Summer is almost here and I can’t wait! It was a BRUTAL winter here and the weather has been pretty cold/crappy for the last 6 months (November toward the end of April). I’m definitely going to be more appreciative of the warm weather months because summer always seems to fly by so fast.
Taking a vacation during the summer is a fantastic way to relax and bond with your family. I know for sure that I don’t want to look back and wonder where the time went. I want to be more conscious of how I spend my time and be fully present these next few months.
When it comes to planning for summer fun, things can get quite expensive. Summer can be one of the most expensive seasons of the year for people (minus Christmas) due to costs associated with vacations, festivals, parties and wedding, and other fun events and activities.
Since we bought a house a few years ago, we’re not really able to blow a bunch of money for summer events even if it is on valuable experiences. To keep costs reasonable and still enjoy the summertime without limiting myself too much, I came up with this frugal summer bucket list of what I want to experience/accomplish this year.
Table of Contents
Go Kayaking
Being on the water is a lot of fun and kayaking is a great way to enjoy the summer. It’s easy to make a fun day out of this too by having a picnic near the water afterwards.
I love that the there are so many places to kayak in Chicago. It makes it really easy to stay busy with this water activity all summer!
Ride My Bike Each Week
I got a bike last year and really enjoyed riding it around the neighborhood. This year, I want to improve my endurance and go longer distances. If I go for a ride at least twice a week, I can meet that goal.
I also need to help my son learn how to ride a bike without training wheels so that will be a fun project.
Rollerblade in Chicago
As you can tell, I plan to stay pretty active this summer. I bought rollerblades a few years ago and have a friend who rollerblades as well so we’ve already committed to doing some rollerblading downtown this summer for fun.
When I went to Long Beach last month everyone was rollerblading along the beach and it looked so fun. Out here, no one rollerblades so I need to help make it trendy again in the U.S.
Free Museum Days
Checking out the different museums on their free days is both fun and frugal. This summer, I’m going to mark some other free or affordable events on my calendar too so that we have several options to choose from.
Horseback Riding
I say I want to do this every year but never get around to it. There are some nice ranches not too far from me that offer one-time and ongoing lessons. I try to look for Groupons but this year I really want to do it even if I have to splurge a little bit.
I used to go to horseback riding lessons when I was a kid and I loved it.
Start Practicing the Drums Again
This was on my annual goals list. I used to play the drums but stopped right before high school and I’d love to learn again as a hobby. I want to start slow with a drum pad or snare drum then upgrade to a full set.
I can even practice using videos online and learn as I go before jumping into lessons.
Watch Movies At the Park
Watching movies in the park is one of my favorite things to do on a relaxing summer evening. Plus, it’s free and a good opportunity to get out of the house. My town has lots of free movie showings as well as neighboring towns so I’m sure I’ll do this more than once.
Visit 2-3 National Parks
I don’t think I went to any national parks last summer. Seriously, the whole summer flew by for me last year and I was so caught up with working. I have a few on my list so I’d like to visit 2-3 and get some good hikes in.
Go Camping
We already have this booked for June and I can’t wait. We will be going with a few other families and I’m even thinking about getting a 24-hour fishing license since it’s only $5. Last year, we purchased a lot of camping equipment so now that we have everything, it’s very cheap to camp. One thing you can’t forget is a tent. Here are 8 of the best budget-friendly tents all in once place from Globo Surf.
Read a Fiction Book
I’ve been reading more in recent years but I still don’t read enough fiction even though I watch a ton of fiction TV and movies. It would be great to get into a good fiction book this summer during downtime.
Start a Garden
My yard is all set up to start a garden and I’m excited. I know this could be quite a bit of work but it could be something fun I could do with my family.
Go on Vacation With My Family
This is probably the most expensive item on my list but I’ve been saving for it for a while now. I invited my mom and siblings out to Florida this summer and I’m excited.
The last time I went on vacation out of state with my mom and siblings, I was in 4th grade when my youngest sister was a baby and my brother wasn’t even born yet so this is well overdue and I’m looking forward to it.
I like to get away a few times a year, but if I can’t afford a vacation, I always opt for a day trip.
Related: Why I’m Choosing a Staycation Over a Vacation
Teach My Son More Skills
I need to work on teaching my son more life skills. It’s a secret goal of mine to teach my son how to cook more things under my supervision. This can include small and easy meals or something delicious that we bake. I believe that cooking is a good skill to have and he’s shown interest in it. Plus, it may be a nice way to involve him in our grocery budget and meal planning process.
