Having a pool in your backyard can be an expensive thing. If you’re not careful, you can spend quite a bit of money on basic upkeep. Here are a few tips to save some money on this fun summer experience:
- Keep it cool — ice blocks: As the weather stays hot, the water in the pools gets hotter too. It’s not very refreshing to swim in hot water. We take empty milk jugs or coke bottles, fill with water and freeze. We drop them in our pool and let the ice melt. This costs us nothing and really drops the temperature of the pool.
- Keep it clean — use a kiddy pool at the ladder: One friend of mine keeps a little plastic kiddy pool at the foot of her ladder. That way anytime they get into the above ground pool, they wash the grass and dirt off their feet. This keeps their pool clean and cuts down on the maintenance.
- Find a coupon — Aquchem: If you'll take a minute to create a user profile, we can give you the best service possible. As a thank you for setting up your profile, we will mail you a $5 coupon good towards any Aqua Chem product. http://www.aquachem.com/mp/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=643e86a289aad110VgnVCM10000053d7010aRCRD&vgnextfmt=default
- Arm & Hammer Pool Maintenance Tabs: The Arm & Hammer website keeps coupons on their site. You do have to register but it is free and easy. http://www.armandhammer.com/
- Free Pool Test Kit: You can order a free pool test kit so you can test your ph and chlorine levels. http://www.healthypools.org/freeteststrips/
Sunscreen coupons:
Save $1 on Coppertone http://www.coppertone.com/
Save $1 on Hawaiian Tropic http://hawaiiantropic.com/Promotions/Coupon/CouponSignUp.aspx
Hang it up: Simple coat hanger hooks on the deck: One common issue with kids and swimming pools is the extra laundry from beach towels that get dropped on the floor. We solve this issue by putting up cheap coat hanger hooks on our deck. Now the kids can hang up their suits and beach towels so they’ll be able to find them when they next want to swim. We have less dirty laundry and the kids can find their stuff anytime they head to the pool.
Rinse off the filter: Small pool filters get really dirty really fast. Instead of replacing the filter every two weeks, we rinse the filters with the water hose every few days. This saves us the money of buying new filters.
Bring in the goggles: The plastic on goggles can get brittle from the sun and chlorine, so make it a habit to bring those goggles in. This helps the goggles last longer and saves you money because you don’t have to keep buying new ones. If you have dogs that chew things, then you definitely need to bring them in. Nobody wants a chewed up pair of goggles.
Take pictures: Summer doesn’t last very long. So preserve your summer pool memories by taking pictures — lots of them! Then when the snow starts falling and the kids have to spend more time indoors you can pull out the photos and relive the fun memories of summer.
What’s your best tip for saving money on your backyard pool? I’d love to hear!
Sharon Williams blogs about saving money in real life at www.reallifedeals.com and ways to pursue your hobbies without breaking your budget at www.hobbiesonabudget.com.
