Summer is supposed to be the fun season. But it can also shape up to be an expensive one!
According to a CreditFresh consumer survey, about 64% of people expect to spend more this summer than they did last year. Nearly half of those people are expecting the increase to be at least 10%. That's not a small shift — that's a meaningful change in what it actually costs to get through the next few months.
So what's driving it, and what are people actually doing to manage it?
What costs are climbing
When survey respondents named their biggest summer expenses, the top answers probably won't surprise you — but the order might.
Gas and transportation came in first, named by nearly 66% of respondents. Not vacation. Not dining out. Just getting around. Summer means more driving — road trips, kids' activities, longer days that keep you out of the house — and with gas prices still elevated, cost alone can throw off a budget fast.
Food and groceries came in second at nearly 65%, followed by travel at about 27%, dining out and entertainment at approximately 16%, and kids' activities and camps at about 13%.
Respondents could select more than one answer.
What that breakdown tells you is that the biggest financial pressure this summer isn't coming from splurges. It's coming from the essentials. That suggests financial pressure this summer is extending beyond discretionary spending and into everyday essentials.
How people are adjusting
Most people in the survey aren't ignoring the pressure, they're making real trade-offs to absorb it. Two-thirds said they're cutting back on dining out and takeout. Nearly half are taking fewer trips or scaling back the ones they'd planned. About 38% are switching to cheaper grocery brands. And nearly 42% are picking up extra work or a side hustle to offset costs.
None of these are dramatic lifestyle changes. They're the simple adjustments people make when they're paying attention and the numbers are a little tight.
Adjusting helps, but it doesn't always cover the gap — especially when something unexpected shows up. And summer has a way of doing exactly that. A car repair before a road trip, an appliance that breaks during a heat wave, a bill that lands at the wrong moment. These things don't happen because of poor planning, but because life is expensive and unpredictable.
That's where having flexible access to credit can make a real difference. If you would like to learn more about personal lines of credit through CreditFresh, click here.
A few more things that actually help
Beyond having a financial cushion in place, there are some practical moves worth making before summer gets fully underway.
- Build a summer-specific budget. Your spending patterns in July look different from January — more gas, more food, more activity costs. Look at what you spent last summer, add 10-15% given where prices are, and plan from there. Knowing the number in advance means fewer surprises.
- Time your grocery trips around sales. Most stores reset their weekly sales mid-week. If you're planning meals around what's already marked down rather than building a list and then checking prices, you'll spend less without eating differently.
- Trip-stack your errands. Combining your grocery run, kids' dropoff, and any other stops into one big trip instead of multiple separate trips cuts your gas spending. It's one of the highest-return habits you can build when gas prices are high.
- Use a price-comparison app for gas. Apps like GasBuddy show you the cheapest stations near you before you pull in somewhere. The difference between the highest and lowest price in a two-mile radius can be 30 to 40 cents a gallon — which adds up meaningfully over a full summer of fill-ups.
- Price out big summer expenses now. If you've got a trip, back-to-school shopping, or home maintenance coming up, get the number on paper before it arrives. Knowing what's coming lets you spread the cost instead of absorbing it all at once.
Summer being expensive isn't new. But this year may feel harder to navigate than most. The good news is that most people are already adapting. Those who planned ahead may be better positioned to manage seasonal expenses, rather than reacting to costs as they come up.
Disclaimer – Survey information is based on aggregated customer responses collected by CreditFresh. Results are for general informational purposes only, and may not reflect all customers.
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.