I also want to teach him the concept of flipping items to make extra cash, so we’re going to do a mini thrifting challenge where I give him $15 to spend in a thrift store to buy items that we can upsell together online. If we earn a profit from the sale(s), he can keep it.
There you have it. This is plenty to keep me busy this summer without spending too much money. We still have weddings to attend and house projects to complete but I don’t want to feel strapped for cash over the next few months and unable to enjoy the next few weeks.
If I can get at least half of these things accomplished, I’ll feel pretty good.
How to Keep Your Bucket List Frugal
Everything on my bucket list wasn’t super cheap, but it is frugal thanks to a few of my favorite tools and resources. Here are a few things you can use to keep your summer bucket list frugal as well.
Groupon
I know I rant all the time about Groupon, but that’s because I love it! I use Groupon to find discounts on local outings, entertainment, and restaurant. Groupon is how I’ve been able to eat sushi with friends all while I was paying off my debt. It’s how I scored a beautiful hotel stay in Chicago for my birthday and how I got a huge discount on my son’s first birthday.
If you haven’t yet, I’d encourage you to sign up and look around. Build your summer bucket list around Groupons if you have to because you’ll save a ton.
Rakuten
You may or may not have heard of Rakuten, but it’s how I earn cash back on regular everyday purchases. It’s also how I’m setting some money aside for Christmas this year.
Rakuten partners with tons of popular retailers to show you coupons and offer cash back when you make online purchases. Check out my full review of Rakuten here.
Rakuten partners with Groupon so whenever I purchase a Groupon, I make sure my Rakuten account is connected so I can receive coupons and earn cash back on the purchase. Rakuten pays users what they call a ‘big fat check’ each quarter based on your cash back earnings. Click here to sign up and get your first $10.
Airbnb
When I travel, I always look for Airbnb options over pricey hotels. On a recent trip to celebrate our honeymoon, my husband and I stayed in an Airbnb in Long Beach and it was amazing.
Airbnb is pretty affordable, and I already had a credit so we only spent around $20/night to stay in a spacious clean room and use all the amenities in the house.
We were able to use the kitchen to prepare coffee and breakfast for ourselves so we didn’t have to spend money dining out for that meal. If you’re going to be doing any traveling this year, I highly recommend checking out Airbnb.
Fetch Rewards
During the summer we spend a lot of time outdoors and with that comes all the awesome summer time food! Fetch Rewards is an app that I use all to help me save money on food for our summer bonfires and BBQs.
I enjoy using this app because it really makes it easy to earn points on items I buy regularly. Fetch Rewards offers free gift cards for those points which I use to pay for my groceries.
With all the places you can earn points from it’s definitely worth downloading and using the Fetch Rewards app for summer fun and food.
Now, I want to hear from you. What’s on your summer bucket list? Do you have any frugal activities planned?
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Jason @ TheButlerJournal.com says
Solid bucket list. You have a lot of things planned for the summer. You have to post on IG when you play the drums. I gotta see it.
Choncé says
Lol we’ll see I’m too shy 🙂
Liz P. says
I love rollerblading! I think I would like to invest in a good pair! I used to blade all the time as a kid, but I’m not near as good as I used to be! That sounds like such a fun time!
Choncé says
It is fun and definitely takes me back to my childhood.
Frugal Millennial says
These are all great ideas! I’m excited for summer. Winter was brutal here too!
Choncé says
Those bad winters can definitely make you more appreciative.
G. Brian Davis @ SparkRental says
Great list Choncé! Many of these are on my list as well. Summers are inherently expensive for me right now, because my wife and I end up traveling back to the US for the summer. But we do what we can to find inexpensive activities, like free outdoor concerts, cookouts, etc.
Choncé says
Yes, travel can always drive costs up, but like you said, there is always plenty of frugal things to do as well.
DC @ Young Adult Money says
My Summer kicked off with a not-so-frugal trip: Vegas! At the end of the day it was actually really affordable, but only because we travel hacked the flights and hotels!
Choncé says
Nice, I love Vegas! When I went, it was pretty affordable too plus it helps that I didn’t gamble much.
Kim says
Nice list, and you put some great frugal tips! Yes, the summer can just fly by so quickly, so I like the idea of making a list of what you’d like to do. I wish you all the best in crossing things off!
Choncé says
Thanks Kim!