Budgeting Tips For Families This Summer

Trying to keep up with the costs of every activity and need of your family can be tough. Without a real game plan, you can find yourself in a financial spiral that's not going to end up anywhere good. To help avoid the spiral, you should take some time to plan out your family's budgeting for this upcoming summer. This way you're prepared for the expenses that are to come and can better manage to optimize the money you do have to spend on extras. 

Reducing Cooling Costs
Summertime means running the air conditioner. On many of those hot summer days, it may seem like there's no way to go on without using an air conditioner and you shouldn't have to. There are many ways to help reduce cooling costs in your home that won't make you sacrifice comfort. Start by ensuring your air conditioning system is in good shape. If you need air conditioner repairs right away and payday is a week or more away, consider using a consumer installment loan to get the A/C fixed. When your air conditioning system is running at its optimal, then it's time to assess other areas to lower costs. Consider installing ceiling fans that can disperse the cool air. Consider a programmable thermostat that allows the set temperature to increase while you're not home. And, always remember to close blinds and shades on the sunniest side of your home.

Inexpensive Activities for Your Children
Summertime doesn't mean that you must invest tons of money in keeping your children entertained. In fact, there are many inexpensive activities that will keep your children active and entertained all summer long. Use the outdoors as your friend. Consider planning a hiking trip, stargazing at night, and do some kayaking on a local lake. See if there is a cheap membership to the local pool where you can visit as many times as your family would like. You can also take your family into your nearest major city for a day of fun and interesting activities. Cut going out costs by hosting movie nights at your home or barbeque get-togethers. 

Vacation Saving
When it comes to saving for your family vacation, it should be a group effort. Get a clear jar and label it 'vacation'. Sit down with your entire family and explain the jar. Let them know the more money they can put in the jar, the more opportunities they can take advantage of when on vacation. You may just be surprised at how many odd jobs your child will find to do in order to add money to the jar. Consider some family activities, like having a yard sale to make some extra vacation money. Your kids shouldn't be the only ones with odd jobs. Consider driving for Lyft or Uber for a few hours a week to pull in some extra cash.

Go with Secondhand
We all know the urge to want to have something brand new to ourselves. However, we're sure you've got something secondhand before. After a couple of days, you don't even remember that it was secondhand as you've claimed it as your own. Your kids will be the same way. Consider looking at yard sales and thrift stores to find secondhand items for your children. These items could be clothes, games, furniture, shoes, books, and pretty much anything else you can think of. Buying second-hand can save you a bundle. 

Consider Hosting Foreign Students
When you host a foreign student, you cannot only bring another culture into your family, but you can get some extra cash during their stay. There are many exchange programs across the nation that you can take advantage of. Each time you host a foreign exchange student, which could be a month or months, you will receive a stipend. This will help to support the student's housing costs and allow you to receive compensation for your hosting efforts.

Summertime can be an enjoyable time for parents who get to spend some more time with their children. Instead of stressing out about the extra hit to your budget, why not be proactive and work on ways to improve your budget over the summer months? The above are five great ways to help limit costs this summer while still having fun.

*Collaborative post