5 tips to stay on budget during the summer: Have your most frugal and fun summer ever

Just because it is summer doesn’t mean it has to wreck your summer budget. You can avoid the summer budget slide. Don’t let all the hard work you’ve done up until this point completely derail your finances.

Have a basic routine.

When we get off routine we feel disrupted. And when we feel disrupted we get off track with our sleeping, eating and spending habits. It’s human nature. But having a summer routine in place will bring calm to your life.

Routines are meant to bring calm and let everyone in your home know what to expect. So find a good summer rhythm where your family can thrive.

Have set days you do fun things.

And have set days for downtime.  Have days where you’re going to go to the summer movies, the splash pad, the pool. Have days where you stay home and make art and watch Netflix. Do not feel like you have to be the cruise director of your kids’ summer break. You don’t. Not every minute has to be filled with entertainment. Kids need to be bored. Boredom fosters creativity.

Focus on free fun.

Check your community calendar for all of the amazing free things you can do this summer. I also wrote you a post just about this: The ultimate list of free or cheap things to do with your kids this summer! (A HUGE list of summer freebies 2019)

Predetermine your summer bucket list. 

I asked my kids what they wanted to do this summer and I had them tell me while I recorded it on my phone. ( I really wanted to keep their sweet, child voices for years to come.) They wanted to go to the splash pad, eat watermelon, watch the fireworks, go see Toy Story 4 and get a snowball. Done. I can do all of those things.

But have an idea of those splurge items (and awesome free events) you want to take part in so that you have a basic plan and things to look forward to.

Have a summer meal plan

It’s easy to get caught up in the summer fun and forget all about dinner. But have a basic idea of what you’re going to feed your family.

Kendra from The Lazy Genius, says she comes up with 21 meal ideas and rotates them multiple times. BRILLIANT.

Keep meals really simple. Sandwiches and watermelon, hot dogs, tacos. Don’t go crazy. Also maybe pad your dining out budget so that if you’re out late and want to swing by and pick up a pizza you don’t bust your budget.

Enjoy your summer and have lots of fun. But just be intentional in every season.

What about you? How do you not bust your summer budget? Leave me a comment below!

Where to get free stuff online

I am not what I would consider a freeloader. But I love getting things for free. Free is my favorite word. Free is how we stretch our budget.

I thought I would share with you where I get things and how you can get them too.

Schoola: 

Schoola is an excellent place to get kid’s play clothes and shoes. You can get a $15 credit, which translates into 4 or 5 different pieces of clothing.

I was able to order my boys quite a few deals through Schoola. Plus they run a lot of coupon deals and free shipping deals to stretch that money even further.

I've gotten some great name brands like Vera Bradley, Tommy Hilfiger and Eddie Bauer. Their clothes range in quality so you might get a pristine outfit or you might get something that looks like it's been used. But, it's free or very inexpensive. 

Sample Source: 

Sample Source seems a little random as to when they send things. But they do send usable samples like coffee, small packs of cereal and toothpaste.

They will even send you full sized things like toothbrushes and their samples usually include high value coupons.

It is free to join but their samples are usually limited. And samples to toiletries you can’t use can be donated to your local food bank or shelter. 

Influenster:

Are you a blogger or vlogger? Influenster will be right up your alley.

You can receive full time products to review and talk about on your blog, YouTube channel and on social media.

Each box they send has a different theme and they are lots of fun to participate in. I have received everything from free ice cream and makeup to lunch items and organic juice for my kids.

Ebates:

I love Ebates. I love that you can save money on things you need. And score some free deals.

Ebates is really easy to use, you just go to their site, find a link to the online retailer you want to use and then shop and get a percentage cash back. You can combine this with sales from those online retailers to get stuff free or close to free.

Plus when you sign up right now you can get a free $5 gift card to Target!

Top Cash Back:

This has got to be the most fun freebies we have gotten at our house.

TopCashBack offers several specials throughout the year, but my favorite are the DVDs.

Last year we were able to get Frozen and this year we got Big Hero 6 (I am saving that to give my oldest for Christmas).

