In the summertime I love to be outdoors, especially at the pool! If you are lucky enough to belong to the pool or know someone that will take you along, here are some good ideas to keep the rest of your day low budget.
Sunscreen, Bathing Suit, Cover Up, and Towels
All are must haves at the pool! Use great coupons for sunscreen and lather it on thick. Buy bathing suits as close to pool time as you can, I find the later you wait, the better the buys. Cover ups are items we already own, nothing special. Summery dresses, lounge clothes, and work out clothes work best for us! As for towels, I usually buy new ones in the middle or end of the season when they are on super sale! There have to better ideas out there...please share what you do!
Snacks!
I think the pool turns us all into starving animals! The snack bar is a favorite of everyone at the pool! Keep the kids happy and still save money by bringing fun treats to the pool.
-Stop at Subway for a $5 foot long and split it b/w two people, add some chips (from a sale of course), and a couple drinks for a very cheap meal and it's more fun than plain sandwiches from home...seems to do the trick for me!
-Popsicles are a favorite at the pool, but are usually around $1. Pack the cooler full of ice and bring your own (find the icee push up ones at Walmart, something like 24 for under $3)
Games
The best way to keep them out of the snack bar is to keep them enertained! The pool offers up lots of space for fun games that involve no cost - Marco Polo, tag, Shark, etc. The best games are still ones you have the least amount of equipment for :)
-Just in case you don't remember...most of the best toys can be pool toys, no need to buy new ones, use what you have! Barbies, trucks, bath toys, small balls, cups, tupperware..all great to keep the little ones busy!
-Take a penny and throw it in the pool for your child to go find...hours of entertainment!
-Bring a playground ball to play four square when adult swim is called (a tennis ball also seems to keep them busy at the pool...seems they always find something to play)
-Set up next to the diving board and hold your own "Mini Olympic Diving" contest
-Download free books to listen to while you tan. I love going to the library, but get paranoid about bringing their books to the pool, so instead find their free downloads and take advantage of getting sun without the glasses tan line.
Going to the pool used to involve lots of bags of toys and making sure we had enough cash! Now it's smaller bags, a bigger cooler, and more fun! All for less money!
*Please share your ways to save! Everyone loves to hear a good tip!
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