) offers a tax-free weekend for back-to-school purchases. If so, wait until then to buy things like school supplies, computers and clothes. It’s outrageous how much taxes can add to your total price. So if you can change it, hold off until the tax-free weekend to make those big purchases.
8. Take advantage of sales to save on goods.
Before the week even starts, compare the ads from your local grocery stores and plan your meals around what’s on sale that week. Then, make a shopping list and stick to it once you get to the store. Not throwing extra items into the cart is one of the hardest parts of grocery shopping, but sticking to the list will help you save a lot of money.
And if you want to save even more on groceries, try generic brands. Stick to your weekly meal plan and buy fruit and vegetables in season from your local farmers market.
9. Use coupons.
We know what you’re thinking: Coupons, really? Do coupons really save you money? Yes! You need to know how to find the right ones. Your local grocery store probably has digital coupons through their app. And there are about a million different cashback apps out there that give you rebates for buying a specific brand of orange juice or tomato sauce. Then, once you’ve collected enough rebates, you can exchange them for cash. It’s pretty good meat.
You can even use coupons at your favorite restaurants and fast food joints too! Look for 10% off coupons, kids’ meal-free nights and a buy one, get one free deal. Download your favorite restaurant’s app to save even more. Don’t forget sites like Groupon and LivingSocial that offer you a $20 gift card for just $10 bucks. Using coupons like this can really add up.
10. Skip the restaurant and pack your lunch.
Making your own meals is usually much healthier and cheaper than eating out, especially in the summer when fresh fruit and vegetables are everywhere (you could even grow your own!). Instead of going out to eat every day with your friends, try making your own lunch two or three times a week. You could save $20-30 each week, which will add up to $200-300 by the end of the summer.
11. Find holiday discounts.
While you’re planning your summer vacation, you’re sure to find great deals on hotels, flights and popular tourist spots if you do a little digging. Those places will do everything they can to try and find summer travelers, which means many of them offer big time savings online. Search sites like Travelocity, Airbnb and Kayak to see how much you can save.
If you are flying to your holiday destination, you can also find discounts on rental cars. Install a coupon finder like Honey on your web browser so it can automatically search for coupons based on the car rental website you’re on. You could score a saving of 5–10%!
12. Stock up on snacks before road trips.
Speaking of vacations, don’t fall into the trap of stopping for snacks at a convenience store or fast food restaurant while you’re on the road. Instead, go to your local grocery store or dollar store and stock up on snacks ahead of time. This will prevent you from buying overpriced treats, and you will be able to spend that money in other ways. Better yet, buy your snacks in bulk to save even more.
13. Wash your clothes in cold water.
Guess what? You can wash your clothes in cold water, and they will still get clean The US Department of Energy says two of the best ways to cut down on the amount of energy your home consumes is by using less water a use a cooler water temperature. Moving that temperature setting on the washer from hot to warm could cut the energy use of each load in half!3
14. Pause your gym membership.
While you might love working out at your local gym, you can save money by doing those sweat sessions at home. Take advantage of the warm weather and jog around your neighborhood, do some yoga in the backyard or go for a swim. Once the weather starts to cool down, you can resume your gym membership. Taking those few months off can save you hundreds.
15. Find extra money by going on a budget.
If you’re not currently living on a budget by making a detailed plan for your money at the beginning of each month, starting that habit will likely end up saving you money pretty quickly. No, seriously.
People tell us all the time that when they first create their budget, it makes them feel like they’ve had a lift. Why? Because when you sit down before the month starts and tell your money where to go— instead of wondering where it is he went at the end of the month — you will start to see some areas where you have been overspending. All the unplanned restaurant trips and random Amazon orders? They add up quickly.
So, if you’re ready to turn things around and start having more money left over at the end of the month, follow these four steps to make a budget.
- Write down your income. Add up how much money you’ll have coming in next month from all sources – including the money you’ll make from your job and the side hustle.
- List your expenses. Look back at your bank statements or receipts and think about everything you spend money on – then write those things down in categories, such as food, rent, bills, transport etc. Once you have organized your spending into categories, plan how much you will spend on each of them.
- Subtract your expenses from your income. Add up all the expenses you just listed, including what you plan to give, save and spend. Then, subtract that total from your income – the goal is for that number to equal zero. If it’s not, make some adjustments so you wind up with a zero-based budget.
- Track your spending. Do your budget is one thing, but stick to your budget is the important part! So, track your spending throughout the month to make sure you’re staying on track with your budget.