While the arrival of summer brings excitement, you might also be seeing dollar signs. It is no secret that beating summer boredom can also mean racking up the bills, but the truth is there are ways to save money while still having fun! Look at these 8 ways to save money on summer activities, so you can still have all the fun you want without going broke.
1. Check Groupon and Living Social daily. Since deals on these websites are always changing, it is always worth checking them out! Look for attraction tickets, movie deals, gift card deals, and other offers from summer fun spots. This way, you can enjoy the activities you love for less.
2. Call your local parks department. Chances are your local parks department is offering all sorts of summer camps and activities for kids. Since these programs are often funded on tax dollars, this means the cost passed onto you is minimal. Call your local parks department for a schedule of summer events and be in the know!
3. Head to the dollar store. Head to the dollar store to stock up on rainy day items such as craft supplies, coloring books, cookie mix, books, and other supplies. This way, you have plenty of items on hand to keep kids busy. Since items are so reasonably priced at the dollar store, you are free to really stock up.
4. Patronize kids eat free eateries. Find out when the kids eat free nights are at local restaurants so you can be sure to patronize them on these nights. It is a great way to feed your family for less when it is too hot to cook in the kitchen. Plus, these eateries might offer other free kid events those nights as well.
5. Take advantage of free parks and attractions. Visit local parks, splash pads, and playgrounds that don’t charge an admission fee. These spots are perfect for packing a lunch and heading to for some fun in the sun. If you have local parks and museums that do charge a fee, be sure to ask them if they offer any free admission days in the summer.
6. Try a matinee. If heading to the movies be sure check out a matinee which will no doubt cost you less. It is also worth asking if the theatre is running any summer specials. As mentioned above, Groupon may be a good place to find movie passes and gift cards as well.
7. Use any applicable discounts. No matter what the activity is, ask if there are any discounts. You may get discounts if paying cash, if you are a military member, if you are a senior, or even if you are a AAA member. Always ask about applicable discounts, you never know what you might get.
8. Find off the beaten path attractions. Find smaller, up and coming attractions, parks, and events to take part in. These often cost less than what is popular at the moment. You will not only discover something new, but you will save money in the process! You will also find that the same goes for newer, undiscovered eateries as well.
Are you ready to enjoy summer for less? Then consider these 8 ways to save money on kids’ activities and see how they can help.
Let’s Discuss: What are some ways that you save money during the summer when taking the kids out?
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You have some really great ideas here. I take advantage of the library museum passes a lot in the summer. Lots of local attractions have super discounted or even FREE admission 🙂
My kiddos did four summer reading programs this year. As a result, they got a bunch of free passes and free meals as rewards! We love free summer things!
Great idea. Our town also hosts free concerts in the park. I be a lot of towns do that too.
Groupon has been a lifesaver! Not just for kids, but for us as adults too! I’ve found some really great things for such cheap prices on there!
I love the dollar store. When I was a nanny we would go all the time to find things to craft and play with!
Having 4 kids I’m all about saving. I do the free bowling, reading programs, budget movies and anything else we can do ha! Thanks for sharing.
These are really great tips. It’s like a double jackpot, beneficial for parents and kids both.
These are clever ideas. It would be nice to be able to do something fun every weekend while saving money. Doing some research on free eateries and parks would be a good idea!
These ideas are genius and you just reminded me to watch groupon for savings this summer!!
I hardly see any more places that offer a “Kids Eat Free” so I completely forgot about those type of deals! It’s a great to take advantage of though and a fantastic way to save money.
These are some wonderful suggestions. I love Groupon and find it well worth using. I also love the idea of going to places that offer Kids Eat Free.
Wonderful ideas for activities to keep the kids active and busily entertained. When mine were little I looked up every public park within a 25 mile radius. There were over 200 where we lived. We visited them all the time.
These are really great tips! This is the first Summer in a while that we aren’t going away on holiday so I really want to make sure we have plenty for the kids to do without breaking the bank! I think I will make a timetable of stuff to do so we don’t end up doing absolutely nothing and wondering where the time went!
These are all wonderful tips! We’ve been going to the weekly reading program at the library, and it’s been a lot of fun. We also have taken advantage of the cheap summer kids movies with Regal Cinemas. Can’t beat $1 movie tickets!
Fantastic ideas here! In our city, Tuesdays are dollar days at the local theaters. Those are busy days, for sure!
I don’t have kids, but I act like one sometimes, so this list is for me hahaah. But I swear by Groupon and see amazing deals for kids and families, ALL THE TIME!
We use the dollar store for all of our summer must haves! Chalks, bubbles, pool floaties! It is the best!
We are definitely big fans of utilizing the Dollar Store in our family, too. There is so much crafting potential if you use your imagination when you’re there.
I love being able to take our kids to eat for free – saves me money and gives me a break from cooking! We always take advantage of the parks around town, there are so many great ones and it seems the city updates a few of them each year so its so much fun to try something new!
These are such great tips! I really love finding locations off the beaten path, often times those are the ones that create the greatest memories! Saving this- I love these tips!
These are great ideas. We love to do the museums close by that have deals on certain days of the week. Movies under the moonlight is another one and summer festivals are always so much fun.