We all live life differently over the summer, whether plans include vacations and family reunions or camping trips and travel. Sometimes, those seasonal lifestyle changes can strain the family budget.
One way to reduce summer’s budgetary impact is to be aware that many of the season’s higher expenses are actually very predictable. Knowing this helps you plan ways to keep costs down, while still having a fun, memorable and stress-free season.
Here are some of the expenses to anticipate as the summer unfolds:
[See: 11 Expenses Destroying Your Budget.]
Additional Childcare Expenses
When school lets out, child care costs go up. For many families, the easiest solution is to send kids to day camps. Prepare in advance by including summer camp and day care expenses in your family budget at the start of the year. Ask for early bird or family discounts if you have multiple children; some programs even offer scholarships. And don’t forget that summer camps may be eligible for an IRS tax credit. Even if you don’t send your kids to summer camp, in the end, having planned for that possibility from the beginning can keep you out of financial trouble.
Higher Food Bills
With kids and other family members spending more time at home, higher food bills are inevitable. For some families, this is a serious problem. The federal government estimates that as many as 17 million children could be going hungry when school is out due to a lack of school-provided meals. To combat the problem, the U.S. Department of Agriculture offers summer nutrition programs at many public schools and other sites around the country. This program is offered to all students and children, not just those who qualify for free or reduced lunch.
Other ways to lower food costs include shopping for local, in-season fruits and vegetables. Buying kids’ snack items in bulk can also help keep costs down when kids are at home more. And remember that light meals (think soup or salad) may be all that’s necessary on the hottest days when dehydration is a bigger problem than hunger. People often mistake the sensations of hunger and thirst, so drink water first; eat only if you’re still hungry.
[See: 12 Ways to Save Money on Food.]
Higher Cooling Costs
To keep your cooling bills down this summer, it’s important to understand the internal and external sources of heat that could be impacting your home. Keep hot air out and cool air in by adding insulation to attic spaces and closing windows and curtains during the hottest parts of the day. At night and in the early morning hours when the weather is cooler, you can often cool your home naturally by opening windows on opposite sides of the house to create a cross breeze.
Try to minimize the use of utilities and appliances that heat up your home, such as ovens and clothes dryers. Clothes and towels can be dried outside in the sun, and there’s a good reason why outdoor grilling is a summer staple: It keeps your home much cooler at night.
If you have air conditioning, make sure your AC unit is running efficiently by having it cleaned and serviced before the hot weather arrives. To lower cooling costs even further, try only running your AC unit in the afternoon and evenings when your home heats up the most. Following these simple tips will allow you to reduce your air conditioning costs and still keep your home cool.
[See: 10 Summer Savings Tips.]
Higher Fuel Costs
It’s a simple matter of supply and demand: With more people traveling during the summer, fuel and related costs such as airfare and even groceries become more expensive. Summer is also when metropolitan areas switch to a more expensive “summer blend” to keep pollution down.
One fuel that is typically not more expensive in summer is propane. Propane’s primary use is as a heating fuel, so summer is often the cheapest time to buy it. That means you can fire up the propane grill and barbecue all summer long. However, if you want to keep costs down, what you grill matters: Beef and chicken both become more expensive in summer, as does wine (unfortunately).
Prepare a Summer Budget
If you budget now, you’ll be more financially stable when the kids go back to school. One easy way to get started is with an app on your smartphone or mobile device that automatically tracks your spending and assigns each expense to categories like transportation, travel, rent, entertainment and food. Some apps even send an alert when your spending exceeds your budget for any category. You’ll quickly be able to identify where your money is being spent and where you need to cut back.
Many people let their summer expenses get away from them, only to find themselves short on cash by the time fall rolls around. Don’t let this happen to you. Follow these five simple tips to prepare your family financially while still enjoying all that summer has to offer.
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How to Summer-Proof Your Family Finances originally appeared on usnews.com
