Summertime Family Activities That Won't Break the Bank

Let’s be real — summer is great, but it can wreak havoc on your bank account. Your neighbor throws a backyard barbecue, insists you don’t have to bring anything, but you know you’ll be judged if you don’t show up with a bottle of wine that cost at least $30. Your kid is out of school for the summer, which leaves you with two choices: shell out a ridiculous amount of cash for either childcare or some kind of summer day camp. On the weekends, everyone is clamoring to go to a waterpark or a theme park or on vacation. Eventually, your wallet starts to look a little sad and droopy.

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.