Remember the start of the summer? That glorious week when it felt like anything was possible. Well, it’s almost over now and you still haven’t done most of the stuff you said you would when you were filled with optimism.
Still, there’s nothing more British than clinging on to the last few days of summer and cramming in as much ‘summery’ stuff as you possibly can.
What do we mean by ‘summery stuff’? Well…
1. Go to a rooftop bar
Sure, we’ve all got our favourite haunts but they’re all a bit too… insidey. If you can’t stand on a rooftop and drink fancy cocktails as the sun beats down, pretending to be much cooler than you really are, then what’s the point in even having a summer? There was a new one that opened up in your town back in May. You saw people pretending to enjoy themselves when it was still a bit too cold, and promised you’d be back a few weeks later. Well, those weeks have passed and you’re still waiting. Time to put your money where your mouth is.
2. Spend a day at the beach
It’s only a couple of hours away in the car or on the train, and you’ve been desperate for a Mr Whippy ice cream with that red syrup for ages. Is it strawberry or raspberry, or just red? That’s always confused you. Anyway, we digress. You could be sitting out on a towel getting sand in your shoes and sunburn on your shoulders, but the time has never been quite right. You don’t want to wait another year, though, so it’s time to book those train tickets – no one likes getting stuck in seaside traffic, after all.
3. Book a city break
If you don’t fancy the beach, there’s always the option of jumping on a plane, train or ferry and leaving the country. Finally a reason to put those Duolingo lessons to use, not to mention sampling all the different items from foreign McDonald’s menus that you can’t get over here. Also, y’know, it’s probably warmer than here because… well, you’ve been here, you already know why.
4. Try one of those fancy ice creams
You know the type of thing we’re talking about. 70% dark chocolate. Creamy pistachio. One of those scoops that manages to taste exactly like Kinder Bueno bars, somehow. All sold out of a tiny shop smaller than an alleyway, or from a pop-up cart in the city centre. You got one last year and it was delicious, but this year you’ve not gone back for some reason. There’s a time and a place for Mr Whippys (the beach) and Magnums (your office, when you can convince someone to head to the shops) but the fancy gelato has always seemed like a special occasion thing. It doesn’t have to be, though. Get one. Get one now.
5. Dust off the BBQ
You didn’t have to bring the barbecue with you when you moved house, but you pictured all those summer nights sat outside with your closest friends as you grill some steaks to perfection. It hasn’t worked out like that, of course. There was the day you invited people round but saw the words ‘possible chance of drizzle’ on the weather forecast and thought it was a safer bet to just order pizza. There are still a couple of days left, though – invite round everyone you know, and if it rains again you can just go hungry.
6. Have a park sports day
It’s been ages since you did any competitive sport, but how hard can it be? It keeps the kids occupied for a few hours too, while you can grab food for a picnic on the way. It’s a real no-brainer, so why haven’t you done it yet?! The school holidays are finishing soon, and it’s much harder to get a group of people together around Christmas, so if you don’t want to leave yourself waiting for months or more then you’ll want to fit something in soon. Time to rediscover that knack for rounders and kwik-cricket – that talent never goes away!
7. Take back £350 a year by auto-switching with Look After My Bills
You’ve been putting off switching to a better energy deal, even though you’re smart enough to know you can save hundreds of pounds a year by doing so. Every time you think you’ll have a few minutes to sort it out, something else seems to come up. Winter’s just around the corner, though, and the last thing you want to do is worry about your bills shooting up even more when it gets cold.
Set aside a few minutes – we mean really set them aside – and sign up with Look After My Bills to see how much you could save by auto-switching. Let us take care of the rest, and you could be on average £256 better off. It’ll be worth it.
