Those Lazy, Hazy, Super-Expensive Days of Summer

As the weather across the nation begins to thaw, the awareness that we are now careening towards summer is inescapable. While the romantic notion of hot summer days, relaxing at the beach or jetting off to an exotic location is appealing, for many people summer means kids out of school, and that means the panic and expense of summer activities and childcare are now coming into full swing. To add to the drama, summer is also vacation season which layers in a whole other set of potential costs if getting away is a priority for you. How is it possible to face the summer without breaking the bank?

This wasn’t really an issue for my parents- and most of our parents or grandparents never thought about spending thousands of dollars to deal with kids being out of school. We went outside and played with friends- we drank from the hose and came in when the street lights came on. Occasionally there was some craft opportunities in the school grounds or some other event, but our parent’s did not put us in camp, and they still went to work and their lives weren’t interrupted. Usually there was an aunt or grandmother who helped out if there was a really small child, but otherwise the summer was for being feral. My parents worked — all the time- so we didn’t go on summer vacations. When we were old enough (like 12) we worked too. It seemed like a good system.

Today, families with school age children are the ones who are generally most vulnerable — struggling to afford day care or camp in the “off season” when school is out. Average day camp cost is over $300/week and most kids are out for 11 weeks — so with one child that is a whopping $3300- multiplied by how ever many kids you have. If the kids are too young to be left alone (check your state- it is all over the map with Maryland requiring that a child be at least 14 to be home alone and Oregon being 8) you need to find childcare. Obviously you know your child so despite the state age, if you know they need supervision that is what should rule. Although it may take some looking, there are some options that won’t break the bank and can leave your child with happy summertime memories:

· Camp — Girl scouts, boy scouts, YMCA, Church and religious institution camps, can all be really reasonable and provide a great summer experience. Many camps provide scholarships- even really expensive ones- so doing some homework and getting those scholarship applications in could result in an exceptional experience for your child.

· Do you have an extra room? Getting a college student to live in -giving them room and board and a small stipend, in exchange for them watching your kids, can solve your problem and theirs.

· The sharing economy exists in childcare too! Childcare co-ops where you and other parents switch off caring for a group of kids (so each of you take one day off per week from work) can be incredibly affordable but requires coordination, and a work situation that is particularly accommodating. There are also nanny shares, where you pool your financial resources and have one nanny care for a group, which can definitely be more fun for the kids — with lots of friends every day- but takes a special nanny to deal with the chaos.

· Although child labor may not be your first thought for a vacation experience, your son or daughter could be a “mother’s helper”- helping a family with a small child. Typically this is for children ages 9–13 and it is a swap- your kid helps the mother/father with the toddler or baby, and in exchange your child is supervised by the parent. It can be a win/win but requires a lot of due diligence to make sure there is trust all around.

· Other free activities can be found online -and check your local libraries and schools for other ideas!

You may be thinking “what about me??” — a vacation would sure be nice!! If you don’t have kids, the choices are much, much broader for what you can do for a cheap (or nearly free) vacation. Couch surfing, working on cruise ships and farms, staying in hostels, driving someone’s car where they need to get it can all be viable options depending on how much time you have. Regardless if you are single, coupled, or with children there are things you can do to vacation on a shoestring. Here are some ideas:

· Housesit- while that other family jets off to Europe or whatever they are doing, you and your family can stay in their luxe digs — and enjoy while you take care of things. How to make that happen? Check out resources like this.

· There are a lot of resources on how to travel on a budget. Go to the library and get books like this one to start your planning.

· Drive to where you are going rather than fly — and stop along the way to see off-the-beaten-path sites.

· Airbnb your current apartment or house to make some cash while you are gone

· Camp in national parks, at the beach of in your backyard — borrow camping gear from friends and cook out over the campfire.

· Plan a Staycation — there is so much to see on day trips, almost no matter where you live, and plan activities like hiking and cycling which can be fun for the whole family and really cheap. Home art projects are also a fun way to bring the family together.

· Visit family or friends who don’t live nearby and stay a few days. Even if they don’t live in an exotic location there will always be interesting sites to see that aren’t part of your day to day

Remember that kids are really resilient and although you may feel guilty that you can’t afford the trip to Disney World this summer, remember that most kids have a lot of fun with a sprinkler in the backyard, sidewalk chalk and eating a hot dog and lemonade outside for dinner. Making memories without money may require a little more creativity and imagination, but the payoff is well worth it. Wishing you and yours a very happy summer!!