The summer heat has finally kicked in, which means the beach is probably the top hot spot all over the world. Enjoying some time at the beach can be a great way to cool down, soak up some fun and bond with the family. However, the beach comes with its own set of costs that could leave you hurting your budget if you’re not careful. There’s no reason to walk on eggshells when it comes to your finances and the beach though. In fact, there’s plenty of exciting ways to save money that will make you want to spend more time at the beach than ever before. So, whether you live near or far from the beach, make sure to check out these ten tips to see how much money you can save.

1. Be Discreet
One of the biggest problems with the beach is not having a place to store your personal items. So, if you decide to cool off in the water or to step away from your setup to help the kids build a sand castle, you run the risk of returning to your items missing. It’s frustrating that a pair of sticky fingers can turn your vacation into a chaotic mess, but there’s some ways to bring your items with you without letting the world know what you have. So, for starters, keys are a pretty big deal if you drove to the beach and most bathing suits don’t have a safe enough pocket to store them in. So, empty out a sunscreen bottle, clean it out well and toss the keys in it before you leave the car. This is also a great place to store money, your parking ticket and other small but necessary items. You could also do the same thing with a wipey container if you have small children. If you’re bringing along your credit/debit cards as well I.D. cards and other items then toss them in a diaper and label it dirty. To make the dirty concept really believable, put it in a ziplock bag. This will help cut down on sand and water contamination too. There’s lots of other out of the box ideas you can use to give your items a little more protection.
2. Keep Sand Away
When it comes to the beach, there’s pretty much no way to get around the sand. No matter how hard you try, the stuff ends up stuck to you and may not go away for weeks. Although this doesn’t exactly save you money at the beach, there’s a few things you can do to get rid of the money problems sand causes after the beach. Just think of all the car detailing and carpet cleaning you won’t have to do thanks to these tips. For starters. Before you get in the car to go home, sprinkle everyone down with baby powder. Make sure to pay special attention to the feet though. When the baby power touches the skin it begins to take away moisture which forces the sand to release its grip on the body. You’ll all be sand free in the minutes and you’ll smell pretty good too. If you want to keep sand out of your food and rest area then take a fitted sheet along with you. Place the sheet upside down and place an object in each of the folds. The sheet will create a fence from the sand, so all of your items won’t end up covered in sand by the end of the day.
3. Sun Protection
Keeping your skin and eyes safe from the sun should be a huge priority when you go to the beach. Not only will it help prevent cancer, but it will also save you a whole lot of money when it comes to creams and medication to reduce the pain. Before you leave for the beach always make sure to have a lot of sunscreen on hand. You should also make sure you have the right SPF rating for everyone in the household. Apart from sunscreen, you should also make sure to pack an umbrella, hats and anything else that may help you stay safe from the sun. Of course, after sun care can help you out too. If you want something soothing to put on the skin after a day at the beach then freeze some aloe vera in an ice tray. You can water it down if you like to help stretch the aloe further. Then place them in a ziplock and toss them in your cooler. After playing in the sun, rub the cubes on sensitive skin to help cool the body and refresh the skin.
4. Pack Food
When it comes down to it, looking for food on the beach can be a huge issue. In most cases, vendors are far and in between, plus their prices aren’t exactly on the best spectrum for what they’re serving. Many people end up leaving the beach to find a restaurant to soothe their needs. This can become even pricier if you’re on a budget, especially when the restaurants are in major tourist areas. Instead of going to all of that effort, simply pack food to bring to the beach with you. If you live near the beach then have the whole family make up their favorite sandwich before heading out. You can also pack nuts, fruits and trail mix to help keep energy up and hunger down. If you’re vacationing at the beach then head to a store in the area and pick up a loaf of bread and peanut butter, it makes the day easy to deal with for a very small price. You should also consider beverages. You’re going to need lots of water, so pack a couple of gallon jugs and reusable bottles to make things simple. Try to avoid energy drinks and soda as much as you can while on the beach.
