Summer Activities for 2010

As many family’s begin to unwrap from the brutal winter months and begin planning for spring and summer activities, 2010 may bring some additional stress to the family budget.  The economy as a whole has been bumping along the bottom for at least 18 months and has brought uncertainty with our plans for retirement, the value of our homes and the plans we may have had for our jobs.

SmartyMarket.com has put a list of ideas together for activities to do with your family that will stretch the almighty dollar and we hope you will get great value from this!  This list has specific ideas for locations, and general ideas no matter where you live in the country.  There are common threads that will draw many of us back to the basics, and we hope this list gives you some fresh perspective and the feeling that things may not be as bleak as you thought.  Make no mistake, 2010 WILL BE a very challenging year.  Our economy has been punished and pushed like we have not seen in some 80 years. This activity list will fit any income level and bring families and friends closer.  Heck, our parents survived on MUCH less!  Be greatful for all that you have.

Cheap way to spend the summer!

1.  Pack a lunch and head to the countryside/beach/lake/park and just relax for the day! “Go Climb a Rock” as they say in Yosemite. Visit your local grocery store’s ads.  Make some sandwiches, pack some drinks , fruit/chips, and head for the hills. No computers, just lots of time to discover and talk.  This is a great way to let life happen with your kids.  They will appreciate the nature and conversations will begin that you never expected. But don’t make it out to be anything other than a great time!  Just enjoy your time as a family or with your friends!

2.  Summer Passes to your local amusement park.  These can be the most affordable way to visit your favorite amusement park many times over and will most likely pay for itself after the first trip or second!  You just can’t beat this! Theme Parks across that country have package deals that the locals just can’t beat. And for the out of towner’s, make sure you look for discounts through AAA or the hundreds of sites on the internet as you plan your trip! The season passes may seem like a lot at first, but breaking it down for unlimited visits and tiem out fo the house with the kids, it’s hard to beat and just makes economical sense.

3.  Good old fashioned BBQ in the backyard/your porch/patio or roof top! Seriously, even in your apartment complex!  Or yet again, that park down the street.  Get on the phone with some friends, and family members and everyone brings a dish.  Pack the radio, the football, Frisbee, bat and ball.  Some of  my best memories were last-minute trips to the local park and spending the entire afternoon playing softball in the warm sun with my family and friends.

4.  City dwellers have so many options.  Okay, we are biased coming from and living near one of the most spectacular city’s in the world(S.F., CA).  From walking across the Golden Gate Bridge, walking down The Embarcaderro to or from Fisherman’s Wharf, visiting AT&T Park for a few innings, China Town, North Beach, The Presidio, Lincoln Park or the S.F. Zoo down on the Great Highway just feet from the Pacific Ocean.  Every city across the country has a museum, or old historic house to visit.  Many of these sites are flat-out free, or give a huge discount after a certain time for the day. Get out a enjoy the weather and many free sights and sounds in your local city.  Look in the local section of the newspaper from local happenings a the library(another great place to just explore for FREE!).

Forget about keeping up with the Jones’.  They are busy trying to figure out their own hurdles.  Focus on family and close friends and not on being seen or the pressure to spend money where you really don’t have to.

Here are ome other quick ideas.

Music Festivals, matinees, library’s, hiking, REDBOX movie rentals, making homemade pizza’s on english muffins and a thousand more ideas to keep your Spring and Summer of 2010 the most affordable and most memorable in years!  Make it a great summer!  Oh yeah, set your clocks ahead one hour on  March 14

SmartyMarket.com is committed to providing consumers the best possible prices at their local grocery stores on the everyday items they buy.  Keep us on your radar as we release on the West Coast and move East.

SM

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