With summer fast approaching, our minds are beginning to wander to more relaxing times. There is no question that tanning by the beach and making smoothie bowls with your friends is infinitely more fun than your schoolwork. It’s still important to compartmentalize and focus your excitement while still being able to keep up with the happenings of the school year. That being said, we are all college students, and budgeting is a must. Here are some of the budget essentials I recommend for warmer weather.
Skincare
This should be a no-brainer, but sunscreen is the number one thing you’ll need if you plan on being outside in the sun. I’ve been so frustrated in the past by trying to find a drug store sunscreen that works (and won’t leave my face as white as a ghost). The best one I’ve found so far, it has great UV protection, doesn’t have much of a smell, and isn’t white on your face. The Neutrogena Invisible Daily Defense, with SPF 60.
For body UV protection, I love the Sun Bum SPF 50. It smells great, protects your skin, and still allows you to get a tan safely. Also, I’m a sucker for cute packaging, and I love having the bottle floating around in my tote bag somewhere. Make sure your ears, shoulders, and nose are all coated well in the face or body sunscreen since the sun is more likely to burn the high points of your body.
Even though you are lessening your chance of burning and peeling by wearing sunscreen, a bad sunburn is inevitable. When that happens, you are going to need two things. First, you need aloe vera. This is so soothing for your skin after a burn. Honestly, even if you aren’t too burnt, this is just a great way to calm your skin. For this one, there is no right or wrong answer. Many aloe vera gels in the drug store are the same. A lot of them are even labeled as sunburn relief. Along with this, you are going to want chapstick. Your lips are so sensitive, especially in hot and dry weather. Everyone has their own preference, so choose one you know works for you, but my personal favorite is aquaphor.
Beach bag
If you don’t want to use some random backpack from your closet, there are tons of cute tote bags online that work perfectly for the beach. I recommend a pretty durable one, so it lasts beyond summertime and is strong enough to carry everything you need effortlessly. You’re probably going to bring some bulky things like Tupperware and water bottles, so it’s important that your bag stands the test of time.
Speaking of water bottles, staying hydrated is one of the most important things you can do in the summer. Insulated water bottles can cost a lot of money. I’ve been using this one for a few months, and I can’t recommend it enough. It may seem like a lot of money, but I promise you it is worth every penny. An added bonus is that it comes in some really cute colors. Finally, keep some liquid I.V. on you at all times. I’ve gotten dehydrated on so many occasions, and this has been a lifesaver.
Clothing
Picking out bathing suits is one of my favorite things about summer. Growing up my mom would always let me buy one nice swimsuit to last me the whole summer, so don’t feel too bad about splurging on one if you know you’re going to get good use out of it. However, if you are looking for some relatively affordable ones, there are plenty on websites like Amazon. I really like Pac Sun when it comes to swimsuits, you can mix and match tops and bottoms, and there are so many styles and colors to pick from.
You need some trusty sandals or flip-flops to protect your feet from burning hot sand and pavement. Flip flops run fairly cheap in most places, but I do caution away from rubber ones since you might end up having to replace them way more than you’d like. A helpful tip, make sure you break them in before wearing them for a long time, your feet are used to wearing boots and sneakers and likely haven’t been in flip-flops in a hot minute.
Sunglasses can be found anywhere. Sure you could spend a lot of money on them, but why would you do that when Target or even your closest gas station has a bunch of insanely cheap ones that work just as well? Let’s not kid ourselves either. We all lose or break sunglasses, so buying some cheap ones for the beach is a great option.