With Summer finally here, it brings sunshine and that joyful “school’s out!” feeling to everybody – even the grownups. What if this was a summer when you could have plenty of fun in the sun while saving money?

Discover “summer vacation on a budget” strategies, designed to boost your enjoyment during the sunny season without breaking the bank. If taking a summer trip isn’t doable this year, but you hope to enjoy the upcoming months to the fullest, these concepts are for you.

Three Ideas for Vacationing on a Budget

Find Out What’s Free. Take an hour to do some online research to find all the free outdoor concerts, festivals and community events happening this summer – not just in your immediate community, but anywhere within driving distance of your home. Then make a list of anything that looks appealing. 

If you know what’s coming up and where it’s happening, you can spend plenty of summer Saturdays doing things like enjoying a budget-friendly picnic at a park and then watching a free nighttime movie screening under the stars with a big bag of homemade popcorn. 

For free events happening just a bit further away, see if friends or relatives want to carpool with you. And if you find a two-day festival or weekend-long celebration that you don’t want to miss, see if you can use travel points to lower the cost of an overnight hotel room or look for nearby campgrounds. 

Refresh Your Personal Space. Summer is the perfect time for creative projects at home – especially if they cost little or nothing. Put some music on and spend a weeknight rearranging furniture to freshen up the look of a room. Maybe even invite a few friends over to help out and share their suggestions.

Are there framed photos or pieces of art you’ve stopped noticing? Move them to a different wall or even a different room for a fresh perspective. If you’re feeling ambitious, consider painting one wall or a whole room. A gallon of paint is an inexpensive purchase that creates a major design upgrade. 

While you’re having fun reorganizing a favorite room and clearing out clutter, weed out some things you don’t want any longer. Then earn a few dollars selling stuff on Facebook Marketplace or eBay. Or swap items with friends who are also ready for a bit of cost-free redecorating. 

Fall in Love with Fiction. Gather a few friends and choose a great book you’ll all read. Then plan a few “summer book club” gatherings where everyone brings some snacks or part of a meal and you enjoy good food and conversation. 

With a bit of advance planning this month, there are so many ways to plan your vacation on a budget and make this a special summer without spending a lot. If travel tops your list of summer goals but you don’t have money saved for a trip, one possibility is taking out a small personal loan at a fixed rate. The “Friendly Franklin Folks” at one of our neighborhood branches are always there to sit down with you and find the right choice to fit your budget. 

You can even begin your application online, and then come in for a face-to-face conversation with your 1^st Franklin Financial team member to go over the rates and terms that fit your budget.

And if this is a summer when you’ll be saving a few dollars, stop by and talk with us about our savings and investing options. To find a 1^st Franklin Financial location near you, click here. You could start preparing today for a great vacation on a budget to come!