We might be too old to go door-to-door and ask strangers for candy… but we’re not too old to dress up as slutty versions of our favorite childhood fairy tales characters, animals, or public service workers, are we? Besides, if we’re struggling to pay $49.99 for a “Sexy Bull Fighter” costume, dammit, we want to get the most bang for our buck!

Here are a few games and party options that you can host throughout Halloween week, just to get into the spirit of things!

Liquor Treat
This game can be the most fun, but is also the most difficult to pull off, especially if you live in a dorm with a strict RA or a No-Alcohol Policy. Similar to an “Around-the-World” party, you have to rally everyone on your floor/in your apartment building to participate. The members of each room or apartment choose a theme…and a type of liquor. When guests arrive, they go door to door and can stay to mingle in any room they like. When they ring the doorbell, they are also rewarded with a shot– hence, this is the grown-up’s version of Trick or Treat.

Scary Movie Drinking Games
Take advantage of the fact that F/X, Sci-Fi, and all of the basic cable channels will be playing Friday the 13th, Nightmare on Elm Street and Halloween over and over for the whole month of October. If you are familiar with the movie, you can make up your own rules – e.g. take a shot every time the theme song plays in Halloween, or chug a beer every time you hear the “whispers” in Friday the 13th, or you can find several ready-made drinking games online to play. The good news? You’ll be so buzzed by the end that you won’t be too scared to sleep with the lights off!

Monster Mash
(Courtesy of Celebrations.com)
This is one of those counting drinking games that is so difficult to get the hang of, and so easy to get absolutely smashed by playing.

Sitting in a circle, you and your friends go around the room and count off–no small feat for college students! On numbers divisible by “3,” the player says the word “monster” instead of the number, and on numbers divisible by “5,” they say “mash” instead of the number. Whoever screws up, drinks. Once you get going, then, the game should sound something like, “1..2…monster…4….mash…monster….7…8….monster….mash.”

Boo! Zoo
Too smart to waste your night on a mere counting game? Throw in some crazy hand gestures! This is the Halloweenified version of the game “Zoo,” which you may or may not have heard of, but that needs to get into your Drinking Game vocabulary.

To play Zoo, everyone sits in a circle, again, and before you begin, go around the room and have everyone think of a word and a quick hand gesture to go along with it. For Halloween, then, a player might be “Ghost” and have a ghostlike motion, while another player is “Stab” and makes the universal signal for stabbing someone.

To begin the game, everyone must clap in a “We Will Rock You” rhythm. The starting player is predetermined, and the opening chant is as follows: “What are we playing?” “Boo Zoo!” “Why are we playing?” “Get f**ked up!”

The starting player continues the clapping, but inserts her word and gesture into it, and then inserts another players’ word and signal. Example: clap-clap-Ghost, clap-clap-Stab. Stab must be alert, and continue the clapping rhythm, following suit by shouting another players’ signal and performing their movement. The best part of this game is that whenever someone messes up, all players must partake in a group social! This one gets extremely tricky in large groups, which means more drinking for all involved!

Bobbing for Booze
I’m not going to lie, bobbing for apples was NOT my favorite fall game growing up; then again, who really wants to stick their face in some tepid water that the other kids have probably snotted and drooled in, only to come out with a freaking apple? For college purposes, why not mix things up a bit? Buy a bunch of nips from the liquor store (or have everyone bring a couple to throw into the pot), and toss them in a bin or vat of some sort that’s filled with water. Give everyone a turn to bob for nips, and then let everyone shoot their prizes! If you want to be bad, buy some nips of the nastiest liquor you can find, because you won’t be able to see what you’re bobbing for while you play.

And if you are really up for a challenge, toss the nips in a vat of jungle juice instead of water, and see where the night takes you from there!

[Get your Halloween on here.]

On Spring Break, however, once you get off the plane at your final destination, you’re in it for the long haul. Though you anticipate your vacay being the highlight of the semester, it can be grueling to go all day, every day, and, being far from home, there’s a lot that can go wrong. Nothing is suckier than getting sick in a foreign place, fighting with your tripmates, or getting into a sticky situation in an unfamiliar place. Make sure you make it back to school in one piece this spring, by taking a few simple precautions.

1. Do your research.

Get some maps, or travel guides with tips, before you leave. Ask people you trust if they can recommend a good hotel. Try to brush up on the local rules or laws of the place you’re headed. The last thing you want to do is get lost, check into a lodging that is reminiscent of hostel, or get in trouble for something you didn’t even think was wrong.

