5 ways families can avoid overspending this summer — and beyond

If you've been feeling a financial strain these past few months, you're not alone. The summer can be a recipe for disaster when it comes to saving money. Between camp, vacations,

entrance fees for attractions and other pricey summer activities, sticking to any normal budget seems impossible. Many years ago before I had a family, I worked with a financial expert who

broke down my spending and gave me a budgeting plan in the form of an excel sheet. Each week, I would record finances going in and out, and it always worked out well. Of course, I’ve lost

her number, the excel sheet and have forgotten everything she taught me. Needless to say, it's time for a reboot! When it comes to summer spending, mother Jen Jones says she's been

spending way more. “Lunches on the go, working fewer hours, gas for road trips, plus camps and the nanny. Can school start soon, please?” she says. FIND OUT WHAT'S HAPPENING IN

TEWKSBURYFOR FREE WITH THE LATEST UPDATES FROM PATCH. Mom Angela Anagnost-Repke says, “We definitely spend more money during the summer and ironically, my husband is a financial expert!”

Ashley Feinstein Gerstley founder of The Fiscal Femme says there are a number of reasons why summer can become chaotic for our wallets. "First, there's no routine or change in

routine. School is out so we are filling our children's days with different things, she says. "We also tend to take time and vacation over the summer so we are adding these large

travel expenses to the mix. And we are paying for childcare regardless of if we are in town or not. Then when we are running around in the summer with the kids, convenience becomes important

so we will grab food and snacks on the go, hop in cabs and order take out on a busy day. Once that starts, it can snowball and the little things will add up!" FIND OUT WHAT'S

HAPPENING IN TEWKSBURYFOR FREE WITH THE LATEST UPDATES FROM PATCH. After checking in with some moms, experts and my own budgeting experience, here are five things we can do to slow the roll

on our spending this summer, and beyond: ------------------------- 1. PLAY THE MONEY GAME WITH YOUR FAMILY "Decide on an amount for variable spending for the week. That can include

activities, take out, Ubers, shopping, etc. Decide on a weekly number that works with your spending. The game is tracking your spending for the week with your family, if possible, so

it's a great lesson for them. If your number is $500 a week and you just spend $450 that week, you can put the $50 towards a fun goal like a vacation. Or maybe 50 percent goes to a

longer goal like a 529 plan and 50 percent goes towards a fun activity," advises Gerstley. ------------------------- 2. MAXIMIZE FRUGAL JOYS Gerstley also recommends maximizing frugal

joys — the inexpensive things that make us happy. Some examples include free movies in the park, concerts, picnics, going on walks or water parks when it's hot. "There are so many

more frugal joys in the summer! Even a Mr. Frosty truck can be a frugal joy so max out on these." ------------------------- 3. PLANNING IS EVERYTHING Carve out a few minutes at night to

plan for the following day. One thing we can plan is transportation. Sometimes when we are on the go, we just hop in a taxi but if we would have mapped our route out the night before, we

could have taken public transportation. Another thing you can plan is your snacks so you're not buying items on the go. Think through your day and find out if there are ways to make it

less expensive. ------------------------- 4. THINK LONGTERM, TOO Summer will end up being a more expensive season for the most of us. But we don't spend the same amount every month

throughout the year. How can you plan for more expensive months? Look at the next 12 months and make a "happiness allocation." Plan ahead for the bigger expenses like travel and

camp. Make a special travel account and every pay check, transfer money to that account so you're not getting hit with a big bill all at once. If $5,000 is your travel expense and you

have 26 paychecks, instead of paying $5,000 at one time, create an automatic transfer of $192 per paycheck to your travel fund. And you can do this with any big expense to make it easier on

yourself. ------------------------- 5. COMMUNICATE WITH YOUR SPOUSE OR FAMILY MEMBERS It's also super important to communicate with your spouse and/or family members when it comes to

the family's finances. I checked in with Angela’s, husband, Brad, and he actually had no idea his wife was struggling with their finances this summer! He assumed she was in control

because they implemented a plan five years ago. Angela adds, “When we first started our tight budget, we talked every single week about what we spent. We both went over our Excel

spreadsheet. Without doing that as religiously as we used to, I think the unknown adds stress to both of us. Talking about our monthly, even weekly, expenses have proven to be a must.”

------------------------- These are amazing tips and now I have some serious planning to do! It might take a little extra thought, sacrifice and communication, but it's time to make

these small adjustments so we can all enjoy our favorite activities, stress-free. ------------------------- OTHER PARENTING NEWS: Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign

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