Summer can be expensive. Here are a few ways to keep your spending under control.
Ah, the sights, sounds and smells of summer! The warmest season of the year is well under way, and it has brought increased daylight, more time to do things and more ways to stay active. The only problem is all of this fun costs money.
If you’ve looked at your accounts lately, you may have noticed this. We’re not trying to take any fun out of your summer, but rather help you avoid the very “un-fun” reality of missing payments or going further into debt.
What you need to keep your summer spending in check is a plan of action. This plan will help you reduce your spending both mentally and in real-life settings. Let’s take a look the five parts of your plan.
- Get in the right mindset– Anna Newell Jones, author of the “And Then We Saved” blog, paid off $23,600 in debt in 15 months. How? One of her largest motivators was finding fulfillment without spending money. She wrote down three things she was thankful for every day as a way to teach herself to be content and to stop searching for “more” and “better.” Take a page out of Anna’s book and try to focus on the great things you already have.
- 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 don’t need and finding things you forgot you had, but it will also help you re-tune your wants.
- Try out “no-spends”- build up your savings account by trying out a few 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.
- Look for budget-friendly activities- church camps and activities put on by community organizations are often low in cost, so be on the watch for those. There are also plenty of festivals, outdoor parties and other events during the summer that may cost little or nothing for an evening of family fun.
- Do more of your own cooking- 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 $40 spent at a restaurant that can be too cold or too loud.
There are plenty of activities, entertainment and things to do during the summer that don’t have to drain your budget. Try putting these tips into practice for a great rest of the summer!
Peoples Bank & Trust
Equal Housing Lender
Member FDIC