Make the most of summer nights
Enjoy the lighter evenings and get some extra me-time at the end of a busy day
Try these simple ways to squeeze more into the warm evenings and longer days of June and July.
Make a family date
Instead of heading home after work and school, pick up younger kids or arrange to meet older sons and daughters and have tea out – park cafés stay open later in the summer months and won’t cost as much as the usual family restaurant trip would.
An evening walk
At first this seems like the last thing you’d want to do when there are dishes to wash and kids to put to bed, but even a 10- or 20-minute walk or cycle ride as dusk falls can be really refreshing – especially as it begins to cool after a really hot day.
Change supper time
Move dinner an hour earlier so you can fit in time to cuddle up and watch a whole film on DVD before bedtime, or move supper an hour later and get everyone round the table for a game of Scrabble before you eat.
Savvy tip
Cloudless skies in summer are great for star gazing. Look up a few of the more interesting constellations and get your garden chairs out, take a few blankets outside and serve up hot chocolate while you look up to see what the night sky really looks like from your own back yard. Who’ll be the first to spot the North Star, or Orion with its three little stars in a row in the middle of its formation?
Pass it on – garden dining room
Keep the summer spirit going by having breakfast, lunch and dinner outside. Check out our Savvy Alfresco Eating tips.