3 Ways to Save Money on Your Summer Fun Activities

There are so many fun things to do in the summer with the family but it gets a little expensive to fit in all of the activities on your summer fun list. Admission tickets, food prices, and rental fees can really add up and limit your ability to have a lot of fun with the family. Here are some tips on how to save some money so you can do MORE.

1. Bring Your Own Food. With any summer outing, if you are allowed to bring your own food, do so. Feeding your family at the pool, beach, amusement park, or even the drive-in can really add up. Pack a picnic basket with sandwiches, fruit, veggies and dip and water bottles to take care of lunch and snacks. If you brought water bottles or even buy one on the go, don’t throw them out when you are done, find a water fountain and refill it. Some amusement parks won’t let you bring food into the park but leave an iced cooler in your car with food, get your hand stamped and walk out to your car at lunchtime to eat. Return to the park when you're done.

2. Buy online. Some family entertainment places give you a discount if you buy your tickets online and print them at home. It might save you some money and you get to skip the lines at the ticket counter. Don’t forget to check Facebook and Twitter. Sometimes businesses offer special discounts to their social media fans.

3. Be flexible on time. Some pools and beaches offer discounted or free admission towards the end of the day. If you just want to swim and have fun, skip the peak tanning hours and go have fun later in the evening. There may also be fewer crowds for a more fun and relaxing experience.

For more tips on how to save money this summer, check out 8 Ways to Save Money this Summer on Family Fun Activities. 

Want some ideas to create a Summer Family Fun Activities List? Here are 51 Summer Family Fun Ideas to inspire you. Or, check out my Summer Family Fun board on Pinterest. 

What's on your summer fun list this year? Any additional ideas on how to save some money this summer so the family can get out to play more?

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Sue Kirchner is a family fun coach, blogger, kids party planner, and weekly contributor to Patch.com. Sue and her family fun ideas have been featured on TV, newspapers, magazines, blogs, as well as her own family fun site ChocolateCakeMoments.com.

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