Get a Grip on Summer Spending

With the summer months often comes increased expenses, or at least increased spending. While the spending may or may not be due to expenses arising from the season, such as gasoline, utilities, lawn maintenance, or repair work, you may find that you are still spending more whether you expected to or not. With the possibility of increased travel, the opportunity to get out and do a few repairs around the home, and better weather offering the chance to enjoy summer perks such as baseball games, barbeques, and dining out, you could find that your wallet is gasping for a respite, not from the heat but from your strenuous spending.

Travel

Travel may be one of your costliest summer expenses. Whether you are traveling by way of car, train, plane or ship, you could find your expenses skyrocketing. Add to general travel arrangements, the additional hotel, food and beverage costs, and entertainment items, and you could see your costs rising even more. So how can you make use of the pleasant summer traveling months but still watch out for your expenditures?

If you have the opportunity or ability to skirt the times when school is out, you may be able to still enjoy the good weather but avoid some of the costlier travel times. By doing your research and planning ahead, you could find cheaper airfare, hotel accommodations, and similar related travel items. By comparing these costs and choosing the ones that work best for your budget and travel plans, you could save hundreds of dollars or more. Doing so may entail reviewing multiple travel websites, comparing air travel to car or train transportation, utilizing discounts, and maybe even booking your travel arrangements around staying with friends or family.

When you arrive to your destination, you might consider choosing activities that are less expensive and may revolve around outdoor activities on the beach, in the mountains or in a park. And when having to pay for your travel arrangements or activities, consider utilizing hotels, airlines, and credit cards that offer rewards that could help you save for future trips.

Yard Work

Ah yes, summer time is often the right time (possibly the only time depending on where you live) to deal with yard work and home maintenance. But that doesn't necessarily mean you have to throw a ton of money at the upkeep of your estate and its grounds. By reviewing several areas of lawn and home care, you may be able to significantly reduce the amount of money you spend upon these lines of your summer budget.

First off, you might want to review that lawn service you've chosen to employ in years past. Is it worth the cost? Could you perform the same services yourself? Is it time for a son or daughter to take over the care of the lawn during summer months? Considering the time versus cost element of this summer expense may help you make a decision. If a lawn service charges you $50 for what might take you or a family member an hour, it could be worth your time to do the job yourself.

This may also be the time to consider your summer planting regimen. Remember all those plants you tended to last summer? Were they worth the time and cost? Sure, they're pretty to look at, but it may be time to tally up exactly how much you spent on plants, plant food, fertilizer, water, potting soil, tools and equipment, and time lost to tending the little buggers.

Home Maintenance

While you're tallying up your expenses for lawn care, you might also want to make a list of summer maintenance supplies that you'll need to purchase and projects you may be able to take on yourself. Often, if you can hit the home supply store earlier or later in the season, you may be more likely to find deals on supplies and equipment before demand for such items increases or after it drops off. You might also want to scout out early season garage sales in search of tools and equipment that you might have spent a bundle on at the store. These cheap finds might allow you to tackle projects such as gutter cleaning, painting or paint touch-ups, fence or siding repairs, and other work that might be within your realm of expertise.

Also, don't forget to test your cooling system before it gets too hot out. It could end up saving you money early in the season and keep you from getting charged extra for a last minute maintenance call during a summer scorcher.

Longer Days and Better Weather

With those longer summer days may come more time to be outside doing things -- and doing things often equates with spending money. When you're out and about, enjoying those warm summer winds, you may find yourself buying more treats like ice cream and sodas, stopping by the local watering hole for a drink or bite to eat, heading out to a ballgame, doing a little shopping, and other activities that could cost money.

While you might not want to completely stunt your summer fun completely just to save money, there are a few things you can do that may enable you to make better use of your summer spending cash. As summer nears, consider creating a summer entertainment budget. By setting aside a bit of money each month and making a list of what activities you enjoy partaking in and how much they cost, you may get a better grasp on how much you spend over the course of the season. Then, by tracking and gauging these entertainment expenses to your budgeted amount, you can get a better feel for just how much you are spending, and whether you need to rein things in a bit, or have wiggle room for a little more splurging.

Disclaimer:

The author is not a licensed financial or maintenance professional. The information provided in this article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal or financial advice. For financial advice, readers should consult a licensed financial advisor. Any action taken by the reader due to the information provided in this article is solely at the reader's discretion.