10 Ways to Save Money this Summer!

Busy moms and dads tend to spend more money through the summer when the kids are at home!  More food, amusement park trips, ballgames, and the like.  Here are 10 surefire ways to save money this summer!

1.  Ball Games:  Bring snacks and drinks with you!  Concession prices are CRAZY and if you have more than 1 child to feed then you can quickly burn through a twenty dollar bill in NO time flat!  Add some ice and drinks to a small cooler and throw some snacks in a totebag!

2.  Gas Station Squanders:  When we’re in a hurry and we run in to a gas station to pay for gas, how many times have we grabbed a drink and some snacks or candy while standing at checkout?  I know I’m guilty of that!!  Try ALWAYS paying at the pump and never going inside.  You’ll save yourself an extra $2-$5 every time!

3.  Amusement Parks:  Don’t decide to go to an amusement park on a whim!  You’ll pay for it if you do!  Instead, go with a group for a discounted rate OR search out admission coupons!  Also, pack snacks in a totebag along with sunscreen and bottled water or soft drinks.  Those are great ways to save money +  a cup of ice is cheaper than a drink!

4.  EXTRA Busy Days:  Plan plan plan your day!! Rushing around throughout the day if unplanned, can cost more money than an average day!  You might pay more money at the gas pump when you didn’t notice that it was cheaper 2 doors down.

P.S. You can use a Free app on your phone to tell you which local gas stations have the cheapest price! One popular one is GasBuddy.

Okay…now we’ve got our gas but you forgot breakfast and you stop at a fast food place because you’re starving or you forgot something at home and didn’t have time to go back and get it so you just stopped at Walmart and grabbed a second one. Or went back home to grab it and wasted extra time and gas.  We do THAT more often than we realize, or at least I have! I’m sure you can see how these are great ways to save money!

5. Festivals and Fairs:   Make sure you and the kiddos eat something substantial before you go instead of planning to eat dinner there.  Then you can just grab something fun like an elephant ear and split it!  Go on the kiddie days…ride tickets are cheaper!  Take more kids, buy bulk tickets, and let them split the rides!

6.  Fast Food Stops:  Keep any fast food coupons in the CAR!  How many times have you been driving through town and remember that the coupons are at home! We get fast food coupons in the mail all the time, especially from these 25 Free Birthday Clubs you can join from places like Steak n Shake, Wendy’s, Starbucks and more!

7.  Extra Clothes:  Keep an extra set of clothes in a totebag in your car.  You never know when a mishap might happen and it’ll keep you from having to make a Walmart stop when you don’t have time to head back home!

8.  Last Minute Blunders: This goes for just about anything.  If you wait till last minute to buy something needed then you won’t have time to watch for sales and match coupons for items whether it’s clothing, groceries, or even school supplies for the upcoming school year!

9.  Fun in the Sun: Water filled days are FUN!  Going to the local pools can cost money so plan on letting the kids swim at the neighbors or family members pools if you don’t have one!  Just make sure wherever they go, that they’re well attended!  Don’t forget to send sunscreen and snacks!

10.  Sleep Overs and Slumber Parties:  Summer comes with sleepovers and late nights with kids playing games, watching movies, and eating food!!  Use Pizza coupons or snack food coupons to grab snacks and frozen pizza and have your cupboards full for when your kids’ friends come to stay over.  Pizza is usually a given and most kids won’t CARE what kind of pizza you have so grab some frozen pizza when you find it on sale and stock up so you won’t be out the wazoo for the real deal from The HUT or another place!