Summer Fun on a Budget

"Mom! I'm bored! There's nothing to dooooo!"

Sound familiar? Ah, yes, the not-so-sweet, whiny sounds of summer vacation.

As a single mom, summer vacations are painfully scary to me. I'm fortunate enough that my children are now teenagers, so I don't have to find reliable full-time sitters (though I still recall the checkbook shock from doing this a few years ago), but I still have to hear the "I'm bored" whines of children who wish they had a mom who didn't work. On my budget, the expensive trips away or long vacations aren't always feasible, but that doesn't mean we can't enjoy the summer and make precious memories.

One suggestion is to have a family meeting, where everyone brainstorms and lists suggestions of what they'd like to do this summer. You can give a few guidelines (such as keeping budgets in mind), but other than that, let the creativity flow and see what you come up with.

From there, divide the list into sections by costs and time (i.e. those that you can do in an afternoon, and then organize them by cost, and others you need more time and money to do). Realistically, you will need to eliminate those that you can't afford in either time or money, so as to not set false hopes. Perhaps these could go on a separate wish list for a future, long-term goal, or they may have to simply be eliminated after you explain that they're unaffordable right now. But try not to linger on this, and refocus on the list of things you can do. It is important that you can commit to carrying through on those items that remain on the list. Also, and make sure the list has an idea from each child. Keep things upbeat and positive. If the focus becomes negative, you may want to take a break from the activity and come back to it at another time.

Next, decide how to determine who gets to choose the activity, and how often you'll choose one. For example, set a goal (i.e. cleaning out the garage). Each person must complete his own list of tasks toward achieving that goal. The one who completes his list first gets to choose the next activity.

This method lets everyone contribute to ideas and maintain control over working toward the goal of being the selector. It is a good way to teach goal setting, responsibility, and keep the children occupied with the tasks they need to complete toward the goals. Although this idea can be applied all year to bigger family goals (i.e. a new television, a big trip, etc.), the idea here is to keep the goals small enough so each can be achieved in a week or less, and often enough to keep everyone motivated, not overwhelmed or discouraged.

Here's a list of ideas to get you started:

• Picnic in the park (with volleyball, baseball, etc.)
• Water gun fight at the park
• Afternoon at the swimming pool or lake
• Hike to a favorite spot
• Day at an amusement park or theme park
• Weekend camping trip
• Trip to the zoo
• Slumber party campout in the yard
• Backyard barbecue with all the kids' friends
• Frisbee at the park
• Ball game or other sports event
• Concert or play
• A festival
• Weekend trip to a city/park you've never been to (could even be within driving distance)
• Rollerblading
• Making a video
• Playing with sidewalk chalk

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