20 Budget Friendly Summer Staycation Ideas
The past two summers we’ve had quieter staycation summers. Once because of having fresh baby at the end of June and this summer we are staying closer to home so my husband can receive cancer treatments. Staycations are a great way to be both intentional and joyful with your time, finances, and family!
Be Intentional with your Staycation
The point of a staycation is to intentionally relax and enjoy your home and where you live now. But you want it to feel special and extra fun without breaking the bank! Take some time and talk about what you hope to get from your staycation. Do you want to explore your city more? Do you want to relax at home?
A great way to answer those questions is to grab my Stress Free Summer bundle which will help you completely plan out a summer of play, growth, and connection for your family!
Set a budget
While you’re probably looking for budget friendly staycation ideas because you want to save money, you still will probably have to spend a little to make this week truly feel special.
5 Day $200 Staycation Budget
This is a really simple, but doable staycation on a budget! To save the most money be sure to utilize free events and memberships you already have!
- Day 1: Splash pad and ice pops from home (bring in a stanley-like cup). Takeout pizza and family movie night. $30
- Day 2: Go berry picking in the morning and pack a picnic lunch $20
- Visit a new playground you’ve never been to before. Go to a bookstore (used or new!) and everyone picks a new book to read that afternoon. $40
- Day 3: Visit a state park to swim, hike, and/or bike around. $15-free
- Day 4: Tournament of games. ($20 for miscellaneous supplies like water balloons, new game, etc.) Dinner at a patio with live music (regular budget)
- Day 5: Go to a zoo $75
- Every evening incorporate the themed movie night with popcorn and toppings from the regular grocery budget.
Plan your joy during your staycation
Don’t just leave it to chance! Plan out your days like you would a vacation. Plan for small surprise and delight moments for yourself and your kids! Maybe purchase them new swim floats or water balloons for a water balloon fight. Maybe swap afternoons where each spouse can go out and enjoy some rest and relaxation on their own.
You could also plan your staycation not in one whole week, but maybe every Friday for 5 weeks you have a special “staycation day” where you create the vacay vibes at home or in your hometown!
Plan some easy meals for dinners.
As the person in charge of meals in our household, this is key to making a staycation actually feel relaxing as a mom.
- Get some paper plates, cups, and utensils.
- Meal prep some simple dinners and lunches. This could be as simple as slicing vegetables and fruit for lunches or throwing some chicken breasts in the crockpot to shred and use for bowls and wraps.
- Get a couple pre-packaged dinners like chicken nuggets (Costco has our fav!) or take and bake pizzas. Kevin’s brand also has some delicious, easy, and practically made ahead meals.
- Plan to eat out strategically. Eating out is a big expense for us as a family of 6. Even when we eat fast food or quick service spots, it’s hard to eat for less than $10 a person.
RELATED: EMBRACING AN IMPERFECT SUMMER
20 Budget Friendly Summer Staycation Ideas
- Zoos — The best value for us as a large (4 kids, 2 adults) family is to purchase a membership. Some memberships even have reciprocal options that can save you even more money! (Our city has a SWEET option for this called the cultural exchange that runs in June!)
- Museums — Similarly our best value is to get a year-long membership to a museum so we can use it for multiple trips. Our city also has a free museum that our kids love to visit! If you are a WIC or EBT participant you can visit many museums for free through this program. Also many museums have discounted days for military personnel, teachers, and students.
- Berry Picking — Pay for the berries, enjoy the experience! You can even freeze the blueberries afterward or use them to make a delicious berry treat! The blueberry farm we like to visit even has a cool playground and treats available.
- Local beach or pool. — Passes or punch cards are a great way to make this even more economical if you come back often. Grab some new floats for extra fun!
- Going to a local, but not your usual library. — Play games, build with magna-tiles, read a couple books together.
- Go to the farmer’s market and give each family member $5-10 to spend on their own. I’m always interested to see which kids want snacks only and which are looking for a treasure over a treat.
- Free live music at patios or parks. — Almost every city I’ve lived in has had free options for this! Fun bands and cover bands are such a cool treat. Check out your local parks department or a restaurant with patio seating if you don’t know where to start.
- Explore a new to you trail walking or on bikes. — We tend to visit the same walking trail over and over but going someplace new or bringing our bikes along would make this experience seem fresh again.
- Visit a splash pad. — Splash pads are a great way to keep cool and engage in lots of play. We love to add bubbles and buckets for more splash pad enjoyment.
- Go to a bookstore (used or new!) and everyone picks a new book to read that afternoon.
- Tournament of games – Plan a day of games rotate between a board game, a card game, and an outdoor game (preferably with water). See this list for our families favorites!
- Craft station — Have your kids make friendship bracelets or paint rocks for friends and then go drop them off at their house.
- Great Kid bake-off — Have each child go to the store and pick out one box mix to make in a kid bake-off. Taste test each dessert and judge a winner.
- Have a backyard camp out — Complete with s’mores and roasted hot dogs for dinner! Check out this Would You Rather Campfire edition for a fun way to laugh and connect together.
- Go to a local coffee shop and get a summer themed drink. — Take along these conversation starters to discuss. This is a great option for teens or one-on-one dates with your kids.
- Go to a trivia night or host one with friends!
- At home spa — Take turns giving manicures, massages, and taking baths with lots of bubbles or using shower steamers.
- Themed movie marathon — Pick a theme, maybe all classic 90s kid movies (Sandlot, Hook, Angels in the Outfield), or superhero flicks, or even musicals. Don’t forget the popcorn! Make it special with some theater style candy or fun mix-ins and toppings for the popcorn.
- Backyard Water Park Day — Haul out all your water toys: the sprinkler, kiddie pool, water guns, slip ‘n slide – whatever you’ve got. If you’re feeling ambitious, you can even grab a few new inexpensive water balloons or a new squirt gun to add to the fun. Set up different “zones” like a splashing station, a racing lane for the slip ‘n slide, or even a relaxation zone with towels and a pitcher of lemonade. Add some simple games like sponge races to fill up a water cup on mom’s head or a water balloon toss or an egg toss with water balloons.
- Go to the place you’ve always talked about going. — Do you always pass an ice cream parlor on the way to Grandma’s house that looks delicious? Always wondered what that bargain store was like inside? Been meaning to visit a used bookstore a town over? Now’s the time! Go explore “that thing” you’ve always wondered about!
There you have it, mama! A whole bunch of creative summer staycation ideas to fill your summer with laughter, connection, and those precious “vacation-y” feelings, all without breaking the bank. I hope this list helps you create some unforgettable memories with your kiddos this season. Happy adventuring!
