How to Have an AWESOME Summer

Bonjour!

So you want to have a fabulous vacation. The first things that may come to mind are your friends' pictures of beachcombing in the Bahamas, shopping in Paris, or hiking in the Grand Canyon, and suddenly your summer seems like a walk in the park. Literally.
     While you may not be able to travel the world during this time of academic freedom, you can still have a ball right where you are. That's right folks- your city may not be as hole-in-the-wall boring as you think! Continue reading to find out how YOU can have the time of your life without a passport.

HOW TO GET STARTED

 - First, you're gonna need a jar (I recycled an Apple Sauce jar), a little container/box (e.g. recycled cream cheese container), washi tape, and sticky notes. Use the washi tape to decorate (yay!) the containers however you want. For the activity container, you can cut a slot into the lid to make depositing sticky notes easier and more fun.

HOW IT WORKS

 - For every day of rigorous (or whatever you're able to do) physical exertion you complete, you get to add a sticky note of an activity to a jar. At the end of the week, providing that you have completed at least 5 weekdays of workout, you get to pick an activity from the jar and enjoy your well-deserved and much-earned funness.
 - Need some workout inspiration? My Fitness Pal is a great resource to track calories, record workout progress, and connect with a community of fellow fitness enthusiasts. Best of all, membership is free.

 - To find a workout, simply click blog near the top of the screen and then click "Move". It's all incline from there!


HOW TO FIND ACTIVITIES 

 - This is perhaps the best part of the whole program: activity shopping. While some ideas may automatically start flowing from brain to pen, finding great cheap activities can also be a struggle. Here are some places to look if things to do become hard to find:

• Local Park Districts- May offer boating, hiking trails, volleyball/tennis courts, baseball diamonds, or just an open area to throw a frisbee/football around.
• Local University/Community College events that are open to the public: Can include art exhibits, musical concerts, sports areas or facilities, ice-skating rinks, rock-climbing facilities, etc. for minimal prices (most under $10).

Run out of things to do in town?

• 50 States.com/Travel- Select your state to find out what landmarks are worth visiting OR 
• Locate your state destination website for a free (usually) travel guide. I went to Enjoy Illinois, ordered my free travel guide, and can simply choose by region or city to find landmarks/activities that interest me (State parks are a favorite and the parking fees run under $10).

HOW TO FUND ACTIVITIES

 - Throughout the week you can add loose change, found dollar bills, etc. to a FUNds jar, or you can add a dollar for every day you complete your exercise/ accomplish a goal, to help meet the cost of fun.

 - Or you can budget extra money earned from lemonade stands, selling hand-made crafts on Etsy, mowing lawns/gardening, etc. My favorite way to make quick cash is to participate as a subject in research studies at the University. There are a lot of opportunities for making a little summer profit, so just be creative and do a little investigating to see what work people need done.

Fun is out there waiting!

xoxo,
Sara