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Low Budget, Fun-Filled Summer Vacation

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Have the Best Time Ever - Stay Where You Are!

Working with a very limited budget? I know the feeling. This summer, our vacation budget was nonexistent. That didn't stop us from having fun! This lens is all about ideas for a real staycation. Not a staycation about finding things to do in the city you live in, but finding things to do at your house and in your neighborhood that will usually cost you next to nothing except your time.

Don't let your kids mope around the house just because funds are low-there are still places to go! Plan bike rides, swim parties, a drive-in night, a trip to your local park. The most important thing to remember is that spending time together is golden. Read on to find out how we had the best summer ever this past year.

Photo: Baby enjoys our daily bike ride/walk.

Daily Bike Rides and Walks

It's Great Exercise!

I am not an expert on biking or exercise but I can tell you the good that came out of our daily bike rides and walks:

1. Daily exercise regimen
2. We all got in shape (I lost about 30 pounds)
3. My daughter made some really close friends
4. We spent lots of time together
5. We made some great memories

Our daily bike rides (and walks - my husband would push the baby in the jogger, with the dog walking alongside) started out with just the four of us in our family going out once in awhile. As other kids in the neighborhood (also in my daughter's grade at school) got involved, they came around more and it became a regular occurrence.

The best thing that happened as a result of our bike rides is that my 11-year-old daughter saved up about $100 and purchased her own bike, horn and water bottle holder. She was able to save up the money mostly by dog walking with her friend who also rode bikes with us all summer.

Cool Biking Accessories

They love honking the horn

Everyone had to buy one of these awesome horns this summer. Other accessories are those we've either invested in or have been longing for.
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Rediscover Childhood Games

Play Croquet on Your Lawn

No mallet throwing or striking holes in the lawn, please!

One of the best games I rediscovered this summer was Croquet. Croquet is a game played right on your lawn. It involves hitting a wooden or plastic ball through hoops secured into your lawn with a mallet. Sound complicated? Even a 3-year-old can play. It is cheap to purchase a croquet set - around $35.

Once the bike rides started happening daily, the kids ended up hanging around longer. We found my parents' old croquet set in the garage and that's what started our newfound love of croquet. We played every day. Croquet was a huge hit! One of the kids even borrowed our set for his cousin's graduation party!

photo from bouncesrus.com

Cheap Outdoor Fun

Play in the sun!

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Swimming Activities

Staying cool in the pool

As the summer wore on and it got hotter outside, we went swimming almost daily. We have an 18 foot easy set pool. This has been the focal point of our summers. Even though it is not the fanciest, most expensive pool on the market, it gets the job done. We were always coming up with new things to play in the pool. Different games we played included water volleyball, basketball, making whirlpools, and silent marco polo.

Of course, this added to our daily exercise of bike riding and walking. Which also led to outdoor games and campfires at night.

photo from ehow.com

Swimming Pools and Accessories

We had a blast with every product listed here this summer!

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Vacation or Staycation?

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Trips to the Park

Enjoy the wonders of nature

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Photos taken by my daughter: AinsleyKlar on Squidoo


Trips to our local park did not cost any money, but were lots of fun for all involved. We spent time walking and observing the ducks and other wildlife. My daughter and I took as many pictures as the camera would allow. There are also jungle gyms and swings that were quite popular among the kids. This is my favorite place to take long walks, which I do as often as I can.

The Canon PowerShot Digital Camera

Canon PowerShot SD1300IS 12.1 MP Digital Camera with 4x Wide Angle Optical Image Stabilized Zoom and 2.7-Inch LCD (Blue)

Canon PowerShot SD1300IS 12.1 MP Digital Camera with 4x Wide Angle Optical Image Stabilized Zoom and 2.7-Inch LCD (Blue)

Amazon Price: $123.99 (as of 02/23/2012)Buy Now

I love the Canon PowerShot. It takes very clear pictures that I rarely have to edit. The camera has been very reliable. I've owned this camera for almost five years without any problems.

Campfires in the Evening

Many times we ran out for s'more supplies this summer

The chimnea in the forefront of this picture is my prized possession. We had so much fun with it this summer. We started out roasting marshmallows, then went on to making s'mores and finally - hot dogs.

We have the perfect setup in our back yard - it includes a trampoline, pool, chimnea, various lawn furniture with a tent canopy overhead.

Bring the fire pit to your back yard

Relax by the chimnea at night after a day of playing

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The Place Where The Ducks Walk On The Fish

Part of Our Staycation

Read about one of the high points of our staycation this summer. See some great family pictures we took on our fun-filled day out.
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Did you enjoy our staycation as much as we did?

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About the author, LissaKlar

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P.S. This is a Rocketmoms lens

RocketMoms is a gathering of the smartest women on the web, working together to make Squidoo lenses (and a whole lot more). This has been a really fun experience for me. See my other RocketMoms lenses for Session 12 below.

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LissaKlar

I love being a SAHM and I'm a HUGE Harry Potter fan! I'm proud to be a RocketMoms' graduate and FINALLY a Giant Squid. I invite you to visit my lenses! more »

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