20 Inexpensive Ways to Have Fun This Summer
We’re thrilled that warm weather is upon us. However, there’s no denying that the costs of taking advantage of your summer can add up quickly if you’re not careful.
We wanted to offer a few ideas for you that’ll help you and your friends have a blast this summer without breaking the bank. Some may not work easily for you depending on where you live, but we hope these inspire you to come up with your own ways to have fun on a budget. If you’ve got new points you’d love to see added, let us know in the comments!
1. Go for a hike
Nothing like getting out in nature! Check out a local trail around your place, or better yet, visit a national park if there’s one close to you. Depending on how much you’re willing to spend on gas, you can even look at trails within a 2-3 hour drive of where you live and make a day trip out of it.
2. Beach day
What summer is complete without a beach day? Pack up your towels, sunscreen and beach activities and get out there! If you don’t happen to live around a beach, consider investing in a kiddie pool and gathering your friends around it. It might not be the exact same, but you could still make a very fun day of it!
3. Summer events
One of the best things about summer are the special events put on throughout our communities. Whether it be a farmer’s market, a food truck festival, a neighbourhood small business event or otherwise, there’s often an endless list of fun events with little to no entry fees to check out if you look for them. Check out your city’s official website or do a quick online search to see what’s coming up in your area.
4. Board games
This is a great one, particularly for a rainy day. Start a tournament with friends and play a familiar favourite (like Monopoly) or expand beyond what you know and look to try something new.
5. Learn a new skill
Summer is the perfect time to learn to do something you’ve been thinking about for a while. The possibilities are endless here: you could learn to make a specific dish for your family, perfect a dance routine or try a new summer activity like paddleboarding. Push yourself and don’t be nervous to be a beginner!
6. Furniture crafts
D-I-Y with furniture is not only a fun way to pass the time but is a great way to decorate your home for cheap. This isn’t to say you need to create a piece of furniture on your own if your skill level isn’t there. Plenty of people sell older furniture for extremely cheap (or even offer it for free) on Facebook Marketplace and Kijiji. Think about something you need for your place and keep your eyes peeled online – you may end up finding something that can be given a new life with a fresh coat of paint.
7. TV show bracket
Is there a show you and your friends love to watch and talk about? Here’s an idea for you: at the start of a new season, create a bracket and select how you think it’s going to end. Take down everyone’s answers and make a point to either watch it all together or stay up-to-date individually and keep track of how things are going. This is a super fun way you can spend a chill Friday night and keep things interesting! This works particularly well with competition reality TV shows of all kinds (ex. who will be the top 4?), but you can get creative and make it work for just about anything.
8. Huge bubbles
This is a fun one for all – kids not required! By following a recipe for large bubbles, you can create gigantic bubbles that’ll float far and wide. This is a great activity for a casual afternoon at home.
9. Sidewalk chalk
Purchasing a box of sidewalk chalk at your local dollar store can keep you entertained for hours. Work on creating a fun drawing outside your home, play hopscotch or come up with your own game. You can also leave a few pieces by your sidewalk and see if anyone in the neighbourhood leaves you messages.
10. Library visit
People with children are likely doing this already, but even if that doesn’t apply to you, don’t forget about your library as a source of entertainment. Not only can you take out a bunch of amazing books for free, but they often offer events, movies and other resources that’ll allow you to expand your mind for free this summer.
11. Zoo/museum cheap days
If you live in a city, read through your local museum and zoo’s website calendars to see what they’re offering this summer. Chances are, there may be a special event or a cheap ticket day you can take advantage of if you plan ahead. This is a great way to spend a day like an excited tourist in your own home.
12. Volunteer
Volunteering is an excellent way to get out there during the summer. Whatever it is you’re passionate about, there’s likely an organization looking for volunteers to help them get their message out. There are so many benefits here: you’ll not only get to meet new people and participate in an event in your community, but you’ll be offering your time for the benefit of helping a cause you support. You can even volunteer at larger events like music festivals and get a free ticket for working a few shifts through the event.
13. Park picnic
A day out in the park with friends is hard to beat. Pack up your favourite lunches (or work on bringing components of a shareable meal for everyone) and a few blankets and you’ll be set. If you’ve got kids, this is a great way to get out of the house and keep them occupied and outdoors for the day.
14. People watching
This is one you can do anywhere, but don’t underestimate how fun it can be! If you live in a bigger city, there are tons of places (like during a park day or from a restaurant on a busy street) where you can let your imagination run wild. If you’re watching with friends, be sure to keep a respectful distance from those you’re watching so your musings can’t be heard beyond your group.
15. Gardening
If you’ve never gotten into gardening, you might be surprised to learn how fun and rewarding it can be. Whether it be flowers, herbs, fruits, vegetables or otherwise, the process of tending to plants (and enjoying their spoils) is an excellent way to take advantage of the summer.
16. Scavenger hunt
This is a great idea that can be customized to fit any age range. If you’ve got kids, you can do a scavenger hunt around your home or neighbourhood with a group and offer some small prizes for the winners. If you’re planning for a group of adults, you can do the same around a larger area, like a neighbourhood or the core of a city, and have the loser (or the winner!) buy drinks for the group.
17. Get creative
Time to flex your creative muscles! Whether it be drawing, painting, molding things out of clay or otherwise, summer is a great time to take up an artistic pursuit as a hobby. Even if you’ve never considered yourself to be a gifted visual artist, creating things can be super fun (and you may find you’re more talented than you thought!). Paper, paint and other art supplies can be purchased for cheap at your local dollar store or art supply store like Michael’s. There are also tons of guides online that’ll help teach you about how to draw specific items or people and break down different painting techniques. You can also try the grid method of drawing to take on a more challenging project. If you’d rather not do all the design work yourself, you can invest in a colouring book and some pencils and still make it your own.
18. Water gun/balloon fight
A summer classic, and another that’s great for all ages. Water guns and balloons can be purchased for very little from dollar stores and superstores like Walmart. Next time there’s a hot day, organize a group and battle!
19. Smores and campfire
Even if you don’t get out for a camping trip this summer, you can still enjoy making smores! You can buy kits that allow you to roast marshmallows over a set of “hot coals” that burn enough to work without creating a real fire.
20. Fitness
Finally, consider getting fit as a summer activity. There are so many ways to get active when the weather is good. Biking, running and more are all cheap activities that can have a major pay-off with both your physical and mental health.