Here in the See Debt Run household, Summer is our very favorite time of the year. The pools are open, friends and neighbors are all hanging out outside, and there are endless opportunities for outdoor entertainment on the weekends. But in addition to all of the smiles and sunburns, summer can also bring some additional demands on your wallet. With a little bit of planning, you can make sure that your family has a great summer without busting your budget.

Here are a few ideas to help avoid the summer spending splurge:

Summer Camps

Kids love Summer Camps, and it isn’t hard to see why. They get to spend their days with their friends swimming, hiking, and making crafts. Many camps can also help kids improve at playing sports or can get them some experience trying a fun new activity.

The catch is that some of these summer camps, especially of the overnight variety, can be quite expensive. To save money, we recommend looking into the camps offered by the boy or girl scout organizations, which are typically fun and affordable. Our family also sends the kids to a week of vacation bible school hosted by a local church, which is usually put on by volunteers and should cost very little.

Fun in the Sun

Our very favorite way to spend an afternoon in the summer is up at the local pool. But even if you don’t have a pool of your own (or one in your neighborhood), chances are good that your local park has a pool for public use. Typically you can get a day pass for one of these pools for under $5/person, or if you are going to be frequent visitor, a season pass can be a good idea.

In addition to the pools, another one of our favorite summer activities is to aim to hit all of the local parks and nature trails in the area. Going to a different place each time will give you some varied experiences and allow for you to meet some new people, and best of all– nature is always free!

Family Vacays

Of course, we could (and have) write an entire post about how to save money on the summer vacation. Taking family trips is always a slippery slope and the costs of vacations can range from a few hundred dollars to thousands. The most important thing to remember is to make a budget and to stay with it. I will say that we are huge fans of finding vacation spots within driving distance (to save money) and using sites where you can rent other people’s unused timeshares.