How to Have Fun on a Budget, Afford Christmas, School Holidays, Back to School and Energy Bills

Summer can be expensive for many Aussie families with so many things in a matter of months.

Whether you celebrate the festive season or not, have to plan for kids and back to school or travel or simply manage that time, it can be expensive.

Here are some tips to help you with different aspects of summer.

Have Fun on a Budget, Afford Christmas, Back to School and Air Con!. Image of people at the beach

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How to Afford Christmas

Even if you don’t celebrate Christmas, these tips are helpful for any celebration.

We are starting with Christmas because it tends to stress many families out and the level of debt people get into for it is scary.

Christmas can be as expensive or frugal as you choose and even if you have no money, it can still be incredibly fun.

How to do Christmas with no money is an article full of tips for everything from food to gifts and activities.

Save money with leftovers by reading how to reduce waste this Christmas.

If you plan it right, most food left uneaten can be saved, even salads!

How to easily get $2,000 in time for Christmas, how to get money for Christmas fast and how to make Christmas pay for itself are three articles to help you get more money.

Have Fun on a Budget, Afford Christmas, Back to School and Air Con!

Shop the Sales and Plan Ahead for Everything

Get the Christmas lists sorted by Black Friday so you can plan and shop accordingly.

This way, they often get a few thousand dollars worth of what they want for a few hundred.

It takes a little planning but use this system to combine discounts.

Want, Need, Read, Wear, Learn

When it comes to gifts, consider these: gift them something they want, something they need, something to read, something to wear and something for learning.

Kids don’t need a massive pile of gifts or the most expensive gifts. No one does.

Personalise whatever you are giving, truly think about what will benefit them and be loved by them, as well as what they are asking for.

Pay attention to things throughout the year, what they say, what they enjoy, what they take an interest in, especially closer to Christmas.

This way, you can gift them things from their list but also surprise them with truly thoughtful gifts too.

Experiences

This time of year can be expensive if you are travelling anywhere so we have tips further down in the article.

For experiences, do a selection of Christmas traditions and explore your area like a tourist.

Traditions include going to see Christmas lights and displays.

Making specific Christmas treats and participating in Christmas activities in your area.

Put the Christmas tree up and the kids get to pick a new special ornament each year which they will take with them when they have their own homes.

Think about what you enjoyed as a kid and incorporate those things into your Christmas traditions.

As for exploring, look up the free tourist attractions, bushwalks, waterfalls, lakes, rivers, beaches, landmarks, historical points of interest and so on then go see/do them.

Exploring your area through the eyes of a tourist can be a great way to have some frugal fun.

How to Have Frugal Fun

Hot weather, summer storms and long school holidays can make this time of year expensive and tricky but it doesn’t have to be.

This time of year, you can find a variety of free events in your area.

Check Facebook, community noticeboards, libraries, shopping centres, mum groups and similar to find out what’s on and plan your outings.

Explore your local area like a tourist and visit all the free attractions you have available.

Start geo-caching, hiking, give the kids sports gear, board games and other things for Christmas to help keep them entertained.

37 frugal activities for family is a great list of things to doand 8 fun and frugal summer school holiday activities.

How to Afford Back to School Expenses

School fees, uniforms, book packs, laptops and other expenses for back to school adds up fast.

There are the obvious things you can do such as check the sales, second hand uniforms etc.

But there is so much more you can do to save money for back to school.

Be sure to find out if your area offers anything such as vouchers, discounted or free school travel etc to start with.

Check out this huge article on how to afford school expenses for all ages.

How to Travel for Free and Cheap

Depending on where and how you want to travel it can either be free or extremely expensive.

Camping can be free once you have the gear as there are numerous free campsites around Australia.

Winning competitions can provide free travel.

Find out more about entering and winning competitions.

Travelling during off-peak times is significantly cheaper than travelling at peak times such as school holidays, Christmas and long weekends but it can be harder with school aged kids.