The story below is a preview from our July/August 2025 issue. For more stories like it, Subscribe Today. Thank you!
There are plenty of free or inexpensive ways to enjoy the summer without ever leaving your comfort zone.
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There’s something magical about summer — whether it’s the longer days that make it easier to linger over dinner and drinks in the late evening light or simply the holdover joy from school vacation in our childhood, summer is a season that just, as the kids say, hits different.
Which is maybe why it can feel like such a disappointment when you find yourself doing the same routine mid-July as the rest of the year. And watching co-workers and friends post colorful travel pics and growing steadily more tan while your days seem identical to any given Tuesday in March can be a bummer. Worse still when someone asks “So, any big summer plans?”
For many of us, there are going to be some summers when we don’t have anything notable going on. But just because your season is low key doesn’t mean it has to feel like a let down. The bounty of summer is often in the little things — like a fresh, in-season peach or the burst of dahlias at the end of a driveway — that can add joy to even your most ordinary days. If you’re facing the summer months with no big plans, here are some ideas for how to capture the spirit of this season’s magic.
Have a Staycation — Every Weekend
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Summer vacations aren’t always on the cards. Use these simple ideas as inspiration to amp up your time at home this season, so that you can enjoy that summer vacay feeling every day — even if it’s just on your lunch hour.
Go all in on beach reads. Load up on the juiciest romances or riveting thrillers and mysteries at the library. Read them on a towel while you lie in the sun and drink lemonade. Try audiobooks through the free library app Libby so you can enjoy vacation-vibe stories in the car, doing chores or on a walk.
Make a list of the all-time top summer blockbusters streaming online and turn any night into a movie night. Or, spend a rainy day marathoning an action trilogy or comparing an original to its remakes. Make popcorn, invite friends and heckle.
Dress like you’re on vacation: Wear your caftan, summer sandals, straw hat, fabulous sunnies and go to the farmers market. Have dinner on your porch in a halter dress you haven’t worn since that trip to Mexico in 2017.
Play music in the background. Choose a favorite playlist that reminds you of your favorite destination or a past trip. Try new music; try old classics. Try bossanova or ’60s European pop. Dance whenever you want.
Make a weekend menu of your favorite things, and eat everything on a tray in bed. Or make a picnic on the floor. Use your fancy glassware, nice plates and cloth napkins.
Light candles every night.
Give yourself a spa day: Give yourself the works with self-massage, face masks or manicures and pedicures. Have a long bubble bath in candlelight. Wear a robe all day. Put cucumber slices in your water.
Camp in your backyard. Make a fire, and roast hot dogs and s’mores. Watch the fireflies and the stars come out. Enjoy your indoor bathroom.
Summer Feasting
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Summer brings us a bounty of colorful produce of flavors at their peak. Enjoying them doesn’t necessarily require a recipe book and an expensive grocery haul. Here are my favorite ways to treat myself to summer’s harvest that are low effort and low cost:
Make specialty ice cubes to turn any of your daily beverages into beautiful treats. Use sliced fruit and edible flowers for a colorful addition to water or seltzers or try freezing coffee to cool off your morning java without watering it down.
Berries are at their cheapest during this season so you might stock up on more than you can eat before they start to turn. Either store them in freezer bags for future use or toss them in a mix of oil, balsamic and maple syrup and roast at 375 for 40 minutes or until they are jammy. Store in an airtight container in your fridge and use as a jam or topping for your ice cream or yogurt.
Extra tomatoes call for an easy tomato pie. Snag a store-bought pie crust or puff pastry, brush on a mix of whatever mayo/mustard/olive oil you prefer, layer in the tomatoes and sprinkle with salt. Bake according to the package and enjoy!
Make panzanella with stale baguettes. Cut cucumbers, tomatoes, onions and bread into similarly sized pieces, add some fresh basil and toss with oil, vinegar, salt and pepper.
Quick pickle all of your leftover onions, carrots and other veggie scraps by boiling 1:1 ratio of water and vinegars of your choice (I mix half white and half apple cider), a bit of sweetener of your choosing (honey, maple syrup or just regular sugar works, try a tablespoon per cup of liquid) and a dash of salt. Add peppercorns if you like spice. Load your sliced veggies into a clean jar, pour the liquid mixture over it, seal it and stick in the fridge. These are great on all sandwiches, salads, tacos or straight from the jar! Safe to eat after half an hour and last for a week or so in the fridge.
Dress up avocados with Everything Bagel seasoning, sliced radishes, boiled eggs or those pickled veggies you now keep in your fridge.
Experiment with adding flair to your dishes. Chop any fresh herbs and toss them on everything. Add flaky salt. Drizzle good olive oil. Crack pepper. Grate hard cheese, zest a citrus and then squeeze the juice on top for extra zing.
Chop up berries, peaches or nectarines, crumble some feta or Parmesan shavings and toast some nuts or seeds for a trio of flavor that works well in almost any salad.
Gatherings
Want to discover how to turn an ordinary summer into a season of small delights and staycation magic? Check out the latest issue, now on newsstands, or see it for free in our digital guide linked below!
The story above is a preview from our July/August 2025 issue. For more stories like it, Subscribe Today. Thank you!