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.
