Cheap Summer Thrills

Summertime has arrived with an endless realm of possible memories to fit into the few short months that you're off of school.

Many of us would prefer to spend this time somewhere on a beach with a cool drink and a deep tan, but of course spending the entirety of summer on vacation is unrealistic for most. Despite all the plans you say you're going to have with people and all the reconnecting you claim you're going to make, odds are you're going to end up sitting around bored out of your mind, googling variations of "fun things to do with friends" until you find something that seems like it could be interesting.

If you find yourself relating to this, then look to Google no further - here's a list of cheap summer thrills.

1. Photoshoot

I feel like I bring this up a lot, but it honestly is one of the more fun things you can do with your girls. For starters, you get to dress up as much as you want and look great, and who doesn't love that?

Roaming around looking for good backgrounds and locations to stop at also brings about a great adventure and gives you the opportunity to either talk with each other or scream Post Malone's most recent album at the top of your lungs. Finally, you gain a ton of high-quality pictures for your social media sites, so why not?

2. Camping

All you really need is a tent, some food, and some good company. If you decided to really brave the woods, you can build a bonfire and roast some smores or hot dogs for a tasty meal. Tell ghost stories around the fire, go for a hike, and rough it like they might have back in the day. You might really find you enjoy it –– or you might not.

3. Bigger or better

This is basically a glorified scavenger hunt game, but a thousand times better. Grab a group of friends and split off into teams of around three or four. In the beginning, each team will get a penny and then be sent off to roam around town.

The idea is to find people and try to convince you to give you something bigger or something better than the penny. For example, asking someone walking their dog nearby to trade you a penny for a pen. The idea is to keep doing this until time is called and everyone meets back at the spot to see who had the biggest and best thing.

4. Fugitive

In this game, there are multiple sets of cops and fugitives. Each set of cops is assigned to a group of fugitives. You set a home base, and one cop takes a team of fugitives away. This cop can only drive two miles away or a maximum of fifteen minutes of driving.

Once the team of fugitives is dropped off at a location, they have to try to get back to home base without being caught by the cops again. The cop that drove returns to home base to get the rest of the cops, then they try to find their fugitives before they get back to base. However, if they stumble upon another group of fugitives that they weren't assigned to, they can capture them as well.

5. Cliff jumping

Please don't go jumping off of an actual cliff, of course. If it's too high or too low, it would be dangerous, so if you know of a spot, make sure it's safe. However, if you do know of a good spot, grab some friends and have some fun!

6. Slip N' Slide kickball

Pretty typical and pretty self explanatory, but no doubt tons of fun. Grab some old tarp or slip and slide mats, three mini-pools, and a kickball. Place the mats between the three pools and set it up like a baseball diamond. Fill the pools with soap and water, as well as cover the mats. Split into two teams and let the games begin!

7. Water balloon dodgeball

Again, pretty self explanatory. Get two storage tubs and fill them with water balloons. After splitting into two teams, begin the game. The regular rules of dodgeball still apply. Note: an alternative would be filling the water balloons with paint.

8. Paint fight

Invite all your friends and bring all white clothing for this event. You can either buy the colored dye powder, which is generally pretty cheap, or you can buy regular paint.

9. The arts

This one might cost you a little cash, but not too much that it will break the bank. There are plenty of options that can go in this category, such as visiting an art museum, going to a drive-in movie, or even attending a music festival in your area. Maybe go to a coffee shop with live music and lesser-known artists every once in a while.

10. Enjoy nature

This is generally cost-free and available to practically anyone. You can go star gazing (or star tipping). You can go on a hike on your favorite trails or for a walk through your favorite park. You can explore or go on a bike ride or a run. You can even just lay out with a friend and tan in the summer sun for the day.

11. Pet store

One of my favorite things to do when I'm at the mall is walk straight into the pet store, pay my $2, and play with puppies until I get bored. It's fun for the puppies to get out of their cages and play, and it's fun for you because you get to play with the adorable creatures for as long as they let you. I would definitely recommend.

There are plenty more things to do than this list, but this is just some to get you started. Go thrift shopping. Go paint some pottery. Go to poetry slam night. Go to that creepy bridge in town in the middle of the night and see if you get chased. I don't know, get your creativity going, get moving, have some fun, and make some memories.