Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Save Money On Summer Fun

As I wrote in yesterday's post, summer is all about having fun. But having your fun in the sun doesn't have to cost loads of your hard earned cash. Summer can be all about FREEdom.

For instance, many cities offer its citizens a wealth of free events like concerts, movies and street fairs to enjoy outside. New York City has a bevy of free events like top-notch theatrical performances during Shakespeare in the Park and New York Philharmonic in the Park as well as movies in Bryant Park and museums/galleries that attracts thousands of people.

Summer is also the time when many of us think about taking a vacation. But I can also tell you than you can have fun by staying at home on your fabulous staycation. With many people still out of work or having their incomes diminish, more and more people are reconsidering their vacation plans and are looking in their own backyards again.

I love playing a tourist in New York City. There are so many things I haven't done in New York City like going to Ellis Island or go kayaking along the Hudson River. Even going to a restaurant I've been really wanting to try is exciting. Just taking the time to explore this great city is truly a great day.

I also love to have a picnic in the park. It so old-fashioned and simple, but gathering a few of my favorite people and enjoying our favorite food and wine and evening a game or five of Rummy Q is a whole day of fun!


A rare warm March afternoon in Central Park with some friends, wine and Rummy Q. Photo credit: Tina of The Occasion Cook.

If you want to travel, you can always scale back your plans. Online travel sites like Expedia.com, Orbitz.com, Webtourist.com, Lastminutetravel.com, Cheaptickets.com and Cheapcaribbean.com offer amazing last minute deals to pretty amazing places.

Of course, we all dream about staying at a fabulous hotel along the Champs Elysees or taking that once-in-a-lifetime trip to Fiji. But summer is also the perfect time for camping on a lake. Unplugging from the world and taking the time to reconnect with family and friends to enjoy the beautiful outdoors (and even each other) is a perfect holiday.

Michael and I spent a week living in this van...


One week in New Zealand was spent living in this van.

...so we could climb this very mountain in New Zealand's breathtaking Tongariro Crossing.


Me at one of the many peaks along 18.5 kilometer journey.

What are your plans this summer? Are you planning a fabulous trip or doing something closer to home? Let me know in the comments.

9 comments:

  1. I am planning on more games of RummyQ accompanied by a few screw top bottles of wine AND going to Italy!

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  2. Game on Tina!!! Rummy Q Rocks as does twist off bottles of wine and silo Yankee cups!

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  3. It will be a cold day in hell before anyone convinces me to go kayaking on the Hudson River. Maybe if the city was entirely flooded and that was the only way to escape....can I fit Henry and Gigi in my kayak?

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  4. Nothing better than Rummy Q, Central Park, friends, screw cap wine and snacks!

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  5. wendyb - is "it will be a cold day in hell" the same as "never"? =)

    jennifer - nothing better than a picnic in a park...such a fun way of spending time with friends...or that special someone...

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  6. Ohhh. Henry and Gigi would love it. The air, the views. Maybe not the kayaks but maybe they could take a dip at boat race pond in Central Park.

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  7. Awesome post. Love the freebie events. And the van trip looked awesome! I'm hoping to head out to the Hamptons for a weekend this summer -- no big vacations for me this year.

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