5 Ways To Spend a Summer Day At Little To No Cost

I don’t know about your family but once Summer begins it is as if the entire day they expect me to have activites scheduled. Trying to entertain kids for nearly 3 months can get costly and with a larger family I had to learn how to come up with ways to spend a summer day that didn’t break the budget. There are times I had to get creative but surprising there are many option that you can do at little to no cost.

1. The Library

I have always made it a point to read to my children almost before birth. This has given them a love of books that I am so proud to share with them. That’s why one of our favorite activities on a Summer day (and all year long) is to find out what our local library has scheduled, grab our library cards and let the fun start! Most Libraries offer Summer Reading Challenges where you can sign up your children according to their age groups and they are challenged to read a certain amout of books (or time each day) by the end of the summer. Our library offers a prize with each level they make. This is an activity that we find fun for our entire family from Mom and Dad and our 17, 7, 5 and 3 year olds.

2. Local Museums

In every state and city we have moved to I search out the local children’s museums and attractions. In many cases the activities are free or they ask for a small donation to participate. I have signed my children up every summer for programs like art classes, science explorations and more for no more than a $3 donation. It all starts with a simple internet search for museums and you can have an entire week of fun for your kids and a bit of learning at the same time.

3. In-Store Offered Workshops

Did you know your local home improvement stores offer Saturday morning workshops for kids? Yes and they’re FREE! All you have to do is head over to their websites and sign up or register so they can have an accurate count and then show up. How easy is that? Your child will have the chance to build something, work with their hands and bring home a pretty cool project at the end. Some of them even give free aprons along with the fun.

4. The Zoo or Aquarium

My kids are always up for an adventure and if you add animals into the equation they are all in. Your state zoo or aqaurium is a great way to have a day out and still keep your costs rather low. Kids tickets (2-12) are usually priced under $10 and anyone below 2 years old is free. If you bring packed lunches and snacks you can still keep your overall costs under control. I usually allow the kids to splurge a bit with one souvenier

5. The Outdoors

This is definitely one of the best and totally FREE ways to spend a summer day! Simply get outside and enjoy the warm weather, nature and most of all each other! I have had many days of fun and irreplaceable memories when we simply grabbed our water bottles, some chalk, jump ropes or even our card//board games and took our day outside. A bonus is the kids usually wear themselves out and you get early bedtimes that night.

If you need extra money to help with those fun days out on the town, come see us at Tri County Lending Group. We are located in Danielsville, Athens, and Hartwell(Opening in June).