5 Ways to Spend Less and Still Have a Fun Summer

If you’re like me you’re pretty excited to see that summer’s coming. International travel is still a bit limited so it might make sense to stay closer to home. I’ve made a list of my top 5 favourite ways to save money and still have a fun summer.

1. Groupon

   Outings with friends are getting more common because restaurants are open again. A great way to save money on restaurants is with Groupon. Groupon is a website and app that has coupons for anything from casual to fine dining restaurants so you don’t have to pay full price. They also offer everything from golf to rock climbing and yoga discounts. All you have to do is sign up. From the Groupon website, you can see that typical reward deals fall between 15% to 30%. Some deals you can save even more! Fun fact, Groupon is traded on the Nasdaq stock exchange under GRPN.

   How Groupon Works

   The way Groupon earns money is through earning a commission on every coupon it sells. The Retailers and businesses offer their goods and services and are promised a minimum number to sell a minimum number of coupons. When that threshold is reached, each deal coupon that is sold earns Groupon a 50% commission.

2. Buy Used Sporting Equipment

   There’s a lot of people who paid too much when they bought things brand new. Anything such as golf clubs, kayaks, rock climbing gear, skateboards, and badminton nets can be found in locally used marketplaces. I’d had a lot of success finding what I’m looking for at good prices. My 3 favourite marketplaces are:

   1. Facebook Market Place

   2. Kijiji

   3. Used.ca

      They are all free to browse but require an account to contact the seller.

   When shopping at local market places here are some things to keep in mind.

   • Most people are willing to negotiate.

   • If it’s too good to be true it’s probably stolen.

   • Make your sales transaction during the day in a lit public place.

3. Road Trips

   Just because you can’t leave the country doesn’t mean you have to say home. One of the best ways to travel is bringing your trusty old tent and camping. Camping sites can fill up early so it’s better to book them sooner rather than later. You will save a significant amount of money compared to hotels and be closer to nature. From your campsite, you can usually find day hikes of various lengths.

   If tenting isn’t your thing other less expensive than hotel options are hostels and Couchsurfing. Both of these will have less privacy than a hotel. Some have shared bathrooms and kitchens.

   Check out 13 Canada Road Trips That Will Blow Your Mind for some road trip ideas.

   To save money on gas and find out how much it will cost for the trip, you can use Gas Buddy. Another advantage is you can figure out where to fill up to make sure you don’t run out of gas.

   Always keep safety in mind. Here are some tips:

   • Bring toons everyone in the car can stand

   • Bring extra water

   • Bring a candle

   • Bring a blanket

   • Don’t forget your cell phone charger

   • Have your insurance and registration up to date. (That one bit me in the bottom before)

Check out the link below for excellent insurance rates!

4. Frisbee Golf

If golf is out of your price range (sometimes costs $140 or more for 18 holes with a cart) why not try frisbee golf. It’s like golf with the simple goal of getting the frisbee in the net using as few throws as possible. See the full rules here.

You want to have 3 discs to start:

1. Driver - long range

2. Mid-range - middle of field distances

3. Putter - short-range, rolls less

   You can pick up a starter set (paid link) off amazon for under $40. Or if you’re really lucky find one used.

5. Go Biking

Biking is a classic summer sport that almost everyone can enjoy. Bikes can be pretty expensive so I recommend buying them used from the marketplaces I mentioned before. Determine the type of biking you want to do. Common types are:

• Mountain biking

  • Heavier

  • More expensive

  • Softer ride with suspension

  • More grip

• Road biking

  • Lighter

  • Cheaper (for beginners)

  • Harder ride

  • Less grip but also less drag because the wheels are thin

• Hybrid (some mountain and some road)

  • In-between for all characteristics

It’s important to find the correct size bike. The wrong size bike can lead to joint pain and an uncomfortable ride. See a quick sizing guide here. Before you buy a used bike lookup value of it now online here. Or a rough calculation is the value of the bike new divided by 10 then subtract that number for each year the bike was used.

Ex: A 3-year-old bike bought new for $1000

$1000/10 = $100

$100 X 3 = $300

$1000 - $300 = $700

Make sure the bike is in good condition by going for a test ride. Never buy a bike if the seller won’t let you try it.

Summary

Top 5 Ways to Spend Less and Still Have a Fun Summer:

1. Groupon

2. Buy Used Sporting Equipment

3. Road Trips

4. Frisbee Golf

5. Go Biking

What are you doing still sitting inside? Go out there and have some fun!