Summer of Savings: How to Enjoy the Summer and Save Money

A quick look at our summer savings top picks

Save on food and drink

The cost of groceries is set to rise in 2025. Fresh veggies may increase by 2.9%, and certain meats, like beef and veal, are predicted to go up by 6.6%. Being smart about what you buy, ditching the DoorDash orders and making food at home, and swapping brand-name faves for homemade subs can go a long way in saving you money.

Healthline’s quick tips:

• Eat seasonally: This means prioritizing fruit and veg in their natural growing season. In summer, this includes corn, tomatoes, zucchini, eggplant, peppers, cucumbers, apples, peaches, and much more. To learn about what’s in season during summer, visit your local farmer’s market and get talking with the growers.
• Choose cheaper types of meat: Poultry prices are set to rise less than other types of meat, so try some new recipes or rework some home favorites to use cheaper protein options.
• Try sealing your food: Buying and prepping more expensive food when it’s on sale, like meat for your cookouts, and sealing it to freeze is a great way to make your groceries go further. Plenty of affordable vacuum food sealers are available, and you’ll always have ready-made grill ingredients for cookouts or to take to a potluck.
• Make your own iced coffees: Regularly grabbing an iced coffee from Starbucks can quickly add up, and making your own subs at home means you can enjoy your favorite brews more often for far less.

Save on experiences

Summer is the time to get outdoors and enjoy the heat and sun. But doing that doesn’t always come cheap, and if you’re a family with kids to entertain, summer can be a seriously expensive season.

Healthline’s quick tips:

• Going to the movies: Movie tickets cost around $16 on average, and that doesn’t include your snacks and drinks. For families, especially, a trip to the movie theatre adds up fast. But it’s easy to recreate movie nights at home. Make the most of the warmer weather, longer nights, and all those streaming subscriptions you pay for with an outdoor movie projector.
• Hitting the beach, pool, or lake: Stay safe in the sun and bulk buy your sunscreen instead of regularly topping up your supply with single bottles. As you’ll likely be showering more regularly in summer, you can also bulk buy shampoo and shower gels to reduce your long-term spend.
• Going for a picnic or cookout: Keep your homemade goodies cool with a reusable cooler bag, and see what ingredients you can use at home to make your dishes. Consider a Turkish towel over separate picnic blankets and beach towels. They’re inexpensive, light, and quick to dry, and work as picnic blankets, beach towels, and even scarves or shawls if the evening turns cold.

Save on electricity

With the AC working hard and having kids home from school, the summer months can bring about higher costs at home.

Healthline’s tips:

• Be strict about your AC use: Consider getting a smart thermostat to help you track your energy use and program your settings so your cooling units are only working when you need them to.
• Limit screen time: If your kids like kicking back in front of the TV, computer, or on their phone, suggest spending time on activities that take the load off your utilities for a set portion of the day. Explore parks, local museums, or galleries, and shut off whatever doesn’t need to be left running while you’re out.

Get in on the summer sales

Quick tips and tricks for saving this summer

• Embrace your favorite foods of the season, and try out recipes at home.
• Eat seasonal fruit and veg, and try meal prepping.
• Buy sunscreen, shampoo, and other toiletries you use more in summer in bulk.
• Search local thrift stores for outdoor, sports, and picnic gear.
• Explore your local area instead of traveling.
• Find free outdoor spots to entertain the kids and meet up with friends and family.
• Find events at your local library, community center, religious organizations, and other social spaces.