Hey Readers! Mrs. MoneyFinance here! I’m sure you know this by now, but I’m in education, which means I’m lucky to have my summers off from my full-time job. This can be a blessing and a curse! I’m sure you’re wondering, how could having 2 months off in the summer be a curse? Well, when I’m not at work I have a tendency to spend more money than I do when I work. This is quite a challenge for my budget conscious husband, and therefore, a challenge for me! I take steps to help myself keep my summer spending in check and wanted to share them with you in case you find yourself out of work for the summer too!

10 month vs 12 month salary

First, this isn’t really a step, but is important to note–I am on a 12 month salary. That means even during the summer I get my regular paycheck. My first year teaching this wasn’t the case so I didn’t get a single paycheck all summer. Because I do get a salary through the summer, budgeting is a bit easier for me. BUT, if I was getting a 10 month salary, I’d have to carefully budget for the summer…especially because I tend to spend more in the summer than during other months.

How I budget

Each paycheck I receive, I put some into my “fun money” line-item, and the rest goes into savings and towards various bills. During the school year and during the summer I allow myself the exact same amount of “fun money”. If my fun money rolls over from previous months, well, I have more. But, let’s be honest, that doesn’t happen often. So I keep track of my fun money and think about what I’d like to purchase or spend money on in the summer. Typically I go out to eat more, get more pedicures, and make a few more visits to TJ Maxx than usual, which means I have to pay close attention to how I’m spending and say no to some things I’d like to purchase.

What I do with my spare time

To combat my spending, I tend to find a little bit of work in the summer to make a bit more fun money. I have worked at a brewery, worked as a nanny, and done some dog-sitting. This money helps me balance my spending and keeps me from having too much spare time so I don’t get bored! Of course now that Baby MoneyFinance has joined the party, I don’t have a summer job. But, I definitely don’t go out to eat or go shopping nearly as much as I used to either!

Relaxing vs. working

Of course, as an educator, I work REALLY hard during the school year, so I also take plenty of time to relax. I love to catch up on my shows, head to the pool, and read some good books. However, it’s impossible to completely turn off from work. I do also spend some time planning and getting organized for the upcoming year. I try to balance this by doing a little bit of work each day, and plenty of relaxing each day too! I also do a few projects around the house during the summer–refinish furniture, gardening, deep cleaning, etc.