At the Money Mavens Network, we have decided to share our summer vacation projects. It is always fun to see what others are up to during their vacations so we can get more ideas for our own.

On my side, summer vacations will be pretty quiet this year. I am still taking my 2 weeks of vacation but since I am broke, I’ll be looking for frugal-stay-at-home (most of the time) kinds of activities. We recently purchased a second car, we will move into a new house and I will reimburse the loan from my parents shortly. This is how we ended-up with no budget for summer vacation this year .

So how can we still have fun while staying home for our summer vacation?

When you think about it, there are several things you can do even if you don’t plan on going somewhere for your summer vacation. My wife and I sat down and started thinking about some cheap activities:

#1 Picnic by the lake

We are lucky enough to live in a city with a huge public lake. There are water games, playground for the kids and a nice place to have a picnic by the lake. While the kids will have fun in the park, we will be able to enjoy a nice sunny afternoon on a comfy blanket.

We will probably rent a kayak for an hour or two. This won’t cost too much and will be a great activity for the entire family.

#2 Invite people over

Since we are not going anywhere, why not invite people over for a BBQ? We will invite a bunch of our friends and everybody will bring something to eat. Hot dogs and hamburgers are quite cheap and when friends bring chips and refreshments, we’ll be all set to have a great time

#3 Museums and libraries

I like to learn new something new everyday and I like to share that with my children. On a rainy day, we will prepare to visit a museum or will borrow a few books from the library. Here again, these are cheap activities and we will have the opportunity to spend quality time together.

#4 Camping!

We are planning to go camping for 2-3 days on a trip. While this option is not completely free, camping is a good compromise between going away and staying home for the entire 2 weeks! It will be a lot of fun to chase bugs and tell my children scary tales .

#5 Building a cabin in the trees

Now that we have purchased a house with a lot of land with plenty of trees, my son asked me for a cabin in the woods. So we will gather building materials here and there (and maybe recycle old furniture at the same time ) and we try to build something. I am not a handyman but I am very excited about the fun we will have to hammer nails with my son

#6 Take some time off for me!

I have a few books that I got for Christmas and a few videogames that I have wanted to try. This will be the perfect occasion to just escape to my cave, turn on the TV and relax! There is nothing like reading a good book in the sun with a nice glass of wine I just can’t wait for that moment of peace!

So as you can see, my summer vacation will be pretty quiet and frugal this year. In the end, what is really important about vacation is to:

#1 Take some time to rest

#2 Have a good time with the ones you love

Once those 2 objectives have been met, I will consider that my summer vacation is a success.

Now let’s take a look at what other members of the Money Mavens Network have to say about their summer vacations:

Having Fun Yet? 8 Ways To Ensure Your Road Trip Sucks @ Len Penzo

Cheap Vacation @ Canadian Finance Blog

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