Save Money This Summer

You can save money this summer! Remember how last year summer came and when it left, it seemed to take all your money away with it? Actually didn’t that happen the summer before too? And the summer before that? Well, not this year! In this post I’m going to give you 12 tips for saving money in the summer and they will help you end summer 2019 in a strong financial place.

12 TIPS TO SAVE MONEY THIS SUMMER

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KEEP THE OVEN OFF

On hot days, it’s important to keep the oven off because it will warm up your home even more and cause your cooling bill to skyrocket.

Brainstorm meals that can be served cold like pasta salad, quinoa salad, or sandwiches with a green salad on the side.

Keep a go-to list of your favorites on the refrigerator where you can reference it when you don’t know what to make for dinner.

If you want a warm meal without heating up your house, just use your Slow Cooker or Instapot instead.

Another great way to avoid using the oven is to…

COOK OUTSIDE

There are many benefits of grilling in the summer.

Of course, the biggest benefit is keeping the heat outside.

If you look for grocery sales, you’ll find lots of great deals on grilling foods during the months of May and June especially.

DRY OUTDOORS

Your laundry that is.

Hang a clothesline (or even throw some items over your deck rail) and take advantage of the summer heat to dry your clothes.

This will save you on the electricity costs of running your dryer. Plus, it will stop your dryer from heating up your home and raising your cooling costs.

SPEND LESS ON AIR CONDITIONING

Of course, keeping your oven off and drying outside aren’t the only way to save money on air conditioning.

You’ll also want to keep your blinds drawn during the day and keep those ceiling fans going to move the air around.

You can read all 10 of my tips for saving money air conditioning here.

FREEZE CABLE COSTS

Chances are you’re paying for cable and half a dozen other streaming services.

And during the summer when your family is constantly out and about, you’re probably not even watching them.

So instead of wasting all that money, simply cancel cable during the summer.

Bonus points if you cancel your streaming services too.

They’ll probably give you a great deal for signing back up in the fall.

But if you find you don’t really miss it, you can just keep those savings going for the whole year.

FIND FREE ENTERTAINMENT

There are so many summertime resources for free entertainment.

Start by checking out your library. They’ll have tons of free events at the library and information on other local events too.

Check online (with a simple Google search) for free events in your town. Check for other nearby towns too.

You’ll probably find lots of results like music in the park or outdoor movies.

Here is a long list of Free Summer Activities for Kids.

SAVE MONEY ON FOOD

There are so many ways to save money on food during the summer.

Visit your local farmers market and take advantage of the high-quality local produce they have to offer.

Here are 7 tips to save money at the farmers market.

When life gets crazy in the summer, our impulse is to get take-out or go out to eat every night.

Avoid that impulse and instead make a simple, flexible meal plan and use easy strategies for saving money on food.

HAVE A STAYCATION

Skip the fancy (read: expensive)

You can have lots of family fun within driving distance of your home, without having to pay those high summertime overnight costs.

Brainstorm ideas with your family. Make a list together of all the fun places you can visit nearby.

If you really think about it, the whole point of a vacation is to have some relaxing time with your family.

So, silence your phone, do a fun activity together, and make relaxing your priority.

You’ll feel the same refreshment a vacation brings for a much lower cost.

BACKYARD ADVENTURES

Sometimes the relaxing family time doesn’t even need to go further than the backyard.

Make a fun little spot in your yard that can be your go-to for summertime fun. It can have some fun chairs, and anything from a fire pit to a kiddie pool, depending on your season of life.

Then, when you’re tempted to go out and spend, consider just playing in your yard first.

SKIP THE CAR

If your commute is close or you’re just putting around town, consider walking or biking instead of driving.

It’s a great way to fit exercise into your day and it’ll save you significantly on gas.

Challenge yourself to go a whole day without driving each week and see if you can do it!

REUSE YOUR BOTTLE

Instead of using those expensive one-use water bottles, switch to a reusable water bottle instead.

You can use a water filter jug like this one to improve the quality of your tap water and then refill the same water bottle or cup all summer long.

Here is the cup that I’m using right now and I LOVE it!

You can have a fun and inexpensive summer with these 12 simple tips. Keep your home cool for less by being intentional about air conditioning, keeping your oven off, using your grill, and drying your clothes outdoors.

Have fun for less by freezing your cable costs, finding free entertainment where you can, and enjoying a family staycation. Then take it up a notch by saving money on food, reusing your water bottle, skipping the car when you can, and enjoying outdoor fun in your own backyard.

Challenge yourself to see how much money you can save this summer!

12 Tips to Save Money this Summer