SUMMER MOMMY is the nicest Mommy :)

Staying home with your children in the summer and not spending a fortune occupying them can be a bigger task to tackle than many will realize. I thought as my children got older they would probably more enjoy some fum summer camps to keep them busy. I love spending time with them but assumed after too much time I would hear "I'm bored" all summer or I would look for alone time myself. Turns out I'm kinda a fun Mom because they love being home and my oldest daughter even REQUESTED not doing a two week camp she was signed up for and her month summer extracurricular so she could be home with us all summer! Gotta say that makes my heart skip a beat to know my kids love being with us :) And I LOVE having them HOME!

I look at summers as cherished cherished times and LOVE being able to spend them with my children and create memories that will last forever. HOWEVER, everything nowadays is SO expensive. Just a trip to the movies for a family of five can EASILY run over $80 and that's on the conservative side. So after summers upon summers of always feeling like I'm playing catchup with finances from added spending, I think I finally have it down. So here are some mommy tips to help save and still have fun.

#1- and this was actually a tip taught by my madre (she is very old school and frugal with finances and believes strongly in the pay yourself first rule) - Set up a small savings account at the beginning of the year to be deposited into your checking account the first of July as extra summer spending $$. Depending on how much you can afford to have pulled directly out of your check will determine your extra spending cash, but even if its as little as $50 a week, having it pulled directly out of your check you don't have to make a conscious effort and even that would mean at least $1200 deposited into your checking for some extra cash for day trips/etc. It feels really good to say ok we have a budget for Fourth of July weekend - what shall we do? Instead of I just paid all the bills - we don't have any extra right now to do anything this weekend. Then in July that savings account withdrawal switches over to a Christmas account - see how easy that makes it?

#2 - Use living social/ groupon/ daily deal sites like this! We have been on boat cruises, to water parks, to kids shows, to dinner, away for weekends all at VERY VERY discounted prices using these sites. Up to 60% off sometimes. I figure if you plan to do something anyway why not do it discounted and often you find places to go you would have never heard about without these deals. Its a win win

#3 - Take advantage of Library Passes to museums - our Library has passes to so many different museums in Boston, Aquarium, play places. It makes a big difference when you're talking HALF off admission. We went to the Science Museum on Memorial day and instead of $19 per person X 5 - we paid $7 per person with library passes - THAT'S almost a $50 saving, just for reserving, planning, and picking up a pass!

#4 - PACK LUNCHES - wherever you go! Not only is most food out complete and pure junk but it is incredibly expensive junk!! This saves you so much over the course of the summer.

#5 - Find free places to go - Boston has a Free Friday events program all summer - with free events throughout the city - zoos, museums, etc TAKE advantage of that. Chunky's does a little movie lunch date - its an older movie but the movie is free as long as you buy snacks. There is a kids bowl for free coupon online you enter your info and the kids get FREE bowling tickets 2 games a day all summer! LOOK for these deals!! There's a lot out there and they save!! 

#6- Find free water play - There are so many little lakes/parks/water sprinkler areas that are free and so much fun for kids! And others that are not priced badly for a full day of activities! Some of my favs! Well my favorite water places that are safe, not to packed and offer like playgrounds/picnic areas as well not in any order 1. Patuckaway - up in NH its a lake and playground area super cute. 2. Veteran's Memorial Park - in Dracut - its not for swimming actually its a water sprinkler/spray park the kids love - good for all ages with a walking path/baseball fields/park and then the spray area. (FREE) 3. The American Legion in Georgetown. There's a small lake/beachy area + a nice playground area with tire swings/zip lines/swings and baseball fields and everything. There's shady areas too which is nice (FREE). 4. Spring Brook Park in Bedford is really cool too and is great with kids of all ages because its man made so it doesn't drop off at all but there's a big slide for older kids and shade, basketball hoops, a huge water sprayer area/swings they even have grills there etc. 

