We’re officially in the heat of summer, and with the temperature rising, our desire for a cool Starbucks Frappuccino or a trip to the mall for some free air conditioning are upon us. Alright, sure, we go to the mall just to cool off and maybe grab a smoothie, but suddenly we’re surrounded by bright posters with nice displays screaming at us, “SUMMER SALE” or “YOU CAN’T BEAT THESE PRICES” when in fact, you can.
Most of the time “Summer Sales” include a whopping 5% off. Say you’re buying something for $20; that’s only $1 in savings! Not to mention sales tax, and depending where you’re shopping, you’ll have to pay for a bag.
It’s during the summer months that stores really try to target a broad audience that finally has some free time to spend large amounts of money: teenagers. Here are some ideas on how to keep your spending down and make sure your free AC trip doesn’t turn into an empty bank account.
- Plan Ahead: Think about the plans you have in the coming weeks. Are you going to the Santa Cruz Boardwalk? You’ll need money for that! Going to see a new movie on Saturday? Yeah, you’ll need money for that too. Well, maybe buying that new pair of sneakers with that “great” 5% discount isn’t the best use of your money right now.
- Consider This: Think about the times you didn’t have money and you couldn’t even afford a $5 sandwich. Try to prevent that from happening again by not spending what you have.
- Apply Previous Tips: Hopefully you’ve been reading the other Tips for Teens posts. Summer is the perfect time to begin using advice from my other articles like Island NeOrWa or Spending Habits!
Spending isn’t a bad thing. Summer is a time to relax and have fun! To save some money, try using some websites that have already discounted prices, or find coupons. Here at 1st Nor Cal Credit Union we have discount tickets for our members to over 10 amusement parks and entertainment venues like the Monterey Bay Aquarium and the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk.
Whatever you do this summer with your money, invest in good sunscreen and have fun!
Sierra Kaul
Student Social Media Intern
1st Nor Cal Credit Union