surprised kids holding chalk board with summer camp letters

Pack Smart, Save Big: Money-Saving Hacks for Summer Camp

Camp can pose a significant financial burden for many parents, making it crucial to find ways to purchase items that serve multiple purposes.

Not only will this help save money, but it will also allow for more efficient use of space in your child’s luggage.

While camps typically provide packing lists, it’s worth considering how certain items can be combined to alleviate the strain on your budget.

kids exploring nature at summer camp with counselor

Save Money When Packing

With strategic packing, you can ensure that your children have all the essentials without breaking the bank. Here are a few tips to help you achieve this goal.

Terry Cloth Robes Instead of a Bunch of Towels

One challenge children face at camp is transporting towels, bathing supplies, and other items to the showers.

However, there is a solution: kids’ robes.

These robes are not only absorbent like towels, but they also come with pockets to store toothbrushes, soaps, and shampoo/conditioner.

By using these robes, you can eliminate the need for a separate carrying case for their toiletries and pack fewer towels since the robe can serve as a towel.

Furthermore, the robes provide an additional layer of warmth over their pajamas on cold nights, eliminating the need for extra sets of warm clothes.

Additionally, they provide a convenient option for nighttime bathroom trips, eliminating the hassle of changing clothes in the dark.

These robes can also double as pillows during campouts and provide extra warmth during nighttime campfires and as sleepwear.

Flashlights, Lanterns, and Bug Repellents

When attending summer camps, it is often suggested to purchase a flashlight for walking to the cabins and a lantern for campouts.

However, instead of buying individual items, opting for a combination flashlight and lantern can be a more cost-effective choice.

Online platforms like Amazon or eBay offer budget-friendly options for such combination products.

This approach not only enables you to save money by comparing prices from different stores, but it also allows you to explore other camping supplies available at these stores, such as bug repellent.

Additionally, by ordering all your required items from the same vendor or a few selected vendors, you can minimize shipping costs by consolidating your purchases.

Moreover, utilizing your shopping cart to create a product checklist ensures that you have everything you need for your camping trip.

Mix and Match your Kids Clothing

Camp means mud, stains, and ripped clothes are likely coming back home. 

That also means that you need to make sure they have enough to be able to wear.  Instead of sending them with different outfits, buy clothes that mix and match to create a ton. 

You could pack 10 outfits that look amazing together, but this takes up more space and means that if something gets ripped or ruined, the other pieces of the outfit are also gone. 

Rather than purchasing individual outfits, consider buying shirts, shorts, or pants that can be paired together and complement each other.

This way, if one piece of clothing gets ruined, the rest of the items will still be viable and can be mixed and matched effortlessly.

For instance, you could opt for three or four solid-color t-shirts that can be worn with a pair of shorts or blue jeans.

By doing so, you not only minimize the amount of clothing occupying space in your wardrobe but also expand your options in terms of colors and outfits, while avoiding the need to discard clothes due to mismatching issues.

This approach can be equally applied when choosing pajamas for your children.

Purchase characters or designs that can be swapped and mixed with various colors.

Additionally, invest in a single set of short bottoms and another set of long bottoms, both of which can be paired with multiple matching tops.

By having four tops and two bottoms, you will have a total of eight outfit possibilities suitable for chilly evenings, warm nights, and any other occasion.

Furthermore, this approach allows you to save space as you won’t need to pack eight complete matching outfits.

Talk to Other Parents

Discover other parents who have sent their children to camp and inquire about their strategies for finding great deals on products or any ingenious combinations they have discovered.

You may be pleasantly surprised to learn that some parents have found affordable ponchos at a local dollar store, allowing their children to forgo bulky umbrellas.

These multipurpose ponchos can also be used to protect their bags and shoes from getting wet outside the tent by wrapping them in the poncho.

Furthermore, the compact nature of ponchos ensures they do not occupy much space in your child’s belongings.

Look Through Coupon Sites

When it comes to online shopping, it’s worth visiting coupon websites as they provide an abundance of coupons for nearly all major retailers.

Moreover, these platforms offer valuable shopping advice and money-saving tips specific to each store.

Additionally, some of them even offer cashback incentives on top of the coupons, providing you with extra savings.

Money-Saving Camp Hacks

Enrolling your kids in a summer camp offers numerous benefits, including the opportunity for them to explore and learn about nature, engage in physical activities, and make new friends.

Meanwhile, as a parent, you can use this time to catch up on work and enjoy some much-needed solitude with your partner, enabling you to unwind and relax.

Moreover, the anticipation of reuniting with your children upon their return adds an extra element of excitement.

To streamline the packing process for camp, consider cleverly combining items to save space.

Not only will this save you money, but it will also make packing a breeze for both you and your children.