2. Pack wisely.

Flip flops might be a necessity, but what about when you take a day trip that requires walking around all day to take in the sights? Pack a comfortable pair of shoes just in case that long night of clubbing wore out your feet. And even if you think you’re going somewhere tropical and plan to be in a bathing suit all day, it can’t hurt to throw a sweater in your suitcase for when the temperature drops after dark.

3. Give yourself a budget.

Say, “I’m going to spend X dollars a day,” or, “I have this much to spend all week. I should plan to spend 20% on food, 10% on travel, 30% on shopping and excursions, and 20% on nightlife.” Note that these percentages don’t make up 100%. You’ll want some emergency cash in case of a day of indulgence, or to make sure you have enough left to get home at the end of the week. Even if you don’t stick to your budget, you’ll be a lot closer than if you just went on a free-spirited spending spree.

4. Don’t rely on cell phones.

You don’t know where you’ll hit a dead zone, or a high-frequency area that won’t let your calls through. Plus, chances are, once you leave for the day, you’re gone. So what happens if your phone dies? Or if you thought your phone would work overseas, and it suddenly doesn’t. If you and your friends are splitting up into groups, establish a set time and meeting spot, just to make sure you don’t miss each other. Meet up a couple times a day to reevaluate the plan, or say you’ll all get dinner at six and then decide the night’s course of action.

5. Lather up!

Okay, I’m going to backtrack all the way to high school, even though we’re all in college now. It was my senior class trip to Florida, a week before prom. I’m so white I could be considered “Clear” before “Caucasian,” so I reapplied the sunblock like my life depended on it. When we got back to school, I remember one girl’s legs were so burned that they were fire engine red and swollen like tree trunks. And I was the only girl without ridiculous tan lines at the prom.  Shiseido makes a great sunscreen that leaves your skin feeling smooth, not leathery.

6. Stay. In. Groups.

Seriously, not to be your mom or anything, and we’re all grown up enough to know the buddy system is safer than the… stumbling through the streets alone system. Besides, isn’t the point on a high-priced vacation to spend some QT with your faves?

7. Have fun!

Don’t stress about your daily itinerary down to the minute. Don’t freak out if a stranger says “Hello.” Don’t argue with your friends about whether to hit the beach or lounge by the hotel pool. Come one, it’s only seven short days. Enjoy it. You deserve it!

Any other tips? Share them below!

“I don’t know if we should talk about this…”

“And why not? Everybody has sex!”

“Yeah, but everybody should be making love.”

“Come on, how many guys do you know making love?”

–Salt N Pepa, “Let’s Talk About Sex”

In the past six months, I’ve had sex. I’ve been laid. I f*cked. However, it’s been a long time since I’ve made love, and I kind of miss it. Some people might argue that there’s no difference – physically, they are the same. But emotionally, passionately, and mentally, the two deeds are very different.

1. The First Time.

The first time you make love with your partner, it’s usually a very special moment. It’s often planned out in advance, especially in new relationships. There’s often sensual foreplay, and your bodies fit together perfectly.

If it’s your first time with a new partner and you’re just having sex, it may be spontaneous. Your partner may not be your boyfriend, or even your crush, and the decision to go all the way is frequently a hormonal (thanks, booze!) impulse. First time sex can be sloppy and awkward as you try to find the right position, and after everything’s said and done, it feels like there was something missing.

2. Your BAC.

I’ve heard of drunken sex, but I’ve never heard of inebriated love-making. If anyone has experienced the urban legend of wasted love-making, I’d love to hear about it.

3. The Setting.

If you’re about to copulate in a dim room filled with candles, on a bed covered with rose petals, you’re probably going to make love. If you’re going to do it in the backseat of a car, an airplane bathroom, an elevator, or another compact space that may have legal repercussions attached, it’s sex.

Al fresco sex/love-making is a grey area. Sure, sex on the beach or in the woods may sound like a fairy tale scenario, but dirt in sand in uncomfortable places can ruin the romance.

4. The Soundtrack.

Lovemaking songs include “The Fear You Won’t Fall” by Joshua Radin or “Wild Horses” by the Rolling Stones (or any cover version, including Mazzy Star, Jewel, or the Sundays). F*cking songs range from “Crazy Bitch” by Buckcherry to “Every Girl” by Lil’ Wayne. Do you really want to ride someone when the words “You f— so good I’m on top of it” blare from the stereo? Likewise, “Birthday Sex” by Jeremih is a bit tacky.

