Summertime Savings

It’s easy to let your summer spending get a little crazy. The kids are out of school, vacation is on the minds of people everywhere, and retailers are advertising summer sales every other day. However, you can breeze through summer without straining your wallet if you follow these simple money-saving tips, without sacrificing an awesome summer.

1.      Turn down your hot water If you're like most people in Michigan, you crank up your hot water heater during our frigid winter months.  Getting into a hot shower while it’s a blizzard outside can feel pretty great. But you probably forget to turn down the temperature settings during the summer. According to the USDE, we spend $310 to $400 or more every year on hot water in our homes. Turning back the settings on your hot water heater is a simple way to save those big bucks

2.      Plant a garden You probably hear about rising food prices daily. So what better time to plant a home garden and grow your own fruits and vegetables instead? Gardening is not only great exercise, it's also the best way to get clean, organic produce. According to the Wall Street Journal, for every $1 you spend on green bean seeds, you'll grow an average of $75 worth of produce. For every $1 you spend on potato seeds, you'll net an average of $5 worth of crop. Burpee Seeds estimates that $50 spent on vegetable seeds will save an average family $1,250. That’s a nice chunk of pocket change.

3.      Plan a staycation According to AAA's 2008 Vacation Costs Survey, the average cost for a couple on vacation, including lodging and meals, is $244 per day. Add kids in the mix, and costs go up even more. So, why spend when you can save? Plan a staycation instead! Take the kids to the beach for the day, go on a hike and have a picnic, or be lazy at home, relaxing. Not only would you save a ton of money, but it would likely be far more relaxing than spending a week flying to and navigating through an unfamiliar city. Plus, any money you do spend at restaurants or attractions would stay local- big plus!

Making a few small changes to your summer routine can be easy (and fun!) for the whole family. The end result is that you'll have some extra padding to add to your savings account or monthly budget for those summer trips you just can’t miss!

Don’t forget to follow Honor on Twitter @honorcu!  Tweet us and let us know what you want to hear us talk about on Mason Jar Monday next week using #askhonorcu!

To listen to 97.5 Y-Country’s Wild Bill and Honor’s Kaylee Williams talk about summertime savings, listen to the Mason Jar Monday episode below.