That Feral Housewife

It’s officially summer and you know the one thing that’s cheaper than camping? 

Beach trips!

Whether it’s to your favorite swimming hole, the local lake or river, or even if you’re lucky enough to access an actual ocean beach, a day trip is by FAR cheaper than a camping trip. Bonus points – you get to spend time with everyone you care about, and still sleep in your own bed at the end of the night. 

Here are my top 5 ways to streamline your next beach trip. 

1. Premake EVERYTHING. Don’t waste time and energy making sandwiches the day of or at the beach itself. I mean seriously – who wants a side of sand in their sandwich? Premake everything, and save yourself the headache. In addition, you don’t have to stop your relaxation time to make food for everyone else. 
2. Bring the W.A.T.E.R. (Water, Aloe, Towels, Emergency Kit, Relaxing Chair) Let’s keep everyone hydrated, aloe for sunburns/sunblock (a lot of commercial sunblocks have chemicals that don’t actually help you) and towels for the ride home. Inevitably someone will hurt themselves doing something, so a small basic first aid kit is always a good thing to add to the beach bag, and you deserve to relax – whether it’s a camp chair or a beach lounger, bring something to make your time out of the water a little more comfortable. 
3. Get the beach blanket. The kids have somewhere to crash out that’s not sandy, and it makes it easier than bringing a bunch of chairs. This thing is huge, and it WORKS. Comes in a variety of colors so pick something fun and easily identifiable. 
4. Load the cooler the night before. Put everything that does not HAVE to be kept cold in the cooler the night before. Save a step in the morning, pack a bag with everything that does have to be kept cold and put that bag as a whole into your fridge. Then in the morning when you’re running around, simply grab the one bag from the fridge, place it in the cooler and GO. Speaking of packing the night before, pack your beach bag the night before too. It’s so much nicer to have everything ready by the door than trying to remember 30 minutes into the drive if you forgot water or not. 
5. Wear your swimsuit instead of other clothes. Depending on where you’re going – changing facilities may not be available, so wearing your suit underneath your regular clothes or just the suit in general depending on your suit style saves a headache and a half when those kids just want to GET WET NOW. This is the one I personally wear and it’s good to just wear on its own without a coverup or anything. 

Remember – beach trips are supposed to be FUN. So get out there and enjoy the sun while it’s here! 

TFH