Payday is fast approaching which I am very grateful for as things really haven't gone to plan with this months pay, in fact I didn't stick to the budget at all and went overboard once more. With payday approaching though I have been thinking about savings and what I want my future money to go on as I am sick of just throwing money away, it is safe to my money habits haven't changed at all this year which I am pretty mad about to be honest but they will improve soon, that is a promise I am making to myself. I am determined that May's pay is going to last me much longer and be spent wisely however, a big focus for this payday onward is saving for the jobs we want to get done in 2023 and for a great summer. We haven't even started on the jobs we wanted to get done this year but those are going to be a slow process I guess and I think we knew this was always going to be the case for the jobs at hand. The big thing for us though is making the most of this summer and enjoy the nice weather we hopefully get during the period. 

Last summer was filled with the Women's Euros which meant hours in the car travel to different games, watching plenty of different countries or sat glued to the TV to see just how each game played out if we weren't in the stadium watching it. Granted this was an amazing summer making memories that will last a lifetime but at the same time I don't feel like we got to do much other than watch the football which don't get me wrong was great but this year I want to do so much more. 

One of the big things I want to get done this summer is get the gardens completed so we can enjoy the spaces without sitting and picking faults with them. There will be some cost involved in this due to needing paint, wood, accessories and possibly furniture however, this should be relatively low cost and will be worth while as it will give us space to just relax on weekends and evenings after work. I don't want to be stuck in all summer so anything to make the garden more appealing is worth the cost in our eyes. The plan is to get as much done in the garden ourselves to cutback on costs and hopefully we can get it done nice and early in the summer season so that we can enjoy the nice weather rather than slaving away.

We really want to make the most of the weather and make plenty of memories with family and the dog so every penny save will definitely help us out in a lot of ways but overall when we look at it we can really enjoy the weather with plenty of low cost activities which will help save money all round but will still let us create those fun memories we are hoping for. We don't need to spend a fortune to enjoy ourselves, yes somethings will carry a price tag however, a lot of things can be done on a low budget or free of charge. Here are some of the things we are hoping to do to have a great summer making memories but also save money in the process...

Free days out 

We are English Heritage members and the dog is allowed to most of those places so we are hoping to get the most out of the membership over this period but even locally there is plenty we can do. Nice dog walks around the reservoirs or parks don't cost a penny and it gets us out of the house for a while, we can even meet up with family and spend hours enjoying ourselves without spending a penny.

Picnics

Now picnics are something me and the nephew are looking forward to doing together as we had a few in lockdown and they were a lot of fun. The best part is we can even have these in the garden so the only cost is the food and we can play with all the nephews toys and just have a lot of fun together. There are plenty of parks we could go to locally too so we wouldn't be spending a fortune on these and we definitely don't need to go overboard on the amount of food we have either. We could even take picnics on a free day out too so we aren't spending a fortune on food and drink whilst we are out. 

Evening drinks in the garden

Rather than going out shopping after work or just sitting in the house bored we are hoping that we can enjoy time out in the garden with a few drinks just relaxing. We have plenty of drinks already in so we wont be spending a fortune on drinks that will go to waste and it will just be a nice way to catch up on our day whilst the dog gets to run around and no doubt enjoy himself more than we will. We could even invite people round for this just to have different company if we wanted but even just with me, Liam and the dog it will be a nice change to sitting in or going and spending a fortune on a summers evening... shopping isn't the way to enjoy the summer months. 

BBQ's 

In the 5 years we have been in the house we have had probably 2 BBQ's which when we think about it is ridiculous as our back garden is absolutely perfect for hosting the family and just having a nice relaxed BBQ making memories together. This year we are determined to have a few BBQ's even if it is just me & Liam we need to get the most of our outdoor space and you really can't beat a good BBQ. You can get plenty of deals on BBQ food and drink at this time of year so let's hope we get plenty of nice weather to enjoy as many as possible.

Pizza & Wine night

My dad got a pizza oven a while back and to be honest I am hoping he lets us steal it a fair few times over the summer so we can have some fun pizza and wine nights. We can make our own pizzas and sit out and enjoy the weather whilst they are cooking away which I think would be fantastic and provide an entertaining evening. It could also be a bit of a healthier way of having our favourite food if we make it ourselves.

As I say it is all about making those memories this summer, rather than going out and spending a fortune on things that we really don't need. I am hoping to have a really fun summer this time around and really make the most of the time we have and the weather that will hopefully be brilliant just like last summer. We already have plenty planned and I am really looking forward to seeing how the next few months play out. No doubt you will be able to follow along over on social media. Now lets have a great few months.