Deals to Help You Make the Most of Summer

It's only the first week of July, but before you know it, the summer will be nearly over. Don't let the season fly by without taking full advantage of everything it has to offer. The folks at Real Simple have compiled a helpful guide that's full of fun ways to make your summer special, and we're thrilled by how many budget-friendly options it involves. Some are geared more so toward altering your approach to different activities (like how to optimally pack a beach bag, for example), but several could make use of a few choice product purchases. So, while perusing the site's guide to making the most of your summer, take our deal suggestions into consideration to enhance the experiences.

Reach Out for a Free Sports Souvenir

Catch a fly ball at a baseball game this summer by bringing your mitt, coming early for batting practice, and sitting in an aisle seat. If you're doubtful of your ability to make the catch though, you can always consider snagging a deal instead. Stock up on memorabilia at MLB.com while the store takes 17.76% off in-cart during its Independence Day Sale (expires July 5). You'll even find some official balls that you can say were caught at a game.

Go Play Outside

Real Simple recommends entertaining party guests with lawn games like frisbee, cornhole, and croquet. It will certainly keep everyone occupied during summer BBQs while the food is busy cooking. We additionally suggest badminton and horseshoes, although we have lawn game deals for all five options.

Give Your Jeans a Second Life

A word to the wise: when making jean shorts out of old denim, don't just hack away with the scissors; you may discover you've made them irreversibly too short. Instead, the Creative Director at Levi's gives excellent step-by-step advice for the perfect cut. But for those of us too attached to shred our favorite pair of blues, consider buying a pair of shorts during the Lee shorts sale, where styles start at just $14.70. (You can get a unique coupon code to take an extra 15% off too when you sign up to receive emails from Lee.)

Look Up to the Sky Above

Summer is the perfect time to throw your head back and marvel at the stars. Real Simple offers some helpful tips for using an astronomical map, and we've got the stargazing gear you'll need to up the ante. You can ease into the hobby with a pair of astronomy binoculars — like the Celestron SkyMaster 71018 20x80mm Binoculars ($99.94 with free shipping, a low by $30) — or dive in completely with a reflector, refractor, or Cassegrain telescope.

Swing Easy

Nothing is more embarrassing than awkwardly tumbling to the ground while trying to recline in a relaxing hammock, so consider following this advice: sit down gently and allow the hammock to steady itself before swinging your legs up. You can test your form out with this Portable Hammock ($20.99 via coupon code "NJD" with $7.99 s&h, $19 off).

Front page photo credit: Moms by Heart
Photo credits top to bottom: Permanent Press and Image Shack