A lot of people put money aside all year to save up for the winter holidays, but what happens when Christmas comes in July? Between vacations, summer camps, and preparations for back-to-school starting earlier every year, you might have noticed your checking account shrinks once summer hits. One way to help cushion the blow is to start squirreling away a little cash each month starting the previous September, making sure this money stays separate from Christmas money and is untouchable. You don’t have to stow away large stashes of cash; just a few bucks here and there can start to add up as the year progresses.
Another thing you can do to try to ease the strain as summer approaches is to keep an eye out for online deals and coupons. This is a great idea, especially when you’re shopping for your kids. As they get older, all that baby gear you might have had to haul around has just been replaced with other “stuff”, like larger-sized towels for the pool, bigger-sized “toys” (skim boards, kites, rafts, etc.) for the beach, and multiple changes of outfits for the vacation trips.
