For college students like myself, there is constantly something to do with friends during the sweet summer months. However, fun summer activities can quickly add up in your wallet. I am here to tell you how you can spend little to no money and still have a blast this summer.

Make your backyard a vacation spot!

The easiest way to give your yard some pizazz is to build a fire pit. There is nothing quite like sitting around a warm fire, surrounded by friends and maybe a few cold beers. Roasting marshmallows and talking around the campfire is the best way to fulfill your nostalgic burned feeling of summer in your mind, right in your back yard.

My roommates and I decided to build our own fire pit and to my surprise, it is was inexpensive and easy! We picked up a metal ring built for fires, along with bags of river rock, from Home Depot. All we had to do was dig a slanted pit in our grass, secure the ring and fill the hole neatly with river rock. The entire process costed us less than $25 and an hour of our time.

Another inexpensive addition to make your backyard the summer hangout spot is to make a rope swing. All you really need is a rope and a tire. The best thing about a rope swing is that you can get as creative as you want with it. Instead of a tire, you could attach a tow rope, usually used for water skiing. This is a fun twist to the classic tire swing.

Small additions to your yard can make a huge difference! Place tiki torches around your fire pit and maybe some outdoor lights strung around a tree.

Another idea is to make your back yard into a volleyball court. A standard volleyball net is fairly inexpensive. All you need is some spray paint to make the boundary lines, a ball and some friends to play with! You could also lower your mower blade and cut a diamond in your back yard for some waffle ball.

We live in a world so filled with technology that we sometimes forget to enjoy the outdoors. Having summer fun does not have to cost you big bucks. As long as you have a creative mind, and a small amount of cash to spare, anyone can make their backyard into their own little vacation!