While summer is a favorite season of the year, it usually comes with a price. Now that you are able to get out of the house from being trapped inside all winter, you probably have a long list of plans that will most likely cost a fortune. So you don’t have to sacrifice what you love, you can look to saving money in a few areas this summer that will free up a little extra cash to do the things you are hoping to enjoy in the beautiful weather.
Spend Time Outside Doing Yardwork
You might wonder how spending money on yardwork helps you save money, but in fact, anything you can do yourself and not hire out, the better. It starts with lawncare – you don’t need to hire a lawn service, just throw in your headphones and fire up the mower. Trim up the trees and gain a little extra firewood for the summer night bonfires. Grab some bags of mulch while they are on sale and give your landscape a fresh look, even planting some flowers are a few dollars to add curb appeal.
Get a Rain Barrel
A great way to save on the water bill this summer is to collect rain water that would normally flow into the ground and sewer and use for watering your plants and flowers. A rain barrel can be attached to one of your gutter’s so that it will flow directly into it, and you would be surprised how quickly it can actually fill up, giving you enough to fill up your watering can without ever having to use the hose. The initial investment may be around $100 or so for the barrel, but will pay for itself in no time, giving you free water for years to come.
Grow Your Own Veggies
Now that you have plenty of available water to go around, you can put that to good use in fuel in planting your own garden. Buying seeds and plants up front for a few dollars will give you plenty of vegetables coming in until the winter. You can plant tomatoes, peppers, broccoli, whatever your favorites are, and save off of your produce bill. Last year it stayed warm until November so we continued to have plenty of peppers and tomatoes that we had to give away to friends and family because we could not eat them in time.
Fire Up the Grill
One of the best parts about summer is cooking outside on the barbeque. The great thing is not only does food taste better off the grill, but you can save a little money off of your electric bill, as the air conditioner will not be going on as much trying to cool the air you are heating while cooking. You can always cook hamburgers and hot dogs, but there are so many recipes you can make by grilling your vegetables for pizza, fajitas, etc.
Utilize Your Credit Card Benefits
People often waste money on items that they needn’t. Your credit card, if you already have one, can provide many free benefits! For example, if you go to Best Buy and are tempted to buy that expensive extended warranty, don’t do it. Chances are your credit card offers a free extended warranty for at least 12 months. Also, going on vacation this summer? Some credit cards have enough travel insurance coverage attached to them that you don’t have to worry about paying extra out-of-pocket for this often unnecessary cost.
Entertain Instead of Going Out
The great thing about get togethers in the summer is that they are pretty casual, so you do not always need to spend a fortune at pricey restaurants or bars. You can put together dinner and drinks at your house and entertain on your patio for a faction of the price as you would spend going out.
Plan Many Day Trips Instead of Big Vacation
If you are fortunate enough to have friends or family that live on a lake, that can be like a vacation in itself, with having to provide food, drinks, and throwing in for gas money for the boat. With the price of gas not being too bad so far, there is plenty of opportunity to drive for a day or overnight trip. Check out places within your state you haven’t had the chance to see yet, or do a brewery or winery tour, with making plans to stay the night if you decide to extend the tour more than a few stops, and no need to fly anywhere this summer.
