Parents’ Poll: Have Rising Costs Changed Your Summer Plans?

How You've Turned Tough Times into Silver Linings

These are challenging times, but we were impressed by the resourcefulness of HighlightsParents.com readers. We don't want to minimize the impact of this economy, but we think your shared suggestions will provide helpful tips and some relief from the negative news.

Have Rising Costs Changed Your Summer Plans?

Results of the Poll

  1. Have rising prices changed your summer plans?
    82%   Yes
    18%   No

  2. If yes, which areas have been affected? (Check all that apply.)
    85%   Purchasing decisions
    82%   Vacation plans
    28%   Transportation to work
    28%   Summer-camp arrangements
    18%   Living arrangements
    15%   Child-care arrangements

    3. What You Said

  3. Do you have any cost-saving tips you'd like to share with other parents?

    • Plan your day, especially shopping. Our dentist is located near the zoo, so when we have a dentist appointment we make that a zoo day, too.
    • Get rid of costly cell phones and move to a prepaid cell phone. Eliminate all but basic cable—PBS has great shows for kids.
    • Eat out less, take lunch to work, and carpool for work and shopping.
    • Use coupons combined with sales.
    • Plan a vacation at home or in the backyard. Start with a theme and plan around it. Invite the neighborhood kids. A baby pool, sand table, or sprinkler all add to the fun.
    • Find low-cost or no-cost things to do around your area—we got a season pass to our local water park and take classes at our local recreation center.
    • Ride the bike more and walk more.
    • Libraries have story time and free family shows in the evening. Some movie theatres have free family shows before the theatre opens.
    • Farmers' markets are great. The produce is fresher and less expensive, and the vendors are so friendly and helpful. This is a great opportunity to discuss the value of good food and how important farming is to our communities.
    • Find summer camps that are only a week long—they are much more affordable.
    • Read 20 minutes every day. Start a book club.
    • Rent a movie and watch it together. Make your own popcorn.
    • Call hotels directly on a Friday afternoon, and ask for a discount. This saved us $40 per room, per night. Also, if renting a car, do it online well in advance, but then check back every week for a lower price. While on vacation, we bought food at a local grocery store so we didn't need to eat every meal at a restaurant.
    • Stick to a budget, but make sure you include a small "fun" category to do small things together as a family. Budget is not a bad word.
    • Discover your town. You could travel across the country, but there are tons of things yet to be discovered in your own backyard!
    • Encourage employers to go to four ten-hour work days.
    • Camping is still one of the best vacation values out there. Choose a campground that has activities for kids. You can find a nearby campground and then "visit" your area the way a tourist would and see what you discover!
    • We have wonderful consignment shops for children's clothes in our area. We can recycle our used items while making money for new clothes.
    • Take the train to work and find time to relax and read or listen to a CD.

  4. Have there been any "silver linings" (positive experiences resulting from altered plans) you'd like to share?

    5. Most of you found some positives in these difficult days, though not everybody was upbeat about cost-cutting. We hope the reader who said "I feel like we're imprisoned in our town because of the gas prices" will find something here that helps.

    • We have more family time and are actually getting 8 hours of sleep per night. Everyone drinks more water to lessen the expense of juice.
    • We are enjoying places closer to home that we may not have taken advantage of before
      • .
    • I have started riding my bicycle to the bus and from the bus to my workplace—the 9 miles per day, 5 days per week has caused me to lose 25 extra pounds so far (in about 2 months).
    • We've been bonding as a family and getting some work done around the house that has been neglected because we're always "too busy" to get to it.
    • We went camping with our 5 children, and they had just as much fun as they did in the past when we went to expensive amusement parks.
    • It is in the simple that we can find the most joy. We remind our kids that before computers, video games, and TV, families gathered together around the radio and took incredible "journeys" in their imaginations. Then we turn out the lights and listen to old-time radio shows—scary, Superman®, Lone Ranger—there are tons to choose from.
    • We love floor picnics and floor camp-outs. FUN for all, although moms and dads might need a little extra cushion on the floor.
    • We're spending more time together—hiking around our neighborhood and going on treasure hunts on bike trails.
    • We've had fun sharing money-saving tips and finding deals, too. I think my kids are learning the importance of wise spending.
    • You realize that kids like your time more than any thing you could buy them!
    • We spend more time together enjoying family "things"
      (games and other purchases) we already have at home.
    • We live close to a lake and a river, and we have taken picnic lunches and invited friends to join us. It has been a fun, very inexpensive way to spend a hot afternoon.