Free Fun!

It’s summer, a season for lots of things: sweating, swimming, shopping, eating ice cream. A lot of our favorite summer activities cost a lot of money. We love to go to the beach for vacation, go camping, etc. And those things are great! But summer can really kill your wallet. It’s all right to spend money sometimes, but if you want to save it, there are still loads of great things to do for free. Read on for a list of ideas on how to have fun in the summer for no money at all.

1.       Book clubs – Yes, you can have book clubs all the time, but it’s a lot easier in the summer when students are out of school and don’t have to worry about classes. You can advertise meetings and book selections on Facebook, Craigslist, and by word of mouth. Call up your buddies, choose the book you want to talk about first, and start reading! For a list of books that work great in book clubs, check out SQ’s article, “Best Book Club Books.”

2.       Going to park – That sounded really vague and boring, I’m sure. But going to the park can be loads of fun! You can go fishing, jogging, camping, younger children can play on the playground – it all depends on what your local park has to offer. For example, the park in my area has tennis courts. I’m not very good at tennis, granted, but it’s still fun to play. If you’re unsure of what to do at your park, give the office a call and ask for recommendations.

3.       Go swimming – I don’t mean “go to the pool and pay for admission and snacks.” I mean, head out to the closest river, creek, or pond you know of. I have way more fun swimming in the creek than I do at a pool. There’s so much to see! There’s fish, animals, and a current that doesn’t exist at a pool, so you can float downstream as long as you like. Be sure to tell someone where you’re going, and when you’ll be back, just in case.

4.       Host a clothes-swap – These are always a lot of fun. It’s like consignment, except free! Call up your girlfriends and gather up all of the clothes you can’t wear anymore. Grab your shoes and bags, too! Have them over and tell them to bring the same things. Then you all swap clothes! If your girlfriend has a pair of jeans you can’t live without, ask her what she’ll trade for it. She may like something of yours just as well. Be willing to compromise, though.

5.       Create a blog – If you don’t already have a blog, head over to http://blogger.com to get one. Writing about your summer can be lots of fun, too! It’s nice to have somewhere to post your thoughts and to see if others feel the same way. You can promote your blog to your heart’s desire and work on building an audience, or use it for personal reasons alone.

There are loads of fun things to do in the summer, and this list only scratches the surface. I sincerely hope you have a great time all season; just remember, you don’t have to spend money to do it!