Summer Day Activities on a Budget

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser, Walmart Family Mobile. All opinions are mine alone. #SummerIsForSavings #CollectiveBias #WFM1 

Summer days are here and if you're like us, you're itching to get out of the house and enjoy those long days outdoors.  But like most large families, we have to plan and budget so as to get the most enjoyment from summer. Each week we have something pretty big planned like a trip to one of SoCal's theme parks or maybe a staycation nearby, which can get expensive. That means that the rest of the week we have to plan activities that are more budget-friendly.

Planning carefully and being careful on where we spend money, allows us to have a better summer altogether. One of the things that really goes a long way to stretching out our summer money is my data plan and cell phone.  I still have Walmart Family Mobile but now I have the $49.88 PLUS plan which is perfect for my needs. With it's Unlimited Talk, Text, & Data, it really helps my family stay on budget every month (Includes up to 15GB of 4G LTE† data then 2G*).

Walmart Family Mobile features:

• No Contract
• Required: No Activation Fees
• No Late Fees
• Easy to start or switch
• Free VUDU movie rental credit valued at $7.00 each time they renew their service

Available for lines active with the PLUS $49.88 plan only. VUDU◊ enabled device and account required for digital viewing. Customers must be 18 years or older to open a VUDU◊ account. Movie rental only available in the USA. Free movie rental provided in the form of a movie rental code to the value of a $7.00 VUDU◊ credit. Movie rental code allows for selection from available movies for rent.  May not be readily redeemable on all new releases. Code will be delivered within up to 24 hours of the effective account renewal date. Must be used within 30 days of receiving code. Offer is non-transferable. Limit 1 per customer. Additional terms and conditions on VUDU's◊ website: http://www.vudu.com/termsofservice.html

With the low $49.88 PLUS plan I have the LG L59 - Grace (under $110) which is a cute & sleek phone that fits perfectly into my pocket and let's me stay in touch wherever we are.  

All prices for phones and plans included in this post are accurate as of the date of posting; however, these prices are subject to change. Please refer to this page or your local Walmart for current pricing.

1: Visit your local parks: Our town has a lot of parks available for the community, and not just for kids. There are a few parks where you can go for a run or hike, or to watch your kids doing sport and there are many play parks with playgrounds for the kiddos. 

What to bring to the park: blanket, water bottles, snacks, Wet Ones, a book and patience because you will be there a long time and there will be many tears. 

2: Day at the beach: if you are lucky enough to live within driving distance to a beach, this is one of the best summer activities for sure. We grew up in a coastal town and got to visit the beach all the time and now even though we live further away, we still take the kids to the beach all the time, 

Pool Day: Another summer favorite has to be the local pool. Our area has one community pool and we have a water park. Both have very low entry fees which make it easy to enjoy an entire day at the pool, or just a few hours, while spending very little. 

Happy Hour: One of the ways to save money especially if you have kids is to take advantage of Happy Hour promotions from local restaurants and fast food places. Our favorite drive-in restaurant has Happy Hour between 2-5 everyday and that means 1/2 off all drinks and slushies. 

Another one of our favorite places has discounted kids meals on certain nights of the weeks and a few places have Kids Eat Free nights too. I keep note of all these promos and try to plan my outings on those days to take advantage of as many deals as possible. 

Picnic at the park: Summer days here are pretty warm but once in a while you'll have a nice evening where you can have an impromptu picnic. Pick up food through the drive thru or bring something from home, sit on the grass and enjoy an evening outdoors.

Movie night at home: With your free VUDU◊ movie rental you can also enjoy a fun movie night at home with all the trimmings. We make popcorn, have drinks and candy and enjoy a family friendly movie together once a month with my freebie.

Summer can get long for the kids, but not if you have a good plan in the works. Bring out the calendar, mark down all the restaurant promotions and special events in your town and plan your days out ahead of time.  Don't forget to take your phone to all these outings so you can take photos of all the summer moments being had and take plenty of selfies!

*Please always refer to the latest terms and conditions at myfamilymobile.com.†To get 4G LTE speed, you must have a 4G LTE capable device and 4G LTE SIM Card. Actual availability, coverage, and speed may vary. LTE is a trademark of ETSI.