The invisible costs of summer
THE INVISIBLE COST SERIES RETURNS
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Summer is coming, I think. You wouldn’t know it from how the Northeast weather has been flat-out disrespecting us. But I am told that over the next few weeks, I’ll be able to trade my sweats and Ugg slippers for the familiar comfort of a worn pair of Birkenstocks and start working, eating, drinking, and living outside again—kind of like an outdoor cat but with a lot more tequila and corn on the cob. At the risk of sounding like a Jenny Han trilogy, summer is the season my family remembers. It’s the time by which we measure time.
That said, we pay a pretty penny to keep the wheels of our lives in motion during all of this seasonal reverie. There is no public infrastructure in place for when children are out of school. Parents of school-aged children rely on summer camps and programming that can cost anywhere from $73/day to $173/day on average, according to the American Camp Association for Care.com. I raise this point just to acknowledge that summer comes at a major upfront cost to many American families, one way or another. But you know it doesn’t end there.
Beyond the sticker shock of camps and other very visible costs, summer carries with a lot of under-the-radar expenses.
The thing I find interesting about this post in our invisible cost series is how discretionary the items seem to be. Not all of them, but many of them. There’s something so permissive about the summertime. We abandon bedtimes. We go out on Tuesdays. We are much more likely to convince ourselves that we deserve a little treat. In our family, it would be incredibly simple for summer to turn into one perpetual Yes Day, and all of this stuff costs money.
So, let’s take a look at where that money slips away faster than Hazel’s Mega Slip-And-Slide at camp (no really, you should see the thing).
Sun protection. According to data from NC Solutions, nearly half of Americans report spending between $10-20 on summer skin products every month. Honestly, for a family of four, that range feels delulu. Sunscreen spray (which is the easiest and most independent way for kids to apply multiple rounds of sunscreen throughout the day), has a cost floor of about $10 per bottle. That price goes up with quality. I try to save by buying in bulk, because between two adults and two kids at two different camps, we’re talking 10-12 bottles throughout the summer. This doesn’t include face sticks that run another $6-14, or the product I buy for my face that costs $38. They’ll also be a straw hat or two. Maybe a new beach umbrella. All this to enjoy the outdoors without the burn.
Plants that die. Hear me out on this. We’ve got like, eight planters that we bought years ago with the intent of infusing seasonal color into our yard. And every single year, Douglas goes to Home Depot, picks up a flatbed of whatever annuals look pretty, and plants them. Then, half of them die. We don’t know why—they’re literally the same as the ones two feet away. Maybe they’re fighting for resources? I don’t know. But without fail, every single summer, we lose at least $100 of our “crop” to the Circle of Life and have to debate whether to try again or leave half our planters empty until the mums come back around.
Camp stuff. You’re getting hit with tuition costs, but oh friends, there’s more! I did a little “consumer research” on Amazon to illustrate how the cost add up:
Towels run about $6-10/towel, and whether your kids attend camp or just hang at the town pool, you’ll need at least six to avoid doing wash every day.
Goggles can cost between $5-15, depending on whether you’re going for “swim team quality” or not, and you’ll need at least three for the season.
Whether you’re phoning it in with this pre-fab party pack or wasting precious hours curating the perfect combo of shorts and socks, spirit wear and theme days are going to cost around $20 per event. There are definitely some economies of scale once you build up a costume chest, but the mud and sun and chlorine take a toll on these items. Sorry, I don’t make the rules (or the themes).
Also, creams. There will be creams: bug bite cream. Sunburn cream. Molluscum cream (it won’t work). Impetigo cream (you’ll need steroids). Gross but true.
Fireworks. Okay, I thought this one was kind of silly, but Florida Man insisted I was underestimating the hidden cost of curating your own summertime light show. He was right. The American Pyrotechnics Association reported that the 2024 fireworks season was set to generate over $2.4 billion in sales! Should I also include the average cost of an ER visit?!
Utilities. Staying cool might cost more than ever. Last summer, it was projected that utility costs would rise nearly 8 percent to an average of $719 from June through September. Some parts of the U.S. were slated to see bills spike by 10-12 percent. Notably, the expected increase had less to do with rising electricity costs and more to do with rising temperatures. Eek.
YOLO moments. I can’t quantify a mindset. But there’s something about the summer that makes us throw our money caution to the wind: the days feel endless but the time feels fleeting. We have to get it all in. Between the TikTok salads and Surfside cases we bring over our friends’ houses, the new water toys for the block party, the destination weddings for less-than-bridal-party friendships, straw bags and straw hats and why is everything straw? You get the point—it adds up.
I think it’s important to recognize that some seasons cost more than others for reasons we can’t always explain beyond the fact that we want to do more. It’s okay to do more. But if you know this will set fire to your cash flow, start to prepare for the season earlier by tightening up in the springtime or setting aside a set amount for summer fun. You can have your corn and eat it, too.
What are your invisible costs of summer? Let us know.
This photo is the direct result of a text convo between me and two girlfriends who couldn’t wait for our first Summer Friday of the season. We had wine. There were oysters. There were no husbands. Could this have happened in March? I think not.
TJA in the news
Doug chatted with CNBC about how to get young people saving.
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Sunscreen is a great way to use up unspent FSA dollars at the end of the year. Prices also tend to be a bit cheaper then as well