Things to do During Summer When You’re Poor

We all go through that cyclical stage, preparing for the best summer ever, hoping to make all these amazing memories, but nowadays memories are made using the materialistic ideology of money. However, we don’t all shit out cash, and for those that don’t, here’s your cheap and easy guide to a (kind of) decent summer.

– Go skydiving. Yes skydiving. Although this may seem like an activity on the expensive end of the spectrum, you can make it a cheap and charitable deed. Some charities have a set up in which, if you raise a certain amount of money, rather than your generic sponsored run, you jump out of a plane. Cheap, easy and fun, just like you.

– Take up a hobby and become perfect at it. Whether that’s learning a new language, baking and becoming the next Marry Berry, knitting or even writing for us. It can be anything you have the slightest interest in, but expand the depth of this said interest, and create a passion for it. Write a novel and get rich then tell us how it feels on the other side.

– Camping featuring cheap alcohol. Not really much more to say on that one.

– The cliché of spending time with your friends. I’m at a point in my life in which the actual working life hasn’t hit me, I’m in the safe zone, and the 6 weeks summer holidays has value. As I’ve been told on multiple occasions, in no time I’ll be working away most likely thinking “fuck the system”, but for now my friends are pretty much there for me whichever mood or state I’m in, including bored and poor, which I am a lot of, during this extended period of high expectations and sleeping in.

– Binge watch. If you have a “Bae”, seduce your way into their Netflixs account. Two, to five days can be used binge watching some of the best TV shows, such as:

Orange is the New Black
Californication
Gossip Girl
Pretty Little Liars
Skins
Misfits
Peaky Blinders
Marco Polo
Sense8
Life Unexpected
90210
Bates Motel
American Horror Story

Basically, the list goes on and all these are available on Netflix, so let’s just hope you have a “Bae” or a very kind family member.

– Concerts. There’s always some sort of cheap concert lurking around, especially in the bigger cities, nothing better than small crowded areas and anonymous groping. You could always give it a review after and let us know what you thought!

– Shopping. Although shopping can be an expensive ordeal, especially as a female, as you can never have too many pretty bras, there’s a loop hole. Go with a parent/carer/lover and “forget” your purse and “pay them back” when you get home. Thank me later.

– Play the penny game. All meet up at a destination, leave your phones behind and take a penny. Heads left, tails right. See where you end up. Pretty simple until you’re lost.

– Read. Go for the classics like “Catcher in the Rye” or “The Help”, which are found at a small price and found in most charity shops along with the nostalgic yet ambiguous smell of your grandparents. If you’re still feeling cheap, you could go for the independent online novels on apps/websites such as Wattpad.

– Water Fights. Nothing beats the cool tingling sensations when drenched with cold water, leaving your skin looking like there’s thousands of tiny diamonds embedded onto your skin. Prefect.

– Make a treehouse. Like on Bridge to Terbithia, minus the death.

– Photography. If you haven’t been greeted by the “storage almost full” message, take advantage of the camera on your phone and photograph those moments and at the end of your summer venture create a scrapbook of all your wonderful money saving memories.

– Do some DIY. Use apps like Pinterest, and look up ways to add an authenticated personal mark into your home.

– YouTube. You don’t need an older sister to teach you how to do eyeliner, you can just use YouTube. You can make your own make-up/music/games vlogs and share your knowledge and interests, and can even get paid for it!

– Play Monopoly. It’ll take the whole day.

– Do the 20 minute challenge. Filled with spontaneity and anticipation, have a selected candidate, who sends out a text within a group of friends at any given moment or time asking to meet somewhere, in a 20 minute time frame. Whoever gets there last has to pay for the activity, activities such as bowling, crazy golf, even rounds at the pub.

Although this isn’t the largest list, use it as a mind map, branch off and create your own versions or ideas of things to do over summer, especially if you’re not going on holiday. Summer is a time of enjoyment where the temperamental sun rays penetrate deep down and almost forces us out of boredom and acts as a motivator to not waste the glorious days.

Hopefully with your stingy and partially scheming money saving ways, you’ll be able to save up towards the end to one big final summer send off. Like a road trip, a fancy ass meal, or saving to treat yourself. Whatever it is, along the way you had a good time (hopefully), excluding the possible groping, getting lost etc.

If you’ve got any other summer saving ideas, or if you’ve tried one of these suggestions, comment below and let us know how it went!