Money :: Saving On Summer Fun

Saving On Summer Fun

Those long, hot, lazy days are just around the corner. Have you planned how your family will spend them? Maybe more importantly, have you figured out the cost of your plans? There are about two months of days to fill during summer time off from school and kids want to be entertained every waking hour. No matter the size of your family, entertainment can be costly. With the average price of a movie ticket around $10 a family of four can expect to pay nearly $100 for a trip to the theater. I chose the movie theater example because it was a lower cost example than an amusement park. I was shocked to find that a daily pass to Disneyland is up to $81 for children ages 3 to 9 and $87 for adults. Again, for a family of four that is $336 just to get into the park. We won’t even talk about paying for the food once inside. So, unless you have the funds, and most of us don’t, daily trips to the air conditioned movie theater or Disneyland are probably out. So what is a parent to do? PLAN

Be Creative:

Fun doesn’t really have to cost a lot. If you have a swimming pool in your yard you are well on your way to a fun-filled summer. You can have a day of swim races, water polo, diving contests. There are endless possibilities. No pool? Try getting creative with a sprinkler. There are many activities that you can do that take you away from the house and cost little to nothing. Check your local town paper. I live in Santa Clarita, CA. There is something going on here every single day. When my son was young I picked up a book called Fun Places to Visit With Kids In Southern California. I found a lot of museums that have special days where kids are free. Local libraries always have summer programs for kids.