photo: Butik Sophie
So... that's my take on the cost of summer. Sure, we all pay in sunburns, too many calories, and insect bites, but what really takes a hit is our bank accounts. Camping is not cheap, a Sunday drive is not free if you stop for five ice-creams, an outdoor project always costs more than you imagined, and the power used to run your pool pump and/or heater does not add up to savings in home heating costs. Those are the facts. Now... go hang your clothes on the line and fire up the barbeques for some $2/pack of hotdogs. Now that's cheap!! 
Who said summer was less expensive than winter? Sure, we save on heating costs, don't have to shop for Christmas presents, and can eat more hotdogs...but it certainly isn't cheap!! In between trips to the grocery store to stock up on ice-cream and barbeque fixings, jaunts to the local nursery for perrenials and annuals, and family vacations in our gas-guzzling vehicles, summer can drain the pocketbook like no other time!!
Progress on Sophie's playhouse continues, a project that my husband has now labelled "the money pit"...not quite the whimsical name I had envisioned for it!! 
Still, he is right; most of the summer projects we all undertake involve handing money over fist. We opened our pool for the season, and just that cost $100 - even before purchasing the summer supply of chemicals we will need to keep the pool sparkling clean (no cost for my labour, of course...). We have discussed building planters, trellises, finishing details on the pool deck, even tossed around options for the driveway. My enterprising hubby is actually considering pouring his own concrete driveway and walkway (with his dream team of like-minded buddies). When I piped up about wanting to do something a little different with the walkway (i.e. stamped, coloured concrete to mimic flagstone), my frank husband cocked his head, furrowed his eyebrows and casually replied, "You can't afford different!"
Still, he is right; most of the summer projects we all undertake involve handing money over fist. We opened our pool for the season, and just that cost $100 - even before purchasing the summer supply of chemicals we will need to keep the pool sparkling clean (no cost for my labour, of course...). We have discussed building planters, trellises, finishing details on the pool deck, even tossed around options for the driveway. My enterprising hubby is actually considering pouring his own concrete driveway and walkway (with his dream team of like-minded buddies). When I piped up about wanting to do something a little different with the walkway (i.e. stamped, coloured concrete to mimic flagstone), my frank husband cocked his head, furrowed his eyebrows and casually replied, "You can't afford different!" So true...nothing like a good bucket of cold water thrown onto me every now and then to remind me that I'm not Linda Rockefeller...!!
In fact, I like being who I am. I come from blue-collar roots and you can't beat them out of me. Sure, I like pretty things; but I get the greatest thrill from doing or making them ourselves. In fact, I just finished helping one of my best friends make-over her living room. She spent a total of $300, which included slipcovers, seagrass ottomans, a new light fixture, and paint. We had so much fun putting the final touches on the room, and we share a love of getting a great look for little money. She has no airs about her and was happy to accept some of the decorative items I was no longer in need of, which we put in the room. It turned out beautifully, with a wonderfully beachy feel like the rest of her home, and that is what really matters.
So... that's my take on the cost of summer. Sure, we all pay in sunburns, too many calories, and insect bites, but what really takes a hit is our bank accounts. Camping is not cheap, a Sunday drive is not free if you stop for five ice-creams, an outdoor project always costs more than you imagined, and the power used to run your pool pump and/or heater does not add up to savings in home heating costs. Those are the facts. Now... go hang your clothes on the line and fire up the barbeques for some $2/pack of hotdogs. Now that's cheap!!(ice cream photo: Matthew Mead Style)
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