Inexpensive and Fun Summer Activities

Of late, I’ve been adjusting my life and lifestyle a lot. Mostly because once Baby J began crawling around, it became harder to stick to the routines I had for me and him. For a while, and even still, I was adrift, trying to figure out how to be me, a mom and do all the things that need doing. Like laundry. And my husband and I haven’t enjoyed a summer since Covid hit because…well, Covid. You know how it was, lockdowns lasting months. So we really want to enjoy this summer. But how that looks is going to be different than it would have before we became parents.

But, there were some summer activities I knew we could tackle with a baby, and I made plans for my little family. Plans that were close to home and inexpensive, like going to the beach and taking bike rides. And some of those have proved fun and challenging in ways I didn’t expect.

Bike Rides

Bike rides are not expensive at all! Once you have footed the cost of a bike, you can take lots of bike rides wherever you want to go! If you live in a city, you’ll likely be able to take bike rides like we did, on a trail or bike lanes and maybe hit some local shopping or coffee shops. And, if it’s your thing, you can do that every day. You can also take bike rides in green spaces, in your local neighbourhood, and you’d be surprised at what you’ll discover about the area where you live while you are biking through it.

My hubby and I went on a 5k recently, just around our own neighbourhood, and I felt like I did as a little kid on my bike again, free and happy. It was very interesting to take in the area at a slower pace than you do in a car, and we saw some pretty cool things as we rode through the streets, such as mid century (or older) homes. The trails and green spaces around us provide lots of greenery so you really feel like you’re on an adventure in the woods. We even saw a bunny in the middle of the day.

Beach Days

Beach days shouldn’t really cost you more than the price of gas for your car (which I know is hugely inflated right now) and your lunch, making the day fairly inexpensive. We packed up Baby J and ourselves and hit the beach last weekend, and while it wasn’t the beach trip we were used to (Baby J tired quickly) it was a lot of fun. Baby J enjoyed the water and liked playing with a truck in the sand, and we enjoyed the sunshine and fresh air. Then he fell asleep in my arms and we packed up and left the beach.

Now, beach days with a baby might be challenging–I packed four bags for Baby J–they can be fun and I know next time I will do things a bit differently.

Days at a beach without a baby are a lot easier to manage however, and if you go with a group, it can be a day of fun and relaxation as you toss around a ball or Frisbee and enjoy some watermelon to help you cool off under the sun. It’s a time to get in a swim and a walk, laugh and unwind.

Day Trips

My hubby and I had a successful day trip with Baby J early in the summer, and we are planning more day trips as well. Now, our day trip cost us the price of gas and lunch, and I splurged and bought myself some lovely hand dyed yarn because yarn and crochet are a huge part of my life. I mean, I have a second blog all about crochet–check out Pretty In Crochet if you’re into that. For Baby J, we packed some bottles and baby food and hit the roads and he did really well, napping in the car and being an angel as I shopped and even while we hit a local brewery we love and then had a late lunch. We walked around the downtown and had a day out without it costing much at all.

Of course, some day trips can be a lot more interesting than just walking a downtown strip. They could involve a trip to the zoo or amusement park and those are both relatively inexpensive. Some day trips could involve hikes and a day out in nature, which would also likely only cost the price of gas and your lunch, making them both inexpensive and fun.

Final Thoughts

I wanted to share what I have done this summer so far, and also highlight that we can have fun without spending a ton of money. Given the state of the economy, I think a lot of us wanted to save every penny we can, but still have fun. We deserve it after the pandemic and endless lockdowns, and getting out and being social is good for our mental health. Summer is only just beginning for me and we have more planned when my husband takes holiday later in July so I’ll be sharing more about my summer later.

What are you up to this summer? Let me know in the comments!