The warmer weather is here, and this only means one thing…summer break for the kids. Whether you intend to have your children attend a summer camp, or they’ll be home for the summer enjoying some family time, you’re going to need to keep them busy. While there are tons of things that you could do enjoy your time with your kids this summer, if you’re on a tight budget, affording some of the lavish family vacations might be out of the question.

Well, let me be the first to tell you that you don’t have to have a great deal of money to spend some quality time with the family. Here are some suggestions on how you can entertain the entire family this summer, without having to break the bank.

1.  Cut the Cable – The cost of cable can get outrageous when you include the various features, channel lineups, and additional packages. Even with a basic package, a family could be spending an average of $100 or more per month on cable television alone. When you factor in the concept that you probably don’t watch as much television during the summer months, it really is a waste of money. This is especially true when there are so many other affordable alternatives to cable, such as satellite services. Satellitetv-deals.com shows various satellite packages you could invest in that cost you almost half of what you’d pay for in cable services. The money you save by cutting cable for the summer (or altogether) could be used to fund your family’s summer fun.

2.  Check Out Your State Websites – You can live in a city or state for a given period of time and still never access all the fun things there are to do. I found that out myself. I thought I had seen everything there was to see and know about my state, until I was doing some research on free or affordable things to do in the area. By reviewing my state website, I found that there were often a lot of events going on during the summer. From festivals and carnivals, to movies in the park and free museums, I was able to find things to entertain the family that were either dirt cheap or free.

3.  Sign Up for Coupon Groups – Did you know you can use coupons to save on more than just your groceries? There are plenty of coupon groups and websites that have discounts and printable coupons for fun and entertainment. By signing up for multiple groups that offer coupons on the regular basis, you could save a bundle on your summer time activities. Whether you are looking for savings on your favorite restaurant or trying to find a discount to a theme park, there are coupons for just about everything you and your family enjoys.

4.  Pack Your Snacks or Eat Before You Go – One of the biggest expenses about going out places with the family is the food bill. Whether it’s grabbing a large pizza, some wings, and drinks, or eating expensive food from child entertainment places like theme parks and museums, the expense can really add up. The best way to fix this and save money is to do one of two things: pack snacks or meals to take with you, or eat a snack before you go so that you don’t have to purchase a meal while you’re out. That way the money you spend on food can be spent on admission costs or souvenirs.

5.  Make it a “Staycation” – Who says that you have to go out all the time in the summer months? Sometimes you can create the best memories right at home. There are plenty of ideas in which you could implement at home to have fun with the kids. A few ideas might be to host a camping trip in your backyard, have a family game night and invite others over, or even allow the kids to have a summer pool party and invite some friends over.

Spending time with your children this summer does not have to consume your budget. There are plenty of options that will allow you to save money while also having a good time. From reducing your television costs, to having fun in your own backyard, your kids will certainly have a lot to talk about when they head back to school in the fall. Remember, it’s not about how much money you spend, but how much time you spend in putting a smile on their faces.

Originally posted 2015-06-23 05:30:19.

This being Canada, it’s not entirely impossible that summer already happened and you missed it. There was that Saturday a few weeks back where you slept in till midday. Maybe summer happened that morning and you slept through the whole thing? Perhaps that week you spent with your cousin up north (I mean, further up north) was the one where everyone hit the beach and bought ice cream and you missed it because the only beach you could find that wasn’t frozen had a polar bear on it and the ice cream was so cold you could only heat it after some serious hard labor involving a chisel and a blowtorch. Maybe.

Let’s take a serious perspective for a moment and imagine that, despite its latitude, maybe Canada does have a summer and also that despite the awesome summer Canada totally has, we live in the era of cheap airline tickets so you can just go somewhere with a real summer during the Canadian summer. Somewhere without polar bears.

You might, however, still need some last minute vacation deals when you throw open the curtains and realise that, yes, it’s going to be summer for at least the next twenty minutes and, no, you haven’t booked anything yet. Clearly, you need some pretty quick internet access. Already, dudes outside are running by in beach shorts, toting surfboards. Panicking slightly, you try and find your phone, knowing without a doubt that it’s down the back of a couch. But which one? You haven’t used your laptop in months, ever since the lid froze shut, and you don’t have time to install the hundreds of updates it’ll demand before it’ll function properly now it’s finally thawed. The smell of barbecue drifts through the windows as you tip the couch over, your desperation lending you the strength of the Hulk. Finally, among the discarded candy wrappers, miscellaneous bits of cutlery and – gross – an apple core, you finally find your phone and frantically google ‘discount travel sites‘. There are still flights! You quickly scan through the pages of information about hotels and airlines, trying to find something, knowing everyone’s thinking the same thing as you and they maybe got to the web first and maybe paid for their own wi-fi rather than trying to steal it from their neighbors – who are now playing samba music at ear-splitting volumes – like you did.

Desperate, you just bag a flight at random. It’s not till the confirmation email turns up in your inbox while you’re sipping a mojito by a pool with only a few chunks of ice in it, squinting over your sunshades, that you realize you’ve booked yourself in for a weekend of sun, sea and Seattle.

Better luck next year.

Originally posted 2015-04-06 10:42:44.