With summer just right around the corner, now is a good time to start thinking and planning ahead for all of the many ways you will be able to enjoy the warmest of all the Canadian seasons. Of course, many of your plans are likely to cost some money, and perhaps also on your mind is how you can still savour your time, as well as being able to afford these expenses.
Furthermore, with bad credit and a certain level of debts on your plate, you might also want to make summertime the ideal time to reduce your expenses and save some additional money in the process. Now, if saying money is on your agenda this summer, next is then to come up with some methods that can help you do just that.
While, we may each have various ways of saving that are most realistic for our lifestyle and financial position, here are 3 possible avenues you can pursue in order to save on activities throughout the summertime.
1) Taking Part in Outdoors Activities
The first way you can attempt to save some additional money this summer is to look for activities that take place outside. In fact, during this time of year when the weather is warmer and the sun is shining, there are many outdoor activities you can do for free. Whether or not you choose to go for a walk in the park or a hike along some scenic trails, these are only just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to how inexpensive some summer time activities can be.
I’m sure, you can come up with some on your own as well, depending on where you live and who you will be spending your summer months with. For example, there are also likely many kid-friendly adventures you can find that are either free or offering discounted summer prices. Splash pads and pools can also be activities that can be relatively affordable, especially if you have friends or relatives with their own backyard pool and play equipment.
2) Reducing your Eating-Out Budget
Another manner in which you can save this summer can also pertain to your meals. While sometimes it may seem easier to eat-out versus preparing your own meals, this can however also add up in cost. Realistically, take-away meals and eating in restaurants can prove to be more expensive in terms of paying additional fees for prepackaging, as well as paying gratuities and extra fees on restaurant food and alcoholic beverages and so on.
Instead, buying groceries and preparing the majority of your meals can help you save money over the course of the summer. While, yes, this can take up a bit more of your time, you can look to minimize your overall prep time, by preparing these ingredients and meals ahead of time and planning meals ahead can actually be a huge time-saver.
Now, this isn’t of course to say that you have to avoid eating out altogether. However, you can limit your spending this summer by reducing your eating-out budget. Say, for example you can budget for eating out at a nice restaurant perhaps twice a month and also buying take-out food once a week. Again, this budget will depend on how much income you have and you should set a budgeting goal that meets your current financial needs.
3) Walking versus Driving
Lastly, due to the warmer weather the summer is also a great opportunity to opt for a walk to work or to do your groceries, instead of driving everywhere. Here, I am sure you will realize that you are saving money on gas as well as not putting as much wear and tear – and mileage on your vehicle. With fluctuating gas prices especially, this means that each and every time you have to fill up your gas tank, you sure are spending a lot of additional money.
This final point can also tie in nicely with the first two areas of saving. For one, you can walk to your outdoor events, and walking itself, can be the actual activity too. Secondly, if you are eating at a restaurant that evening, you could choose to walk to a nearby location to eat and this specific spending-saving trade-off can allow you to spend some money on your meal, instead of your transportation.
All in all, by leaving the car at home and taking a walk instead of driving to and from some of your daily and weekly locations, you can reduce your costs in this avenue as well as others over the course of the summer.
If saving money is a goal of yours, it doesn’t really matter what time of year it is. However, there are definitely certain areas of savings that can be more closely related to the types of expenses you may have during the summer months. In the end, you can therefore take advantage of summer time savings opportunities without having to skimp on the fun and pleasure that only come with the arrival of the warmer temperatures.
