Follow these tips to keep your family happy and fiscally sound throughout the summer months.
The warm summer months bring lighter days, busier schedules and maybe even a summer vacation or two. With your summer calendar filling up, it’s hard to not get excited for all of the season’s fun activities!
However, all these great things about summer can work against your wallet. In addition to bigger expenses like a summer vacation and increased utility bills, evenings out, entertainment and spur-of-the-moment spending can add up quickly. The best way to get ahead of the spending curve is to focus on saving money and reducing spending.
Here are some tips to keep your family fiscally sound throughout the summer:
- Clear out your mind and your home- kick off your savings quest with a spring cleaning session, recommends financial writer Kali Hawlk. Not only will this help you in selling things you need and finding things you forgot you had, but it will also help you re-tune your wants.
- Do more cooking at home- it’s so easy to “grab a quick bite to eat” somewhere or to take the kids out for dessert on long summer evenings. Instead, produce more meals at home. They are generally healthier, in smaller portions and more satisfying than a pricey a restaurant.
- Look for budget-friendly activities- church camps, library events and other activities put on by community organizations are often low in cost, so be on the watch for those. There are also plenty of festivals, markets, outdoor parties and other events during the summer that may cost little or nothing for an evening of family fun.
- Try out “no-spends”- build up your savings account by trying out a days, weeks, or, if you can, months of no spending. While you may not hit your goal of spending nothing, focusing on spending less will help.
Don’t let the costs of the season ruin your summer fun. Keep control of your finances throughout the summer to enjoy all that the season has to offer. If you do these things, your summer should be full of fun and financial freedom!
Timberwood Bank, Member FDIC and Equal Housing Lender