The Raptors won, school is out and summer is here! What a great time to be living in Oakville! This makes me think of sunscreen, BBQ’s and hanging out at the lake. So how can we create an epic summer to remember without breaking the bank? Consider the art of the staycation.
Have you heard of a staycation? They are where you stay home for your vacation but act like a tourist in your town. Sound boring to you? It shouldn’t because it’s a wonderful way to enjoy local attractions, sleep in your own bed (and who doesn’t love their own bed?), and save some money.
Three guidelines for the perfect staycation
- No chores!The only exceptions are the day-to-day chores like dishes, taking out the garbage and recycle, and doing laundry as needed. So this isn’t the time to break out the “honey-do” list and work on summer projects. This time off you have, assuming it’s for a staycation, is meant for you to relax, rest and enjoy;
- Consider eating two meals per day at home. If you have a big breakfast, you can head out for the day and only pay for lunch knowing that you’ll come home to eat dinner. To make life easier for you, consider doing some meal prep so that your dinners are easy to serve. Some examples could include burgers, hotdogs, chili, and/or barbequed meat and a salad; and
- Find ways to save on your activities by looking for free things to do, two-for-one activities with the kids, kids get in free activities, and consider using the coupon app Groupon to get even more discounts.
Also consider checking out your local parks and recreation department for free activities. And remember that nothing beats a hot day like a day at the beach, pool, or in the yard, under the sprinkler, most of which are free or low cost activities.
Summer vacations don’t need to break your budget and leave you feeling stressed financially in September. They can be fun, relaxing, and budget-friendly. And think about all of the new places you can see in your own town.
Until our next chat, what’s one positive thing you can do today to help your financial future?
OakvilleNews.org articles about Person Finance by Stacy Yanchuk Oleksy and you can follow Stacy on Twitter @StacyYO_CCS