1. Don’t Go Out More Than Once a Week

Now this may sound super lame, or really just not fun in general. But think about it…your body and your wallet will thank you when you decide on 1 really fun night out with friends, set a spending goal for yourself and don’t whip out your credit card. Instead bring out a set amount of cash you want to spend for the night, try and take public transit whenever you can (I’m starting to realize just how expensive downtown Toronto is bar and drink wise, let alone the cost of a taxi home) and try to pre-drink with friends as much as possible.

2. Use Your Patio at Home

Especially when the weather gets warm, the first thing everyone wants to do is find a nice patio and drink with friends. As a student, I suggest your own patio and a case of beer from the beer store instead. Even a cheap pitcher of beer can run you around $10-15 each and your probably not just going to get one. Consider pre-drinking or patio drinking at home, and then heading out for a night. It will save you a lot more money, you will still get your tan on and save some serious $’s in the process.

3. Plan a Few Fun Weekends-Quality, not Quantity

Summer is the time for great long weekends that you can spend with friends and maybe head up north or to a cottage. It’s better to plan a few really fun weekends then going out 3 times a week all summer. It’s likely that you won’t enjoy yourself as much if you do the same thing every night of the week versus a unique cottage experience with a group of great friends. Think quality not quantity when it comes to summer fun, you definitely will enjoy those big weekends more.

Share your summer spending tips below!

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So you might be asking yourself…why is she doing SO many challenges. Well contrary to popular belief I don’t write down every purchase I make, and my co-op job has allowed me to have a bit more cash flow than usual. This has lead to me spending probably more than I should on weekends, where I’ve headed to Guelph or gone out with friends in Toronto. I’m sure a lot of you can relate. You wake up Sunday morning and ask yourself..where did all of my money go?

Weekend Spending Challenge

So here’s the challenge. Next weekend coming up, write down everything you spend. We’ll call it the weekend spending challenge. You may not remember exactly where you bought your post bar food, or how many bars you went to, but keep track of how much you take out in cash, and then also check your bank account online. Tally up the total amount spent and damn you might just be surprised how quick it adds up. Those living in smaller towns may have have much smaller weekend spends just because everything is cheaper but it’s still a great test.

Start it this weekend or the next and see how it goes. Are you spending a lot? Find ways to cut down on your weekend spending. This is really important especially in the summer when you start to have an income. You may be more likely to spend a ton of money and not even realize when it’s too late at the end of the summer.

Keep track and start the weekend spending challenge, it might just help you save a lot of money.

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