Wednesday, June 17, 2009

How Not To Let The Economy Crisis Spoil Your Summer Fun

By Alexandra Vrugt

Summer's coming...very quickly. Before parents know it, the kids will be out of school and ready to start exploring and getting their share of summer fun. During this economy crisis, many families will need to scale back or be a little more resourceful with how they spend their money to provide their children with a good summer and still make ends meet. For some, it may seem like an impossible task, but really it's not. Here are 3 tips for families to use to get out while not causing too much of a strain to the family budget:

Medium and large families should always buy a membership to local attractions and museums. If you have more than 3 children, chances are it is never feasible to purchase tickets for a single trip to your local kids museum or playland. Any frugal fashionista can see how their family will benefit from purchasing a membership, which is often offered, instead.

For starters, the memberships are usually unlimited, regardless of your family size, and are good for a whole year. So, when summer time comes, and the kids want something to do, you can always enjoy these fun spots without having to pay any additional money. The memberships almost always come with discount coupons for purchasing items from the museum store or possibly even for other attractions within their network. For example, if you buy the family membership for a zoo, you usually get free admission, free parking, free passes for friends, and discounts to other zoos around the country! While you may pay $50-150 upfront, your family will most likely get its money's worth after only 1 or 2 visits, but the best part is that you can go free, every day , all year if you would like! It's really like taking advantage of the ultimate opportunity to buy for cheap. During this economy crisis, many organizations have already started slashing their membership fees, so now is the time to act!

Make planning your summer a priority. Before you delve into this summer, looking for chances to buy for cheap tickets to events or opportunities to do free stuff, make an effort to plan it all out. Try not to plan just for one day or even one week. Plan out the entire summer which will make finding stuff to do simple and easy to coordinate. You will save money by not missing out on the free stuff that may otherwise have to pay for. Your family may not do everything, but knowing where the free or cheap fun is will make this economy crisis less of a personal burden or stressor on your family's budget.

Do something to help others! During this economy crisis, there are definitely plenty of organizations that need help because of dwindling resources. You and your family could make helping an adventure and it won't cost you any money. Instead of a donation, get your hands dirty and do something. Have the children decide which types of activities they would be interested in, such as visiting the elderly or working in the garden for a hospice. Then, plan your adventure accordingly.

When planning your summer volunteering adventure consider the distance of the facility from your home. It may be possible for your family to get a double dose of fun by including bike riding or using a scooter into your transportation plans for getting to the facility if it's not too far away. This will help to save on gas expenses. During this economy crisis, your family could be a great comfort to an organization and to your inner-selves. Knowing that you took the time to be a help and that you may have saved some money along the way will make it all worth it. It will be a summer adventure that your family may not soon forget! - 16887

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