Cheap Summer Water Fun

When summer rolls around the temperature goes up and most kids want fun that is wet and wild. If you don't have access to a swimming pool but want to enjoy a little wet fun as a way to cool off, there are ways to have cheap fun in the water during the summer. As a budget-minded mom, here are my best tips that don't cost an arm and a leg but still give the kids the cool off that they need.

Plastic Food Bottles
Save those plastic squeeze bottles that ketchup, mustard, syrup and the like come in. Use only food bottles (not shampoo or soap bottles) as you want to make sure that nothing that was in them could irritate eyes or skin.

I save mine, rinse them out and when the kids want some easy water fun, I send them outside with these squeeze bottles. They hold more than water guns, are less expensive and they are a great way to recycle those bottles that would otherwise end up in the trash.

Squirt Bottles
Local stores have large spray or squirt bottles available in the gardening and cleaning departments. At my local dollar store they are one dollar each. They are great for a variety of uses around the house but they are perfect for water fights. They usually hold about two quarts of water and can spray long distances so they are a favorite with my kids.

Water Balloons
Who doesn't love water balloons? They are always a big hit around my house and they are cheap. My kids love to fill up water balloons, tie them up and put them all into buckets then chase each other around the yard with them. We have a tree house and the kid who manages to get to the top of the tree house first has the best opportunity to dowse their siblings.

Sprinkler
This option isn't the cheapest because it does use water from the outdoor spigot and therefore increases the water bill, but if you make it an occasional treat for the kids and time it properly it doesn't have to cost much. I have a flat oscillating sprinkler that I hook to the garden hose for watering my garden. On special occasions, I will let the kids set it up in the yard and turn it on to play in. I only allow them to do this for a short time to keep the water bill down but on a really hot day it's a better - and wetter - option than the water balloons and squirt bottles.