Summer fun is full of festivals and events. The problem is that most can break the budget if you fully indulge. There are some pretty good ways to still thoroughly enjoy summer festivals and events while still staying on budget. I love going to summer festivals. There is just something different about sitting outside listening to good music and enjoying yourself on those great summer days. It sounds ridiculous, but I think the music even sounds better.
When I was in strict budget mode trying to pay off some debt, I still wanted to be in that fun summer festival mode. How did I manage? My girlfriend at the time, now my wife, and I came up with some pretty good hacks to keep glued to a budget. It was so much fun thinking of ways to save money; we still do quite a few of it now even when we aren’t on quite the tightest of budgets.
Budgeting tips for summer #1; Explore discount entry options for events
I live in Milwaukee Wisconsin, and every year we have a massive music event called Summerfest. It runs for about two weeks. To get into it for each day is around $20 and to park within walking distance will be at least another $15. I love going. But, to spend that much to go for one day can break the bank and kill a budget. Every day they offer discounted admission if you go before 4 o’clock and several days they offer even deeper discounts on entry if you do certain things. For example, one of the days is a food drive.
You get free admission if you bring food for the food drive before 4 o’clock on that day. Some simple cans of soup from the grocery store can save you big on admission that day. Sometimes you can buy advance tickets off-site for an even more significant discount. Many times, we go to local grocery stores that are selling tickets to an event at their service counter. We can usually save between $5 and $10 on admission by purchasing there instead of at the event.
As I am writing this, my wife is buying a package deal to save us $40 on admission to a bunch of the festivals we go to every year. I’ve heard of promos like this happening at all sorts of cool events; you just need to plan your attendance around these promotions.
Budgeting tips for summer #2; Plan a picnic at events instead of eating at the event
We used to use this one every year when we got a group of people together to go to a theme park. My wife would organize an event at our house with all the wives and girlfriends the night before we went. They would put together a complete picnic of premade sandwiches and other things to take to the event. We would all park together, and at noon we’d all meet at the parking lot for a picnic.
Food at theme parks is way overpriced and usually not that good anyway. We’d save a bunch of money and have a ton of fun just sitting in the parking lot eating lunch and enjoying everyone’s company. This is big here in Wisconsin for sporting events.
‘Tailgating’ as we call it is almost as popular as the actual sporting events. People often gather for hours in the parking lot before games to eat and drink before going into the event. It’s way cheaper to buy hot dogs at the grocery store rather than pay the high prices for food at the events. So, hit the grocery store and pack up the coolers to save yourself a bunch of money.
Budgeting tips for summer #3; Planning potluck get-togethers instead of going to expensive events
Instead of going to events why not just stay at home and have a party? Having each guest bring a different dish is another great way to help spread the cost of the party instead of having the host cover all the cost. A good deal of the fun of going to events is just enjoying everyone’s company anyway. By just organizing a get-together at someone’s house, you get the same benefit of going to events with the blow to the budget.
You could even make it so the person hosting the event won’t have to spend any money; since the burden is on them to host the party, make it easy on their budget. At most events I go to I offer to bring something to ‘pass,’ even if it’s not organized like that. Sometimes the food at a back-yard BBQ is way better than any event, and you can get a bigger selection. I’m a foodie, so I love tasting a little bit of everyone else’s dish.
Budgeting tips for summer #4; Explore free or cheap events instead of the heavily advertised (and expensive) commercial events
Instead of going to some of those heavily advertised commercial events, seek out other entertainment options that can be free for admission or at least very cheap. We have events in some of our local parks in the summer with live music or other types of performances. We even have a traveling ‘movies in the park’ event at our local parks. It’s pretty cool. They bring in a big inflatable screen and show movies at our local park system after dark.
We picnic, watch a movie, and save a ton of money. Another good place to have some cheap fun is at church festivals. I know the idea of a church festival is to raise money for the church, but you can usually have a perfect time even if you plan to spend very little. Admission is usually free, and if you eat before going, you can have a great time while still being on a budget.
Use Google to search for stuff in your area. We have websites where we can find fun stuff to do in our area.
Budgeting tips for summer #5; Volunteer to work at events for free admission
I’ve never done this, but I know people who have. Certain events used to advertise free admission if you would come and work for a couple of hours. At that Summerfest I mentioned above, they would offer a program where if you walked around and sold these souvenir pins for a couple of hours, you’d have free admission for the rest of the day.
I had friends who did this every year, and they got into the event and listened to the music every day for pretty cheap. If you looked into this for some of the events you’d like to go to, you might be surprised what you could work out. Even if it isn’t advertised as such, call and ask. You might spark the idea and be the first one they might give free admission for providing a little time.
Don’t let being on a budget kill your summertime fun. There are a ton of things you can do on the cheap which will keep you right on a budget or still work on paying off your debt. This is all toward changing your lifestyle to suit your budget.
Summertime fun doesn’t always have to mean spending a ton of cash just to have a great time. You just need to search out events on the cheap and make them happen. The internet moves too fast for me to keep updating old posts with new information. So, the best way for me to do it is on my email list. If you’d like to sign up for my email list, I have several places on the site to make that happen.
Be safe,
Kevin