Summer spending can add up through higher utility bills, groceries, gas and activities. CreditFresh research found that 70% of 2,000 Americans surveyed in June 2026 spend more during the summer, adding an average of $1,859 over a typical 13-week season.[1]
As summer winds down, reviewing recurring charges, food waste, convenience spending and small daily purchases can help households reset their budgets before fall.
Cut Out Subscriptions
Whether it's a good or a service, many people have subscriptions that are just a part of their regular day. These can include gym memberships, streaming services, cloud storage, delivery, gaming services, education, and many more. Are you aware of how many you have and how much you're paying for each of the various services you've signed up for? Remember to look at multiple bank or credit card statements since subscriptions can be billed monthly, quarterly, or annually.
Are you getting the value that makes the fee worthwhile for you? It’s often less expensive to pay a per-use fee (think shipping on Amazon or free shipping if you can wait a few days for delivery) rather than paying a monthly or annual fee. This is one of the easiest tips for saving money because it often takes only a few minutes of review.
Shop in Your Pantry First
It's so easy to make a list of what items you need and then go to the store and buy whatever's needed. How many of the items—specifically spices and other shelf-stable groceries—are already in your pantry? How many containers of paprika and cans of red beans do you really need? Making sure you check what you have first can help you save money by reducing waste and duplication.
Take Advantage of Coupons and Store Sales
As summer winds down, end-of-season clearance events and back-to-school promotions can create opportunities to stock up on items you already planned to buy. This isn't about extreme couponing and the time and effort that it requires. It's about the store or item coupons that come at least once a week in your newspaper or mailbox. These are convenient and take moments to review; you can clip the ones that are relevant to your purchases. Set a goal to save money — even just $5 a week —using coupons, and put that money aside or track it for reference. Then put it toward increasing the amount you pay on credit card bills or other debt.
Adjust your savings goal to make it a challenge but not out of reach. Every little bit of money- saving helps.
Leverage Leftovers
This may sound silly, but are you using your leftovers or tossing them? According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, food waste costs the average consumer approximately $728 each year — equivalent to about 11% of household food spending.[2]
To some, leftovers are a gift—a free meal with minimal effort. When cooking meals, try to intentionally prepare extra so there are lunches ready for the next day. When a good home-cooked lunch is available, it's much easier to say no to purchasing lunch at work. Leftovers can be used as is or as the basis for something else, such as a stir fry or soup. People who refuse to eat leftovers are effectively throwing away food and money. Learning how to start saving money can be as simple as reducing food waste.
Learning how to start saving money can be as simple as reducing food waste.
Plan Ahead — Time vs. Money
With summer travel and activities winding down, this is also a useful time to review convenience spending that may have become part of the routine. Convenience costs money. Going out to eat or ordering in costs more than cooking a meal at home. The challenge is that time is limited. Whether it's planning ahead for holidays and other celebrations or menu planning with a shopping list, the more organized you are, the less money you have to spend. When you consider the drive time to a restaurant, waiting in line or at your table for your food, cooking doesn't necessarily take more time than going out to eat.
It's the planning ahead part — making sure you have the ingredients to cook —that makes the difference. Smart planning is one of the most effective tips for saving money.
Do Your Best with What You Have
While you don’t have the ability to reduce every dollar you spend, you have more control than you realize. It's a matter of choosing to make the effort to break the habits that are getting in your way of decreasing your expenses.
There’s no one right answer, but there are many strategies to consider and some may work for you.
Evaluate your spending habits—anytime you reach for your wallet or a cash app on your phone, think about what you're spending and why. Lower your threshold for spending that’s “too small to count.” It is easy to spend $5 or less (or whatever your maximum threshold amount is) and not think about it. Make it a point to think about every dollar.
If you haven’t done budgeting before, you should learn how to start saving money with a simple plan. Every dollar should have a name and a destination. The goal is to have money at the end of the month, not the other way around.
A post-summer check-in can also show which seasonal costs should be built into next year's budget. Make a list of your goals and priorities. Seeing the larger goals that are being delayed by today’s spending can be a great motivator to make changes in your spending habits. Every change you make contributes to saving money and helps you achieve long-term financial freedom.
Sources
- CreditFresh, "The Hidden Cost of Summer - Why Americans Spend Nearly $2,000 More," July 2026. Survey of 2,000 U.S. adults across all 50 states. https://www.creditfresh.com/blog/the-hidden-cost-of-summer-why-americans-spend-nearly-2000-more/
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Estimating the Cost of Food Waste to American Consumers, 2025.
Disclaimer: The information contained herein, including any references to companies or products, is provided for general informational purposes only and is not a substitute for individualized financial, legal, tax, or other professional advice. We are not a credit repair organization as defined under federal or state law and we do not provide “credit repair” services or advice or assistance regarding “rebuilding” or “improving” your credit. We make no representation that we will improve or attempt to improve your credit record, history, or rating through your use of the resources provided through Money101 or the CreditFresh website. The views and opinions expressed by any guest contributors, as applicable, are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of CreditFresh.
