Summer is here and the kids are out of school. You work so hard, and deserve a vacation yourself! We want to use our money for fun…not just bills! There are some easy tips that you can use this summer to save money this summer and keep that hard-earned cash in your pocket. You won’t have to stay home all summer or stress about the electric bill…The Decent Mom is here to help you!

 Cancel your cable television.

I know…starting off on a sacrifice isn’t a great start. If you cancel for just the summer it probably won’t be missed much. The average cable bill is about $100 a month. Cut the cord and you’ll save a lot of money. You can always reactivate it once football season starts again…if you really miss it.

Buy a programmable thermostat.

You don’t need a fancy Nest Learning Thermostat (even though they are seriously awesome…they are spendy). You can find much cheaper programmable thermostats that will save you a lot of money each month. Check out the Lux 7 Day Programmable Thermostat with a touch screen. It’s much cheaper and gets amazing reviews.

Plant a tree.

Your backyard could always use more shade, right? Imagine having a nice summer picnic in the shade of your own backyard. Once that tree grows, it’ll block some of the sun from streaming into your windows. Fully matured landscaping helps your home values too, making trees a solid investment!

Keep blinds and curtains closed.

Midday sun lets in a lot of heat. Even with mature landscaping giving you shade, there’s no reason to let your home heat up. You can easily block it by closing the drapes when it gets warm outside. Check out these Thermal Blackout Drapes, they are on sale for 80% off!  There’s a color to match the interior of every room. If you don’t have solar blocking curtains you can always add a Thermalogic Ultimate Window Liner to your existing curtains without redecorating.

Make home-made ice cream.

It’s fun to find recipes on pinterest and the kids will have a ton of fun knowing they made it themselves. As a bonus you’ll always know exactly what’s in  your ice cream instead of not being able to pronounce those random chemicals. Take it into the backyard and throw yourself a sprinkler party.

Turn off the dryer.

Hang your clothes outside for a nice airy scent while saving money! Using the dryer damages the fibers in your clothing. What did you think all that dryer lint was made of? If your home owners association doesn’t allow clothes lines, check out this retractable line– no one will ever know it’s there.

Water Mindfully.

Water your lawn during the morning or evening to ensure that most of it isn’t lost to evaporation. Be sure that you aren’t over watering; if  water is running down the road or driveway it’s too much. Your lawn only needs 3/4 of an inch every week to stay green. Use tuna cans in different areas of your lawn to measure how much the sprinklers put down, but on average it takes 20 minutes or less.

Turn down the Air Conditioning.

If your home doesn’t have air conditioning at all, there might be a program to help you. Don’t overheat, but during the hottest parts of the day turn on a fan or get out of the house for a bit. Libraries and shopping centers are always air-conditioned. You could also visit the lake or pool to cool off. Bring some drinks to a friends house who uses their air conditioner. Hang out at the coffee shop, and let someone else is pay the electric bill while you save money this summer!

Use your grill.

If your home oven uses electricity, you are paying for it twice! You pay to heat the oven, and then again when your air conditioner cools down the kitchen from ambient heat. There’s no reason to pay for that every day. Grill and have a picnic in the shaded backyard.

Check out free events.

Every community has free events in the summer…you might not know about it.  Get online or look at bulletin boards and newspapers where you live.  From concerts, parades and festivals you should have plenty to keep you busy. I’ve done the work for you, just click here.

What is your favorite way to save money this summer?

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