“What did you do this summer?”
It’s hard to not look at that like a loaded question. And I’m not talking about all the people who seem to want me to prove that I wasn’t just lounging around eating bonbons with my fellow teachers.
The truth is that I’ve always struggled with answering this question.
It always feels like no matter what I say, I can never actually capture just how wonderful summers are.
We’ve traveled the Midwest. We’ve road tripped the Southwest. We celebrated anniversaries in Punta Cana, Akumal, and Guanacaste.
Still, those simple sentences never seemed to capture those experiences.
This summer, when the experiences have been noticeably slower, simpler, and on a much smaller scale, it’s been even harder to do summer justice when answering that question. The thing is that I actually think this was my favorite summer. So for everyone who is looking for free or frugal summer activities ways to round out the last few weeks, here’s what we’ve loved the most.
Gardening
We’ve only spent a few dollars on a garden this year. Normally, we grow everything from seed. But having an infant wasn’t totally conducive to getting everything up and running like we normally do in the springtime. While gardening was a very frugal hobby for us this summer (we haven’t had to water once thanks to fairly regular rain and our rain barrel), but the setup cost was high. I figure I either have to garden until I’m 90 or earn a farming credit on my taxes to really officially feel frugal here.
RELATED POST: Money Lessons from My Garden
Exploring Our Neighborhood
Most of my steps this summer came from walking a few miles around our neighborhood each day. We’re lucky because we have a lake right across the road that we can also walk. But we mostly just tour the neighborhood. We found a couple freebies on the curb, and I even resold a garbage find. But the best part of our walks is really just watching how exciting everything is when you’re 1.
RELATED POST: 10,000 Steps: Why I’m Spending on Fitness
Visiting Nature Centers
These are generally free. The ones by us are anyways. When we see donation boxes, we always toss in a few dollars. We love them because they usually have interactive exhibits or displays perfect for little fingers and faces. Plus, they have some really good parks.
Hiking Forest Preserves
We are surrounded by forest preserves but you’d never know it the way people talk about suburbia. The truth is that we have so many miles and miles of bike trails, I could travel almost to central Illinois. If I knew how to ride a bike.
We used to hike a lot. Now, I would say we move at more of a stroll. When we have the actual stroller with us, we tend to stay on the paved paths as well. But that doesn’t make it any less fun. We might not make it as far, but there’s something really exciting about seeing all of the flora and fauna, hearing the sounds, and smelling the scents with a toddler who is trying to take it all in for the first time.
Playing at the Library
The library is definitely the best kept secret in terms of free activities for young kids. We visited eight different libraries this summer. Why? Because it’s the only place designed for little nuggets like mine. Ok, ok. Not every part of the library is toddler-friendly, but they all have kids’ corners. Bead tables. Puzzles. Play kitchen. Puppet shows. We even discovered some that have little play areas with different toddler mats to climb and scoot around.
Final Thoughts on Free & Frugal Summer Activities
I don’t know that I will make headlines with any of these frugal and free summer activities. But they were kind to my wallet. Even more importantly, they were fun for all of us. Summer doesn’t have to be about the biggest adventure. Not everything on your bucket list has to cost big bucks. Instead, slowing down and savoring how you’re spending your time can make most things feel extraordinary. To me, that’s what summer is all about. Now, go get your frugal on.
So Tell Me…What’s been your favorite part of summer? Do you have any frugal or free activities you love?
There’s something great about experiencing summer through the eyes of a little one! Your summer sounds delightful.
I’ve enjoyed free/cheap activities this summer as well – hikes, trips to the library, free concerts in the park, exploring my town like a tourist. I wrote a post about it over on my blog. If you visit, just search for ‘summer vacation’ to find it!
Free concerts is a great one! I will pop by your blog!
There’s literally a popular saying that “the best things in life are free” so it amazes me that people don’t seek out all of the amazing free goodness around them!
Fingers crossed for that Agricultural Exemption ?
YES! I need that exemption.
Everything on this list sounds like an amazing way to spend a summer! We’ve spent our summer exploring local walking and hiking trails which has been close to free and good exercise.
We also really like going for drives to nearby small towns. That obviously costs us gas money but it’s free otherwise and it gives us see quality talking time when we’re in transit.
My favourite part of summer is just hanging out and not doing anything. Now that we have our own backyard, it’s just nice to sit outside and enjoy the weather while listening to the birds sing.
The birds will never get old, will they? I agree with this so much!
Other than the usual free activities that I won’t mention because its a family blog (hey, I’m an Oldster, not a Deadster 🙂 ), our property backs up to a river and a fairly extensive rail to trail system. We are 5 minutes by bike from a very large park and pool complex that has an amphitheater that does concerts on a regular basis. There is always something going on that costs little or nothing.
BAHAHAHA! You win. Right here. Of all your comments, Oldster. You never have to leave another one (but I’ll be sad if you don’t!).
I’m a vampire and burn in the sun, so it’s frugal indoor activities for me. 😉 I love renting free DVDs from the library and hosting at-home movie nights, complete with popcorn made on the stove.
If we get the itch to travel during the summer, we’ll go visit family. We get to see a different place for free while hanging out with the people we love. 🙂
That’s such a great point about visiting family and friends. Day trips or weekend trips are so refreshing!
Sounds like some great free summer fun to me. One of my favorites is free outdoor concerts in the park, but I just realized I haven’t been to any yet this year! Guess I’d better get the schedule out and plan for some.
Totally! We haven’t been to any either. I’m not sure–actually, I know!–that HP would last, but it’s definitely something to remember.
The summer is such a great time to get out and do so many things that have little to no cost! Nature and the library is the biggest my family takes part in.
Yes to both of those, Cooper!
I love all the free little festivals that happen in DC. Walking around and people watching in them is definitely a blast.
I’ve not used it yet, but a friend gifted me her basketball when she moved away. I live very close to a park with basketball courts and shooting some hoops is a good way to work on that upper body strength. I also discovered through my friends that there is a splashpark connected; I sometimes join them when they are taking their kid. It’s so much fun, but an adult without kids there would be strange.
Ha. That would be strange! HP was still a bit too wobbly to truly enjoy splash parks (we went to a few!). I am so excited for next summer!