You can have one account per adult in your house. Basically you shop online at Walmart or another retailer through and it works like Ebates, you will get money back. But in the case of their DVD deals the items were completely free after the rebate.

Grove Co.:

Do you need diapers, wipes, cleaning products and candles? Check out Grove Collaborative. 

They specialize in eco friendly and people friendly products such as Mrs. Meyers, Method and Seventh Generation. Plus they sell diapers, wipes and baby items!

You can get a $10 credit when you sign up for an account.

Getting free stuff is a great way to stretch of supplement your budget.

PINCHme:

Like Sample Source PINCHme lets you pick samples once a month and then ships them to your door at no charge. Tooth paste, feminine products, nail polish and even snacks. All shipped at no charge to you. 

Ebates:

While Ebates isn't free you can earn cash back on items you need anyway, they offer exclusive coupon codes and percentages back. Also, when you sign up you can get a $10 gift card to Walmart or Target. 

What about you? Where do you score free deals online? 

Linking up at The Thrifty Couple, Thrifty Thursday, Frugal Fridays.

This post may contain affiliate link. Meaning if you sign up I will get a small commission at NO CHARGE TO YOU. 

Get free kid's clothes with a $15 Schoola credit and FREE shipping

The free shipping deal from school is BACK!

A few weeks ago I scored the boys cute Spring outfits from Schoola, an online kid's consignment that sells gently used clothing and donates a portion of their proceeds to local schools. 

You can click HERE and get a $15 credit once you've made a purchase you will get your own link to share and earn more $15. I currently have a $58 credit balance!! 

It's Earth Day Week, Go Green & Save Green! For a limited time free shipping with no minimum. 

And you can get your own referred link to share with your friends and you can get additional credits. 

How I get Redbox movies for free (and you can too!)

We love the Redbox at our house. And last year of the 30 plus movies we rented from Redbox, we paid for one and that's because I forgot to return it on time!! Today I wanted to talk to you about how I get (most) of my Redbox movies for free. 

I love movies. Don't you? I always have. Next to books they are my go to for entertainment. But going to the movies can be really expensive with tickets around $10 plus we have to get a babysitter and the whole nine yards. 

Redbox is a great value at $1.50 and I honestly don't mind paying for it. But why, when I can get it for free? 

So here are a few ways I did it. (Some most of these will require the use of a smart phone.) 

Text a deal: 

Text the word DEAL, MOVIENIGHT, MOVIE TIME or SHOPPERS or to 727272 and in turn you will get a code for a free one-night rental. You can also use these codes to get $1.20 off a game or Blue-ray. 

Reserve online: 

You can get a free code the first time you reserve online. This is just the best way to get Redbox movies to begin with. This is the ONLY way I will get movies. I really cannot stand to stand at the Redbox behind an indecisive person on a Friday night. 

In fact, I have been know to politely ask if I can pick up my movie while they think some more. I even tell them how to sign up for free codes or share a free code that I already have with them. 

Use the Redbox App:

If you download the Redbox app and then use the text the code APPNOW to 727272 you can get one free movie rental when you reserve a DVD through the app. 

Join the Club:

You can sign up for the Redbox Play Pass, this is a point system that allows you to earn free rentals by giving you points each time you rent a movie. When you sign up you will get one free rental. Also, free rentals will still earn you points. So you just get more free rentals. 

Sign up for Email:

If you sign up for their email newsletter you will get one free DVD rental. 

Also, if you text the word EMAIL to 727272 you and then sign up for their email alerts you will get a free code. 

In both of these cases you MUST confirm your email address before getting a code. I recommend using a separate email address for these, much like I do when signing up for coupons. 

Be Social:

Redbox posts lots of free codes on their social media sites particularly Instagram. 

Don't ignore BOGO deals: 

I have a friend who told me she only gets texts for BOGO (buy one get one) deals. Don't worry. If you use a BOGO code and only rent one movie, that movie will be free, usually. Of course this policy is subject to change at any given moment. 

Understand that these rules are subject to change at any time. Also you can follow Five4Five Meals on Facebook where I also post Redbox deals as I find them. 

What about you? What are your tips for finding great free entertainment?