5. Leave the Car
Although the car may have saved you some money getting to your vacation destination, it’s not going to do you any favors when it comes to the beach. Generally, parking at the beach can be pretty pricey, especially if you have no choice but to park by a meter. Instead of dragging the car along for the ride, you can easily walk or take public transportation to get to the area. This may also give you a good chance to scope out different areas of the beach, so you can choose a great place for you. You also won’t have to worry about your car in a strange area, as the hotel will keep it nice and safe. If you live near the beach then walk or bike, it’ll add to the experience and prevent you from spending a lot when you don’t need to.
6. Plan Accordingly
Like most things in life, a little planning can help you enjoy it all the more. Of course, it may be hard to take all things into consideration, such as the weather. All the same, you can easily check out weather patterns as well as forecasts to see if you should or shouldn’t hit the beach at a certain time. You may also want to plan your trip at the end or beginning of beach season. If you hit the right time you should be able to avoid a lot of the crowds which will make your vacation even better. Plus, off season visits may help you save a whole lot on hotels transportation and food. If you’re planning a trip to the tropics then looking ahead can do you a lot of favors. Typically many of the regions end up having hurricane season during popular vacations times, thus you may end up on a ruined vacation if you don’t plan well enough.
7. Social Media Coupons
Of course, finding activities to keep you busy on the beach can also be hard to do on a budget. Luckily, there’s many social media websites that offer special coupons to make your trip a blast. Try browsing around a few months to a few weeks before you’re near the beach to see if you can secure something fun. You can also browse around while you’re there because many coupons are for a limited time only, so you could score a major deal by checking your favorite coupon sites each day. Many of these coupons will be for activities like diving, surfing or even swim lessons. You may also find some that take you on a tour to experience the eco system at work. Other coupons may help you take advantage of great deals on restaurants, so you can give the sandwiches a break for a while.
8. Bring Entertainment
Even though the beach is pretty fun on its own, you should probably consider packing a few extra items to keep you and the kids busy, so that no one ends up getting bored. One of the best items to bring for younger kids is supplies to build up sandcastles. These can be condensed and stored in a backpack for easy travel and provide hours of play time. You might also consider bringing a beach ball or a volley ball set to keep the fun going. These activities can take up a few hours and will mix things up a bit when everyone gets worn out by fighting the waves. Music is another great option, especially during breaks from the sun or nap time for the little ones. Last but not least, a book can help you regain energy after being in the sun for hours and beach time may be one of the few times you actually get to catch up with some reading. By keeping entertainment activities with you, it should help prevent you from renting items to keep everyone happy.
9. Freebies
When it comes to the beach, and beach communities, there’s always something going on to take advantage of. Before you plan your day, call up the community center or check out their website to see if anything is going on. A lot of the time, the community may host a competition, giveaways or simply host a celebration. The latter is especially true during the summer months as there’s many barbeque worthy holidays to celebrate. Most of these activities are free, but some may end up costing you a small fee. Some businesses will also pass out free samples of their food to entice people to enjoy their restaurant, which could make a nice snack for the family. Timing is everything, so make sure you know what’s going on before you plan.
10. Budget
It doesn’t matter if you’re spending a day or a week at the beach, budgeting can make all of the difference. Rather than bring your credit cards along for the ride, leave them at home. Take the time to work out how much money you’ll need and how much money you can spend before you leave. This will help you make a guideline, so you won’t over spend while you’re on the beach. You should also just pull out cash so you’ll know where you stand with your budget. Not to mention, most places on the actual beach will probably only take cash, so you’ll be doing yourself a favor by doing this too. It may also help with any ATM fees you may have to deal with due to beach service charges.
The beach is a great place to kick back and enjoy time with family. So, don’t let it become a budget crisis. With these easy steps your days by the beach can be all relaxation! With any luck, you may end up spending nothing on the entire trip, which will make your time away even more meaningful.