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Believe it or not, I often get inquiries from my readers about all the activities the family and I are doing. Everything from how tired I must be to how do we afford all the fun? All legitimate questions. And yes, some days we're pretty tired 🙂
Its the affordability question that I've been thinking about before giving my answer. This is not because I don't want to tell you, it's because it's very important to realize that every family is different. Every family has its own road to financial independence.
The difference in income, where you live, how you live. What some families think is a necessity, others might feel is a luxury. You get the picture! Financial independence to me means having security and something to fall back on during hard times. This is only something you and your family can measure for yourself.
While thinking about how my family stays on track financially, I started to put together some tips and tricks we've learned in order to make it a Made with HAPPY Summer full of family fun adventures, while not breaking the bank (regardless of your state of affairs)
Plan Ahead
First and foremost, you have to plan a bit ahead. My sister is probably reading this right now and giggling to herself. She's always trying to get me to plan vacations and such way ahead and I'm just not always the best for that 🙂 In any case, in terms of summer fun, even a week ahead gives you some time to figure out what you'd like to do, how much it's going to cost, and whether it's going to fit into your budget. This takes us right into my next tip.
Set A Budget
Whether it's a weekly budget or monthly, set realistic expectations and stick to them. If you're setting aside $30 for the week of family fun, then you know if that's spent all on Monday, then you know for the rest of the week, the activities are going o have to be free.
Make A List
There are so many resources through your community and online activities ($$$ to Free) to do in your town. Make a list of all the things you and the kids would like to do for the summer. Once you have a list, start putting some costs around each one. If Disneyland is on your list, then make sure you put your ticket prices next to it, to make sure you have some point of reference. Don't forget the free activities including hikes, parks, bikes, beaches, lakes, picnics, and some splash parks.
Think Outside The Box
Do your research if there is a trampoline park that your family has been eyeing, make sure to keep an eye out for deals. Check the deal sites (Groupon, Living Social, Amazon Local, etc.) Check their website for deals, sometimes they're running certain specials that you may have never otherwise known about. Also, while on these deal sites, keep an eye out for other activities around town. We find things on there all the time that we may have not even known
about and are happy to see they are within our budget and are really fun.
Look at Each Activity Long Term
Financial independence means something different to everyone. Capital One 360, which offers a number of financial products and services to consumers, commercial and small businesses clients, wants to know what you're doing to get there. Like bringing your lunch or taking public transportation a few days a week. Capital One 360 wants to give you a high-5 for the everyday ways you save.
As we celebrate America's independence this weekend, Capital One 360 is inviting Americans to celebrate a different kind of independence: your financial independence. From now until July 14, by entering the #my360independence sweepstakes and sharing all the ways you are headed down the path to financial freedom, you'll be entered to win one of sixty-one $1,776 prizes. That's a lot of prizes!! To learn more, visit http://bank360.com/my360
This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Capital One 360.
