Five financial tips for moms to save money during the summer vacations this year

Summers are almost here and people love to be out and enjoy the season with ice cream or a nice dinner with the family. However, going out also means spending money. So, a money mentor Elyse—who goes by @thesavvysagittarius on TikTok—is sharing some amazing tips to save money this season. She starts by saying, “If you're a mom, and you are already dreading summer because you know that you're just going to like, spend money over and over and over again, and it's going to be so expensive, I got you because we're not blowing the budget this summer. We're hitting our big financial goal still.”

Elyse then goes on to list the five things that she is going to do to save money this summer. She begins by sharing that they are going to pack a lunch, snacks and drinks wherever they go. “Get a cooler, find one at a thrift store, get that cooler and pack it every single day. We are taking the, ‘We have food at home’ to ‘We have food in the car.’ The major exception, of course, is that I will always have money in the budget for ice cream. We can get ice cream on the way home.”

Next, the money mentor talks about how in Nebraska they can get a $34 state park sticker for the whole year and use it to spend time in parks. “It gives you access to so many other resources and so many places to go, but also just regular parks in general. We're going to the park. It's 8 a.m. Parks are always open, at least most of them,” she said. After which, Elyse says that instead of eating out they are going to invite friends home. “We are inviting friends over for meals. We're not going out for dinner. It is expensive. We don't need it. We are exercising our hospitality muscle this summer. Invite them over for coffee or tea or a meal or snack.”

The next thing that the mom suggested could be useful for anyone. She says that they are not buying new clothes anymore. The woman said, “We are wearing last summer's clothes, or we're finding secondhand. We are done consuming just to consume. Maybe this means I'm getting old but I am not following the summer's trend just because last summer's trend was slightly different. I'm not spending money on new clothes if the ones from last year already fit.”

Finally, she shares a tip that could come in handy for any mom. Elyse talks about how a hose and a sprinkler or splash pads are the best ideas when it comes to kids. “I see so much pressure on social media, especially for moms to buy the big bounce house or the big pool or all the things. My kid's three and he played in a puddle for 45 minutes yesterday. Some of my best memories are with a hose and a sprinkler,” the woman explains.

The video garnered 6960 views and is captioned, “It doesn’t have to cost $100 every time you leave the house, you just have to plan ahead.” Many in the comments shared their own ideas too. @michelleeexxee commented, “Here in California you can also get a state park pass at the library to use for free!” @lmal031 wrote, “Our go-to is uncrustables, take it out of the freezer and good by lunchtime. The library is also a great place to go! Rain or shine. Ours has events, play areas, and storytime.” @heathers.books said, “Here I got a zoo pass for my family (it’s a year and equal to 2 visits) and a beach badge. I will be doing that and sprinkler parks all summer.” @waveyroot shared, “Some libraries have passes for state parks + people on disability can sometimes get in for free!! also, EBT has programs for museums and such in certain areas to be free or very cheap!!"

You can follow Elyse (@thesavvysagittarius) for more lifestyle-based content.