Budget-Friendly Summer Activities

When the weather is nice, it’s sometimes hard to stick to your budget – there’s just so much to do!

Big family vacations can be memorable, but they can also cost a lot of money. Here are 51 budget-friendly summer activities for individuals and families that are big fun but cost little money:

Make some lemonade
Go to a Farmer’s Market
Go hiking
Run through a sprinkler or play water balloon baseball
Have a picnic in a park
Check out free festivals, such as an art festival or an amateur film festival
Go for a sunset walk or get up early to watch the sun rise
Play with sidewalk chalk
Go camping or fishing
Visit a local fruit or animal farm
Plant an herb garden and grow flowers from seeds
Head to the library
Go swimming
Play flashlight tag on a warm summer night
Declutter your home
Have a game night and invite friends over for a potluck
Set up an obstacle course in your yard
Go for a nature walk to identify plants and insects
Visit the fire station
Make s’mores over a campfire or even in your microwave
Make a giant race track on the floor using painters tape for easy removal
Create a scavenger hunt
Fly a kite
Watch some learn-to-draw videos and practice your drawing skills
Walk a neighbor’s dog or dogs at your local humane society
Make paper bag puppets or sock puppets and put on a show
Make a blanket fort
Take a bike ride in a new neighborhood
Build a cardboard box castle
Paint rocks and hide them for others to find
Try out geocaching
Visit your state our county fair
Volunteer in your community
Have a BBQ
Host a talent show for your neighbors and friends
Go stargazing and learn the constellations
Visit your mom or dad at work and learn more about their jobs
Host a car wash
Camp out in your own backyard
Make your own bubble solution and use found objects as wands
Have a garage sale and make a little extra cash selling your unused and unwanted items
Make your own popsicles
See how quickly you can finish a jigsaw puzzle
Pick up a new skill, like knitting or origami, by watching YouTube videos and practicing
Try a science experiment with common household items, like simulating a volcanic eruption using baking soda and vinegar
Give yourself a spa day by painting your nails, using a face mask, and soaking your feet in a bath
Research your family’s genealogy using the internet and interviewing family members to build your family tree
Read a book – or many books – from start to finish!
Learn to cook a new recipe and try it out on your friends and family
Look for faces and other recognizable shapes in the clouds
Go for a Sunday scenic drive to discover some local sights you may not have seen before

While cheap or free entertainment is great, Cutting Edge also offers loans for vacations or summertime home improvements, too! Contact any of our Member Advocate Specialists today to see how we might finance some of your summer fun, affordably.