Summer Spending with Five Smart Ways to Stay on Track
- paige5071
- 12 hours ago
- 4 min read
Have you ever looked at your banking app in horror after enjoying a vacation? Or maybe just avoided looking altogether?
Summer is often sold to us as the season of freedom: spontaneous road trips, patio dinners, festivals, vacations, and saying "yes" to making memories. But when September rolls around, many of us are left wondering where our money went and wishing we'd planned differently.
The answer isn't to avoid summer fun altogether. Advice like "just stay home" or "just say no" often misses the point. Experiences, connection, and rest matter, too. At the same time, saying yes to everything out of habit, pressure, or fear of missing out can leave us feeling financially stressed and resentful.
The goal is finding the middle ground. Staying on track with your money isn't about restriction—it's about intention. It's about deciding what matters most to you this season, planning ahead where you can, and creating boundaries that support both your financial wellbeing and the life you want to enjoy.
Whether your ideal summer involves weekly camping trips, backyard barbecues with friends, or saving up for a bigger getaway every few years, a little planning can help you savour the season without the guilt or surprise credit card bill. Here are five smart ways to make the most of summer while staying financially grounded.
The 5 Smart Ways to Stay on Track
1. Summer Spending Must-Haves
Open your notes app or take out a pen and paper. Think of day-to-day activities that you value the most this season. For many people, the summer activities they write down often cost less or cost nothing.
This could look like gardening with your dad, camping in the backyard with your siblings, floating in an inflatable pool with lemonade, playing badminton in the field, going on a library date, or enjoying an iced coffee with friends. All of these activities listed either involve no or less financial buy-in. That said, this isn’t about spending no money at all, but instead, being intentional in what our funds go towards.
For example, if 80% of the fun is low-cost, spending money for 20% can reduce some stress while feeling empowered in choice. Write down your non-negotiable summer joys and work through what is top priority!
2. The Selective FOMO Experience
We need you to be strong here because this tip takes the most willpower to do.
TD’s survey revealed FOMO as the top driver for purchasing decisions among younger Canadians—interestingly, most of them are opting to be selective with their plans.
It’s hard to say no to our friends, but knowing when to say no or when to pivot planning can be really beneficial. For example, think about suggesting affordable options to the group chat.
The Pricey Experience | The Reasonably Priced Experience |
Expensive dinners | Plan a potluck get-together at a picturesque outdoor setting |
Long drives | Suggest carpooling or walking together |
Expensive weekend travel | Propose a local staycation |
Grandiose novelty adventures | Try something unusual on a smaller scale, like a puppy yoga session, thrifting locally or volunteering together |
Remember, it’s not about cutting our iced frappe budget to $0, it’s about making space to enjoy the frappe when desired, and even choosing to substitute a different activity when it makes sense (Homemade affogatos, anyone?). The Selective FOMO Experience means being intentional with experiences that are not only financially best for you, but for your friend group as well.
3. Trip Planning your Way
When a friend invites you on a last-minute getaway or camping trip, it can be tempting to say yes on the spot and worry about the cost later. Instead, give yourself permission to pause and decide intentionally. The bigger question isn't whether travel is a "want" or a "need"—it's how it fits into the life you want to create. For some people, that might mean setting aside a little money each summer for local adventures and spontaneous camping weekends. For others, it could mean saying no to smaller trips so they can save for a once-in-a-lifetime luxury vacation every few years. There is no right answer. The key is planning ahead for the experiences that matter most to you, so you can enjoy them with excitement rather than financial stress.
4. Take it Offline
Now is the perfect moment to reflect because this step covers gratitude. Social media does a great job at making us feel our best, our worst, and our most anxious. One way to counter this is to put our phones down, breathe, and focus on our own summer and NOT the possible activities being missed out on.
Logan (2022) describes humans as “inherent problem-solvers, than appreciators”, so she encourages us to schedule our moment of expressing gratitude to fully experience improvements to our mood, mental health, and physical health.
5. Setting Aside the Summer Fund
Upon receiving your pay cheque, deal with the expenses and necessities first before setting aside the amount for your “Summer Fun Fund”.
You can follow the 50/30/20 budgeting rule, which for women, should look like 50% to needs, 30% to future planning, and 20% to wants. For example, after paying rent, phone bill, groceries, transit or gas, creating a savings sub-account can help sustain this change. Planning ahead means less anxiety, which we also spoke about recently in the blog post ‘Your Money, Your Terms’.
The Tool for your Summer Fun(d)
The secret to summer spending isn't saying yes to everything—or saying no to everything. It's being intentional about the experiences that matter most to you and planning for them in a way that supports your financial wellbeing.
The good news is that you don't have to do that planning alone. Untangle MINI is a hassle-free financial planning tool designed to help you understand what you can afford today while setting aside money for the future you want. Whether your ideal summer includes weekly outings with friends, family camping trips, or saving for a bigger adventure down the road, Untangle MINI can help you spend with confidence.
Money decisions are often accompanied by guilt, shame, or anxiety. But enjoying the sunshine, making memories, and investing in experiences you value don't have to come at the expense of your financial goals. At Untangle Money, we believe your spending should reflect the life you want to live—so you can savour the season while staying grounded in what matters most to you.
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