This post contain paid partnership with Stop and Shop.
Summertime is fun and amazing.  In our family, we like to do activities outside and enjoy the nice weather as much as we can. I love going to parks and playground and setting up a picnic with my little ones, its something we truly enjoy and look forward to. I also like this type of activity because I can plan ahead. But lets face it, it can also cost us a lot of money if we are not careful. This doesn’t mean that we can’t enjoy the summer and have fun with our family and friends. It doesn’t have to cost you a lot of money if you simply plan and follow some simple steps.

If you are trying to save money this summer whether is on picnics, a trip to the beach or a bbq with the family you should check out Stop and Shop deals.

When my family started going through our spending carefully, we realized that we were leaking money from our budget by buying food out. We would take a trip to the free state park, but then spend lots of money feeding our family. With the high cost of eating out, going anywhere during the summer end up being too expensive. So my easy solution is by packing my own food to go with us. I go to Stop and Shop and try to get all the deals they have. I get things my husband and I like and also stuff for out little boy. This month of July they have a great selection of items on sale that are perfect for summer.

I like to follow a few tricks to make planning a picnic much easier. Make sure you plan your picnics ahead of time. Include the picnic ingredients in your regular grocery shopping trips and schedule a time for you to prep the foods ahead of time. Don’t rely on the morning of your picnic to do this, as that morning will likely be hectic as it is.
This weekend we went to Cheesequake State Park for some family time fun. I went to Stop and Shop the day before and gathered all the ingredients I needed to make snacks that are also kid friendly. One great tip if you have kids is to spread all the snacks in a muffin baking pan like I did here. They get so excited with all the colors and want to try everything. As you can see in my photos, the cherry tomatos were gone in no time lol. My boy loved it. I also like to include fruits, veggies, crackers, cheese and dips. Homemade sanduiches are also a great option for the whole family. Once you learn how to efficiently do your own picnic from home it becames very easy.

If you are looking for fun and budget friendly activites this summer, picnics are always a great call. Head to Stop and Shop and grab all the amazing deals they have and save money. Prep ahead and have everything ready to go. When you get to your chosen location youjust need a blanket, a place to display your food and snacks and it will sure be a fun time with your family. Not only are picnics frugal, but they’ll help you create some great family memories as well!