We're on the brink of summer and unless you're one of the lucky few with their life together, you'll have plenty of free time on your hands. It's easy to let all that time go to waste, but it's even easier to make the best out of it, even on a college budget. Here are a few ways of making the best of your summer.
1. Plan a weekend road trip.
There are so many places that are driveable that you probably have never seen before. You could go as exciting or as laid back as you want—from visiting the giant Paul Bunyan statue in Bemidji, Minn., to driving down for a weekend in Nashville, Tenn. Some guy even planned the perfect road trip across the continental united states, read about it here.
2. Go to a bookstore.
Even summer has its rainy days. Plus, bookstores have air-conditioning and you can read literally read anything you want for free. And Starbucks. Never forget the Starbucks.
3. Pick up a new sport.
I learned how to Rollerblade one summer in high school. At first I was terrible, but now it's something that I can do whenever I'm bored. Plus, it's great exercise. Who knew rollin' around on wheels could tone the booty? I also tried tennis once, and as long as you have a racket and tennis balls buried in your garage, most local parks have tennis courts you can use free of charge. My success in that sport was dismal, but we all have our strengths and tennis isn't one of mine.
4. Pretend you're a tourist in your own hometown.
Almost every city has something that anyone who visits needs to see, yet locals might not be tuned into the tourist destinations. They are almost always inexpensive or free, and hello, you can rock a fanny pack and bucket hat and it's not even tailgate season!
5. Geocaching
I had never heard of this before I did some research for how not to get bored this summer. Geocaching is basically a treasure hunt using GPS. If you visit www.geocaching.com you can type in your ZIP code and find little treasures other people have hidden in your area, and replace them with ones of your own. Sounds like an entertaining day to me.
6. Go camping.
We live in the Midwest for goodness sake. We are surrounded with beautiful wildlife and recreation areas that are almost free to use. Call your friends, grab the tent you haven't used since your Girl Scouts days, and get your camping on. Read about the 15 best places to camp in the Midwest here.
7. Volunteer
It never hurts to better yourself and your community as a whole. There are endless ways to volunteer your time for all types of interests: cleaning up the city, working with pets, reading books to kids, stocking food shelves—you name it. https://www.volunteermatch.org is a great website to use to find volunteer opportunities in your area.
8. Catch a baseball game.
In case you've been under a rock your entire life, baseball is considered the American pastime. Become the typical American by attending your local baseball team's game, and enjoy time with friends while eating hot dogs and drinking beer. Good seats at these games can be expensive, but most fields or minor league teams have inexpensive seats for broke college students like us.
9. Host a grill out.
There's nothing better than burgers, grilled corn on the cob and spending time outside. Clean off your picnic table and call up your friends, because it's summer BBQ time. Plus, you can end the night with a bonfire and s'mores, because who doesn't love a good marshmallow, chocolate and graham cracker sandwich? (I'm getting hungry just thinking about it.)
