It’s that time of year. Everyone is asking about summer plans. Are you doing something special? What are your travel plans? And when people learn that I live in the Orlando area, they ask which theme park I’ll visit. Now, I have nothing against theme parks and I really love traveling, but when you’ve been unemployed for half a year, this conversational topic hits a sore spot.
Sure, I have the time, but (and there’s always a “but”) I don’t have the money. Or rather, I choose not to spend even more of my savings on vacation plans. Some of the people asking about my summer know my job situation, and yet they can’t help themselves from asking. It’s like a reflex activated by the season. It’s summertime, so . . . [insert vacation question here]. OK, here’s my answer: I’ll be enjoying a minimalist summer. No traveling, no theme parks, and no big events—can’t get more minimal than that!
To be fair, I’ve thought about using my “free” time to take some trips. I have a sister in Brooklyn and I just love visiting NYC; it’s like a theme park for culture nerds. I have a couple of brothers and a friend in Colorado, and having driven through the state many summers ago, I’m sure it would be quite lovely to visit. My daughter’s university is two hours away from Chicago, an area I grew up in but have only vague childhood memories of (mostly zoos and parks), so it would be fun to visit as an adult. And of course, I have friends, a brother, and my son in Austin, my former city. But honestly, I hate the triple-degree temperatures of Austin summers.
It’s not even that the plane ticket that’s stopping me, but the side expenses like pet sitting or in some places, a rental car, that really add up. I’d want to eat out sometimes and see some sites. I like to treat my host to dinner as a thank-you gift. It adds up really fast. In an ideal scenario, I’d get a few weeks lead time before heading into a job, and then I wouldn’t mind dipping into soon-to-be-replenished savings. But for now, I’ll enjoy my minimalist staycation.
Surely I’m not the only one who cannot afford or who opts not to spend much money on vacation plans. If I hadn’t had relatives or friends in other places, my kids and I would not have traveled for years. Nevertheless, I’m determined to enjoy my summer. After all, I have a cute little house with projects and a huge messy yard with even bigger projects. Best of all, I have air conditioning (please God, no hurricanes or power outages).
You might think that because I’ve been without a job for a while that it’s been like summer already. There’s some truth in that, but extra free time in winter or when job searching is not the same as enjoying summertime. If you still have kids at home or work in education, your summer is automatically different. For the rest of us, we need to put some thought into making the summer months special. How can we create a wonderful summer?
What does summer mean to you? When I think of summer, I think of the freedom from schedules. I might read late into the night and sleep late the next morning. I think of going to a beach, visiting friends, grilling food, attending festivals, watching fireworks, and more. Most of these are free or at least very inexpensive.
I live just an hour or so away from the coast, so I plan to visit the beach a few times. If I can’t go visit people, I can at least bring people to me (and by people, I mean my adult kids). My daughter was just here for a visit, and my son will visit later this summer.
I’m always reading, but during the next few months, I’m going to indulge in some fun beach reads. After all, I’m writing a novel now and hope it will be as enjoyable as a beach read some day (for mid-lifers, of course). I bought a small grill and my daughter and I already grilled a bunch of veggie dogs and a ton of marinated vegetables. I definitely want to do more of that over the summer.
I’m sure there will be some local festivals, and as long as I don’t spend money there, I can afford to attend. Maybe this year I’ll actually go see some fireworks on Independence Day. I haven’t gone to any since my kids left home, so I should remedy that.
So there you have it—my minimalist summer plans! How will you enjoy the summer?
Grilled veggie dogs and vegetables!
RESOURCES
Bensen, Clara No Baggage: A Minimalist Tale of Love & Wandering
Luhr, Janet The Simple Living Guide: A Sourcebook for Less Stressful, More Joyful Living
For resources, go to this page: Resources
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I work in a winery, so summer is my busy season. Summer for me means full-time work, mostly on nights and weekends. It’s hard when others ask about your summer plans. My husband and I have been trying to dig our way out of debt and recover from 4 stretches of unemployment in 4 years. We haven’t had a vacation for a while. But it’s okay – that’s the season of life we are in right now. We do our best to enjoy the time we have together, and make good use of our backyard fire pit on a starry summer night!
Hopefully, you get to meet lots of interesting people and still enjoy the nice weather even if you are working!
That’s a wonderful way to spend summer! Mine will be much the same as I save for a trip next year. Right now, at 7:00 am, I’m enjoying coffee as I write on my back patio! The garden is growing, the air is fresh, the hydrangeas are blooming. Life is good!
I’m planning on a big trip next year, too!
Our summer will be very similar. We moved to a small coastal town in the Pacific Northwest – the town hosts all kinds of fun festivals in the summer, including a free fireworks show at the beach. We will ride our bikes down and check out the Kite festival, sand castle contest & festival, blues festival etc. We are also planning on making good use of our state and local parks – discovering hiking trails and packing picnic lunches. There all kinds of fun things to do and experience if/when you get the chance to take a moment and breathe. Most are free or very minimal cost. Live in the moment and enjoy whatever summer brings you.
While I love to travel, being a tourist at home can be fun, too. Sounds like you’ve got a lot to do right there!