#7 - Get season passes - they may seem like more of a chunk of change at first but they really do make sense and save $$. Prior to moving to out new house we live in now with a pool we had season passes to Water Country. We made our $$ back in two visits and it was nce to be able to go anytime we wanted pack a lunch and never have to reach into our wallet once all summer for this fun treat once the passes were purchased.  

#8 - Keep it Simple, but fun. The best gift we can give our children is enthusiasm and that doesn't cost a penny! Keep it simple, but creative and fun. Family movie night with snacks and snuggled up on the couch are one of their favs. Playing restaurant complete with menus and accents is better than any restaurant I could ever bring them too. Family camp out night (when we all have a pj "party" and sleepover in the same room). Family fires and s'more nights ROCK. Family art nights/game nights all free free free. And we really realized this year with our summer vacation, we were taught a valuable lesson. Usually we rent a house in a popular more touristy part of New England, not for any reason other than we think that's the best places to go and we're close to things - what "things" I'm not really sure because we go to relax and enjoy summer and family time. Being in those locations makes it more expensive. THIS summer my older brother who lives down south was in charge of renting our lake house and he found this tucked away gem by Mount Monadnock in New Hampshire. It ended up being less expensive than we usually have because it was in the woods and not close to a city, but it was just what we wanted. It had all the amenities. On a beautiful lake, fire pit, its own golf cart, huge rolling hill yard, game room, air hockey table, horeshoes, a boat house with kayaks, canoes, a sail boat, floats, a dock, fishing poles, hammock, everything we wanted and more. It was HANDS down one of the best vacations we have EVER been on and one of the least expensive! Really made me appreciate my older brother for not thinking of "the hot spots" but more of what we all wanted and what the kids and everyone would like. It was perfect.

#9 - Find workshops that are free and or inexpensive. There is a new store in our area called Noggin Works http://www.facebook.com/thenogginworks it is awesome!! We signed up for 8 workshops over the course of the summer and they're all fun educational workshops for the kids. The first one we did was a Science Lab. They learned all about polymers and acidity and they actually had so much fun doing it! The workshops are only $5 per child and they got take home goodies as well. Our next one is FOSSIL DIG! Can't wait. The library has workshops/storytimes/and craft times all free as well. 

#10 - Cut coupons/ find kids eat free nights! I am always on the hunt for buy one go kart get one free or Spend $25 at Friendly's get $10 off. These little amounts help if you're out and about a lot. Michael's has Kids night, The Ninety Nine kids eat free after the Red Sox Win, And Friendly's kids meal are only $1.99 all day on Wednesdays, I believe IHOP has a kids night as well. With three kids this SAVES!

#11 - Offer to babysit for working Moms. If you like children and their children get along with your children this can be a great thing!! We have just taken on a friends kids one day a week, my children look forward to it SO much and so do I. I LOVE having a house yard full of kids so this is a FUN day for us and the little extra $$ pays for another fun activity for the week. Its a win win!

#12 - Use group rates. If you have a group of friends and want to go somewhere you can often get a group rated discount, its worth asking! 

#13 - Ball games are great summer fun!! Spinners games are a fun inexpensive little day trip. My KIDS LOVE THEM!! Way cheaper than going into Boston for a Red Sox game, and more interactive and fun with the kids. I guess if you have kids who are really into sports and have good attention spans (I'm jealous if you do BTW) maybe they'll appreciate the Red Sox and it'll be worth the trip for you. But our kids have gone to Red Sox games and asked to leave less than halfway through. WHAT A WASTE!!! The Spinners games are geared to kids. The food is not expensive and on Holiday weekends they have great fireworks after the SHOWS!  http://www.milb.com/index.jsp?sid=t558

#14 - PICK YOUR OWNS - taking the kids to local farm to pick the fruits of the season is a great summer activity! They have fun, you pay by pound for fresh fruit that you're going to eat anyway, and its free child labor! ;) We LOVE doing this!!

Hope this was helpful... I budget and plan just like everyone else and love when people share tips/ideas/places and ways to save!