6 Ways to Keep Summer Fun from Killing Your Budget

Summer is where budgets go to die.

As soon as it gets warm out, social spending goes through the roof. Suddenly everyone wants to go out -- to restaurants, to amusement parks, to parties. You're paying more for gas so you can drive to these various events, and paying to park at beaches and baseball games. If you've got kids, they're out of school and expecting to be entertained.

Basically, fun costs.

"I would set my budget, and then I'd say, 'Why can I never keep on-budget in the summer?'" says Jacob Wade of iHeartBudgets. "I saw that food, gas and entertainment were the three things killing my budget."

So you're left with an impossible choice: Do you abandon your efforts to keep spending in check, and go all-in on summer fun? Or do you steadfastly remain frugal, even if it means turning down invitations to hit the beach or go out for dinner?

Well, as far as we're concerned, that isn't a choice you should have to make. We think you should be able to stay more or less on-budget without having to turn into a hermit for the summer. So we turned to some frugal living experts to find out how you can enjoy the season without going broke.

%Gallery-192226%

Matt Brownell is the consumer and retail reporter for DailyFinance. You can reach him at Matt.Brownell@teamaol.com, and follow him on Twitter at @Brownellorama.