Ideas for Keeping a Summer Low-Cost
How to Reduce Spending
There are many ways to keep summer fun cheap, including using the Chinatown Bus, booking early, volunteering, and having cost-free entertainment.
In the Northeast, Use the Chinatown Bus
The Apex Chinatown bus departs from New York City, Philadelphia, Richmond, Rockville, Baltimore, Washington, DC, Norfolk, and Penn State. One can travel from New York City all the way to Washington, DC, and anywhere in between, for $20. Tickets can be purchased online or right at the station for the same price.
Plan Trips Early
The earlier one books hotels, flights, buses, and trains, the cheaper the tickets are. Two weeks ahead can save a person $20; a month ahead could save $50.
Have Costless Fun
Instead of going to coffee shops or restaurants, have picnics by the lake. If you already have the proper equipment, go fishing. Play tennis or basketball, or take a walk. Instead of going to the arcade, play video games you already have/trade games with your friends. Rarely go to the movies on the big screen; rent movies or watch them for free on various websites: surfthechannel, veoh, alluc, hulu, or sometimes youtube. The internet is a good friend when it comes to free entertainment. It also provides one with online newspapers or magazines that sometimes don't require a subscription.
Volunteer for Fun Events
Signing up to be a camp counselor allows for a lot of fun without having to pay for it. Campers usually need to pay around $160 for a session of canoeing, horseback riding, swimming, crafts, and sports. Counselors usually get paid to do it (except if it's volunteer).
Assisting with giant music events, such as Creation, can get a person in for a reduced price or free of charge. Such tasks involve directing parking, selling tickets at the door, or safety patrolling.
Don't Buy What You Don't Need
Buying a lot of little items - 1 liter sodas, coffee, candy - adds up. Avoid buying soda or water bottles by bringing a bottle of water wherever you go. If you're going out for the day, equip yourself with a thermos of coffee and a pack of gum or lifesavers.
Hold yourself back when there's a new ipod-camera-phone-calendar-fax-printer. Are you functioning without this item? Do you need it? Shop with an accountability partner so that each person can keep the other in check. Remember that by the time you've gone home you will probably have forgotten all about what you thought you "needed."
Don't Give in to Social Pressure
One of the hardest parts of living cost-efficiently is saying no to events that are not worth the money when your friends are saying yes. State your resignations and suggest something you'd be more comfortable with. Most of the time, people in a social group are afraid to state their individual quirks with something and are waiting for someone else to protest before they feel they can. So, kindly turning down a costly outing may result in the rest of the group agreeing and doing something cheaper. But if this is not the case, be grateful and kind to the group so they feel appreciated.
Living cheaply requires making decisions ahead of time about what one will change, and how one entertains oneself is probably the easiest and most rewarding thing to change.
Swings: Free Summer Fun
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Walking: Free Summer Fun
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