SAVINGS DURING THE SUMMER 2017 EDITION

I have had cable since I can remember. I watch shows religiously. I watch movies. I watch the news. Then something changed. My Fios contract was up and they were going to raise my rate…again! Even after negotiating, I couldn't justify paying $150.00 on the 5 channels I actually watch and for two TVs, the second of which we never use.

Since having kids, most of what’s on our communal TV is children’s shows. Sesame Street, Paw  Patrol and Baby Einstein. We also accumulated so many DVDs of Dora The Explorer and Blaze that I could literally not have the cable on for days and my kids would still be entertained. As for me, I noticed that I watch a lot of YouTube and I read a lot. We also have Netflix for those days where nothing and I mean NOTHING, is on TV. And for my guilty pleasures such as MTV’s Catfish, I realized they stream their shows online a day or two after they air, which is fine with me since most of my shows were DVR’d anyway. So why were we paying for cable?

Well, it’s been about two months without it and I do not notice the difference. Honestly. Everything we need we stream online or watch on Netflix. When we have friends or family over, we just throw on a movie or music and everyone is entertained. So if you’re thinking of saving some serious money this summer, start with your cable. Of course you could always go out and enjoy the weather!

This year we also decided to get a Six Flags Great Adventure membership, which we pay monthly. It includes parking, discounts on food and merchandise from the park and on some days you can bring a friend for free or for relatively no cost. The membership pays for itself after your first visit and is cheaper and less of a hassle than buying and maintaining a pool, plus you get to park for more than just the summer. For $20 a month, we get access to not online the theme park but also the water park. It’s a low cost option for hot days and during the fall, you are able to go to Fright Fest or other fun events.

My favorite and most frequent thing my family does is go to town events. They are free and usually have activities for children. For instance we go to little festivals at our town or neighboring towns and they usually have free art activity set up or games for children and live music. We love going to car shows (we have two boys so we are all about cars here). We are lucky enough to live at the shore so we go on the boardwalk or to a local beach for a little scenery. Of course many friends and family have BBQs to which you can be a guest and have some adult time while the kids play. Corona anyone?

Barnes and Noble has story time on Monday morning at around 10:30 (check your local store) and they normally have a little play area where the kids can interact with one another either before, after or even during the story time. 

Food Truck events bring out the foodies, but if you’re like me and you don’t want to spend too much, make sure you eat a little before you go and just try a little something here or there to sample with the family. It’s a great way to get out, see the different types of food they are cooking up and get some inspiration for your own meal or party planning!

Then there are days when let’s face it…it’s just too damn hot to go anywhere and you just want to hang around the house and let the kids go into the yard. I love the Dollar Tree for outdoor toys for my boys. I mean why spend a bunch of money on toys that are going to be left outside or lost by the end of the week? You can also find a bunch of fun stuff on the Facebook Market Place or Craigslist. I bought a sand table for $10 and some sand for $3 and my kids love it! We were also gifted a water table as a birthday present and my goodness…talk about a life saver! When you’re too tired or busy to go to the water park or beach, this little table gives kids hours of fun and keeps them cool in the heat. Some even come with sun umbrellas. So for your kid’s next birthday party or even as a Christmas gift, be sure to ask Santa (or Grandma and Grandpa) for something like this that will last outside for multiple summers and is super affordable! 

On a rainy day, going to the movies is always a fun idea if you want out of the house. Just sneak in some snacks and be sure to go to a matinee to save some money. Or just pop on some Netflix and have a picnic inside. Build a fort with sheets, paint, color, cook, read, dance…there are a lot of things to do inside as well.

I'm sure there are plenty more things to do that are cheap or free this summer by your area. These are just a few ideas I’ve come to discover over the course of just 4 years of being around kids. But definitely check your town or nearby towns for their free festivals or activities since they are the easiest and most cost effective thing to do this summer! Also, check your local library, they usually have children’s activities a few times a week! Have fun!