Thankfully, there are a few summertime family activities you can take advantage of that won’t cost that much (but the rest of them don’t need to know that — they’ll be having so much fun, they won’t even notice that you saved up enough extra cash to get a mani-pedi that weekend).

1. Go to the Park

Okay, it doesn’t sound that exciting or extravagant, but give it some thought. Don’t go to just any old park. Pick the best park. The creme de la creme. Whatever is the best your city has to offer. Your Central Park, as it were. Glam it up with a brunch-y picnic featuring your favorite blanket and a picnic basket filled with a bottle of wine (the cheaper the better — live like the carefree gal you were in college) and sparkling cider for the kids, and some finger sandwiches for everyone. You can make relatively simple “fancy” ones, like these here, or even put the kids to work doing it the morning of. For fun, pack some books, a kite, frisbee, the football or whatever might be your choice of good ol’ fashioned fun.

2. Cook Like Cavemen

There’s something intriguing (for both adults and kids) about cooking over an open flame. Make an investment purchase of a fire bowl (which you can pick up for as little as $30 at your local superstore and then use it all season long). Then spend an evening with your crew cooking over a roaring wood fire that you built yourself. Beyond your typical weenie on a stick and s’mores, try your hand at a few other items that are surprisingly easy. The kids will be proud they helped put food on the table, your hubs can channel his inner caveman and you can enjoy not having to wash the dishes that night as you sip a glass of wine by the fire.

3. Geocache

For families with older kids, geocaching is a fun scavenger hunt that’s free, fun and might end up with you taking home a cool souvenir. Join geocaching.com and download the app, then hit the road, following clues and maps of your neighborhood or city to discover hidden treasures. Most geocaches consist of a concealed box, jar or other container, with a log book and a few souvenirs left by fellow geocachers. Sign the log book, take an item and leave an item, before returning the cache to its spot.

4. Shop ’Til You Drop

So shopping might not exactly save you money, but if you head out specifically to spots where all the fun is in the browsing, you can get your money’s worth by spending the day looking for cool deals, rather than making frivolous purchases. Head out to your city’s farmers market, flea market, used bookstore or antique shops. Give everybody in your crew a small amount to spend for the day and see what treasures everyone finds in the hunt for the best bargain.

Need more ideas? You can find lots of cheap, budget-friendly family activities during the summer, if you just know where to look. Lots of venues have summertime specials for children, including children’s museums, bowling alleys, aquariums, zoos and minor league sports teams.

You don’t have to wait for the bistros to start posting their spring brunch specials, though. Channel your inner domestic goddess (or your inner Nigella Lawson or Barefoot Contessa, whichever your preference — don’t even try to tell me that you prefer a domestic goddess other than these two queens, because it just doesn’t exist) and throw your own spring brunch for you and all your girls.

Here’s what you’re gonna need:

1. Pretty Things

So this is up to loose interpretation. Like, really loose interpretation. Dig out whatever you think will make your space pretty. Go with what makes you feel good. Pink and floral motifs are good for some gals, but it’s not a hard and fast rule. Maybe you want to throw a literary-themed spring brunch (a la Jane Austen). Maybe you want to jump a season ahead and go all palm trees and beachy. You do you. Whatever you do, though, don’t just leave your space as-is. You gotta make it special, whether that’s by buying new table linens at Target or smooth-talking your mom into letting you borrow the family china.

2. Easy Tiny Touches

So there are tons of tiny things you can do to make your guests think that you’re a domestic goddess, when in reality you’re just following simple Pinterest instructions in your pajamas while taking shots of tequila on a Tuesday night (no judgement). For example, buy some smallish silk flowers at the craft store and then freeze them into ice cubes for your Champagne bucket. Or, send your guests home with a cute favor, like a chic potted succulent that even the worst of your friends can’t kill. Coordinate colors in little things, like paper straws or a signature cocktail.

3. The Food

Okay, you know that everyone is just there for the food, right? Well, you probably don’t want to be spend your spring brunch slaving away in the kitchen and your guests don’t want that for you either. After all, they’re there to see you (eating your food and drinking your booze for free is just a plus). Thankfully, brunch is a pretty light, low-key meal and it’s easy to make things elegant without making them hard. Foolproof options include the non-cook’s version of chicken and waffles — two frozen waffles sandwiching a frozen chicken nugget, held together with a skewer and smothered in syrup. You can put just about anything on a skewer and it becomes automatically “fancy.” Fruit, donut holes, cheese, you name it. You can also make your guests do the work of assembling and plating, with a waffle bar, bagel bar, breakfast burrito bar. But don’t you dare forget the bloody mary bar.

4. The Friends

But the most important thing to tricking people into making them think you’re a domestic goddess — just make sure everyone has a great time. While that’s easy to do if you keep the bloody mary’s and mimosas flowing, it’s also equally easy if you keep the guest list limited to only your very best friends. You’ll be more relaxed, they’ll forgive any domestic goddess failures and you won’t even have to crop your frenemies out of your Facebook pics.

COMING SOON! All clean energy candy sprinkles to help you get through your daily exercise routine without keeping you up all night.