Sun of a Savings!

Though it hasn’t looked or felt like summer this week, everyone’s favorite season is here, and it’s about time to start looking for fun things to do over the next few months in and around MA. Going to the beach is a great way to relax and keep cool, but sometimes a trip to the beach, especially those in Boston, can get  expensive! With parking, food, and, of course, the expense of gas the cost for a trip to the beach can easily get out of hand. Here are some quick tips to having fun in the sun without breaking the bank—

On Parking

   
1.Get a season pass

If you have a favorite beach which you frequent during the summer, you can save money by getting a season pass, but you should do it early while prices are still low. Many beaches in the greater Boston area, Cape Cod, Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard charge $15-20/day for parking. However, with a parking pass averaging $175 for the season you can theoretically go to the beach 106 times from Memorial Day to Labor Day. And, at an average of $15/day you could easily get your money's worth by visiting the beach just 11 times from June to late August, so a pass may be just the right ticket.You can take a look here for some quick facts and parking prices for popular beaches in Massachusetts.

2. Go to a DCR Beach

DCR stands for Department of Conservation and Recreation, and DCR Beaches are simply those which are considered state parks. You can save a TON by heading to DCR beaches because a year-long (January-December) DCR parking pass is only $35 for Massachusetts residents and $45 for non-residents. This pass gets you unlimited one-day parking for not only DCR beaches, but any state park facility that charges a parking fee (note that not all of them do—so you could try looking into those for another fun but frugal summer outing!). Parking fees for a single day are cheap, as well, and range from $2/day in smaller areas to $5 at inland water areas to $7-$9 at ocean beaches. Given how cheap the year-long pass is, however, it might be best for you to buy your pass in January and reap all the benefits of DCR state parks and beaches in summer and beyond. And here’s a fun tip—the Nantasket beach was just named the cleanest DCR beach in the Boston area! Check out this article in the Boston Globe for the list of the cleanest and least-clean DCR beaches as ranked by Save the Harbor/Save the Bay. 

           3. Head out of state

Sometimes, beaches out of state can be worth the commute. At Hampton Beach in New Hampshire, for example, you can spend just $5 to park for 10 hours on weekdays and $10 for 15 hours on weekends! You can even park overnight for $15 for the night and whatever the following day’s fee would be for the next day. Hampton also has cool events throughout the summer that you can attend for no extra cost, such as a firework display, master sand-sculpting contest, Children’s Festival, and Seafood Festival. 

On Dining

   

     1.Leave the beach to eat

Find out about the surrounding town before heading to the beach to see if there are any restaurants in the area. These locations could be cheaper than the restaurants at the beach, as well as, less crowded. If you have a day-long parking sticker, you will be able to take your car to find a place to eat and not have to pay for parking a second time when you return. If you do not have a sticker and must pay every time you park, see if there’s a place within walking distance where you can grab lunch or dinner. 
 2. Have a picnic on the beach

Bringing your own food can be a great way to save money and, by turning it into a picnic, you can make your meal fun! There are a ton of other benefits to picnicking on the beach—you can bring food that you actually like, you don’t have to wait in long lines or sift through crowds during lunch or dinner time, and you don’t have to eat the often-unhealthy beach food. 

On sun-safety

1.       

      1. Don’t be fooled by a higher (and more expensive) SPF

While sunscreen is important for any trip to the beach and should actually be used consistently throughout the year (see the facts from the American Cancer Society here), the most effective sunscreen is not necessarily the most costly one. Higher SPF sunscreens often cost more than those of lower SPF, but their benefits are minimal. The American Cancer Society tells us that SPF 15 sunblock protects you from 93% of the sun’s UVB rays, SPF 30 protects against 97%, and SPF 50 protects against 98%. Furthermore, SPF 100 does not protect you from 100% of UVB rays and other types of radiation, though it gets close (then again, all SPFs, as you can see, get pretty close, as well). It is more important to buy sunscreens that offer a “broad spectrum” or “multi-spectrum” of protection, because that means they protect against UVA and UVB rays, which impact your skin in different ways.  Check here for more truths about sunscreen.

           2. Don’t splurge on waterproof or water-resistant sunscreen

The fact is that water-resistant and waterproof sunscreen washes off, too, just not as quickly. The AmericanCancer Society tells us that a water-proof sunscreen must be re-applied after 80 minutes of water exposure, water-resistant sunscreens must be re-applied after 40 minutes, and regular sunscreen must be re-applied after 20 minutes. Regardless, you will need to re-apply your sunscreen frequently, but waterproof and water-resistant sunscreens are often a lot more expensive than regular sunscreens. Unless you plan on swimming for the duration of your trip, in which case waterproof sunscreen might be best because you would have to return to land and re-apply less frequently, you could save a lot by using a regular sunscreen.

As always, please tell us your summer savings tips and we will post it to Savvy Student!