Spending in the Summer

   

Summer is coming up soon folks. That means swimming, BBQ, picnics, volleyball, and anything else outdoors. According to ING’s eZonomics, summer accounts for about 50% of spending and this is by far the season where people spend the most amount of money; a clear winner.

This is the time of year when many use up that vacation budget they’ve been diligently saving the other three seasons, right? Nevertheless, it’s important to plan and research summer expenses so that these fun activities and experiences stay within your financial parameters. For example, compare multiple airline websites for the best flight/vacation packages, use apps like Living Social or Groupon for food deals at your destinations.

And if it’s a road trip, it’s a great idea to pack some healthy and nutrient-rich snacks in your car instead of eating junk food outside all the time. Of course, you’ll still want to try the local cuisine and not come back and be that person where people ask you went to such and such place and didn’t try the Whatchamacallit (no not the candy bar).

Although summer can feel like an expensive time when you want to save money it is advisable to be smart about the ways in which you decide to go about this. You may be tempted by holiday accommodation deals such as timeshares and part-time rentals. These can be good options. However, it is advisable to thoroughly research each option beforehand, as you could end up spending more money, potentially on services offered by legal professionals and timeshare exit companies. Hopefully, if you choose an option that is suitable for you and your family then you may not need to worry about the above concerns.

Vacation With Friends and Family

In terms of a road trip, it’s also cost-efficient and fun for multiple families or many friends to get together and split the cost of a vacation.

A few years back, my family and my uncle’s family rented a vacation house in Lake Anna, Virginia. It was a beautiful and spacious 4-bedroom waterfront home with a private boat dock, a huge deck, outdoor fireplace, a game room, and kayaks and raft free for us to use. We split the rent and the food cost for the whole weekend so it ended up being under $200 per person for the whole weekend!

We also rented a speedboat that my dad and uncle paid for themselves so I got to enjoy that for FREE 🙂 And to top it all off, we over-budgeted on food a bit, so split the groceries that were left and didn’t have to buy certain food items as part of our regular household grocery for most of June.

Staycation As An Option

An alternative many people are embracing is a staycation. This is a vacation where you stay local and pretend to be a visitor in your own city. For example, I live near Washington DC so one weekend I can plan to take my family to the National Harbor which has attractions like the Capital Wheel, water taxi, swimming, and a variety of restaurants. Other local places for anyone to go can be the zoo, the museum, carnival, state parks (many of which include picnic areas, beach swimming, food concessions, and gift shops) or a local sports game.

If you want to spend this time to unwind and give yourself the opportunity to recuperate from work stress, you could search “massage near me” and finalize a spa to visit. Spas tend to offer full body massages, facials, and more that can help you feel relaxed and refreshed, and can nourish your skin and hair. What’s more, it can be a great way to address any underlying muscle-related issues and find relief through deep tissue massages.

You may also be a grilling person. I love to grill (usually simple burgers and chicken), but I also like to try different foods on the grill: fruits like pineapple and veggies like mushrooms and peppers. I used to have a charcoal grill but that required a lot of clean-up afterwards. Now I’m in the market to get a gas grill instead and get back into the swing of grilling.

Plan And Don’t Plan Accordingly

Planning takes time as you want to get feedback from your family as far as where everyone wants to go and what they want to do. At the same time, it’s fun to be a little spontaneous as well. You might be going out with your friends on a camping trip. In that case, you might want to carry cannabis edibles such as gummies and brownies (learn more about such edibles here) which can make the experience of staying inside a tent even more fun. Spontaneous elements like this can help the trip to be memorable. For example, on a recent trip to Long Island, my wife got a tip on a massage place close to our hotel that does a great job for a reasonable price. So we booked a couples massage the following day and it felt great!

Asking For Recommendations

Recommendations from people you trust can really help in the planning process and reduce research time as you’ll gain comfort in spending on things that you know have been vetted. You can have the answers come directly to you if you post a question on Facebook or WhatsApp and ask your friends and family for recommendations.

You may be surprised how enthusiastic people are when recommending something or in the opposite case warning you to not go to certain places where they have had a bad experience. Be sure to listen to their advice but also check a bit on your own too if it’s a place or activity that you really are interested in pursuing.

I wish that the options of saving were as fun and exciting as the options for spending! But that could be a different post entirely. The key is to spend these times with your friends and family – people you enjoy being around and with similar interests. It’s not always where you go, but who you’re around while you’re there. Be safe out there and enjoy the summer; you deserve it!