Sure, there isn’t always music playing when you’re doing it, but if you could have picked a song to illustrate last night’s mood, which would you pick?

5. The Aftermath.

Lovemaking includes mutual orgasms, followed by spooning and cuddling. If you’re in a relationship, your boyfriend’s post-sex behavior could include promptly rolling over and falling asleep, or the phrase “That was great,” despite the fact that you didn’t get off. If you’re single, you’ll take the walk of shame after a long night of sex. In those rare occasions that you’ve made love to someone without commitment, it could turn into breakfast in the morning, a few more rounds, and maybe even a new relationship.

In my opinion (and experience), it’s far more common to have sex than to make love. However, this means that when you do find yourself both emotionally and physically stimulated with a partner you care for very deeply, you appreciate the art of lovemaking so much more than that one-night stand a few months ago with whatshisname.

Any other differences between “sex” and “making love”? Share your thoughts below!

Ahhh, Fourth of July.

It’s not a holiday that carries the burden of gift exchange, and you don’t feel guilty if you don’t spend it with your family. Is that why it’s one of the best days to celebrate? People make plans for the Fourth months in advance, which is more than we can say for St. Patrick’s day, its celebratory-drunkfest cousin. So what is it that makes Independence Day so special? I mean… other than the fact that we have freedom of speech and right to assemble and such.

1. Fireworks.

They appeal to everyone. The rebels can light stuff on fire and blow things up. The artists can appreciate the colorful patterns of light against a midnight sky. And the lovers can tell themselves it’s okay if they just did it in a park on a blanket. Fireworks and Fourth of July are like Mistletoe and Christmas. They just aren’t as cool if you pick the wrong day.

2. Hot Dogs.

Am I the only one that kind of thinks Joey Chestnut is hot? Or the only person who has the SNL Saturday TV Funhouse featuring Takero Kobayashi bookmarked? Seriously, my inner fat kid can live vicariously through these competitive eaters. It’s like rubbernecking a bad car crash — you can’t help but cheer when 90-something-pound Sonja Thomas proceeds to chomp 8 hot dogs in about 15 seconds. Sonja, your metabolism is the kind of freedom every girl wishes for this Fourth of July.

3. Bank Holidays.

This year, the 4th occurs on a Saturday. My office is having a half day on the 2nd, and a full day off on the third. That’s a 3 1/2 day weekend, all because we gained our independence from the Brits a couple hundred years ago. Score! Many of us that do have to work can rest assured that we’re getting time and a half, and a lot of places have extended their patriotic holiday to include closings on Monday the 6th. Awesome!

4. Bikinis.

Really, the 4th is the only summer holiday. Sure, if you live some place with consistent warm weather, like California, Florida, or Hawaii, you can have pool parties and cookouts whenever you like. But even if it is nice weather year-round, can you really justify a bathing suit at Christmas dinner? Whether you’re having a party or a family get-together on the fourth, you can express your independence in a string bikini and get away with it this weekend

5. Colored booze.

For St. Pat’s, they dye the beer green. BFD. For the fourth, you have a plethora of options, especially since there are THREE patriotic colors. From red strawberry daiquiris to blue Electric Iced Teas, you can mask your social drinking problem and look festive all at once! A lot of barbecues will be supplying cherry and blueberry Jell-O shots for the occasion, or just swing back a PBR and boast that you’re a true, red-blooded American.

If these aren’t enough reason to love the fourth, then I suggest you flip on TBS — hello, Independence Day is bound to be playing on repeat. Not only can you get your daily dose of Will Smith, but you can repeat the line “Welcome to Earf” until it’s just not funny anymore.

What type of independence are you celebrating this year?

Take a minute. Catch your breath. Reread if you don’t believe it.

I’m sorry, but I’ve never enjoyed oral sex. I have no problem doling it out, but there are only a couple of men whom I’ve allowed to walk the red carpet, and they’ve only had the privilege on rare occasions.

My aversion to cunnilingus, I feel, stems from low self esteem and a rather horrific first time. I was shy and inexperienced, and losing my virginity was no Cinderella story. After that, it was a long time before I had vaginal sex again, but I did dole out my fair share of blow jobs. Go figure.

Looking back, I think it was a control issue. I had little control over my first time, and to me, going down on a guy was controlling. I was calling the shots. I could get him off. He was the one lying on the bed, losing his mind to ecstatic climax (sorry, I am damn good at fellatio). With regular sex, I felt like the power was equal. My partner and I were both simultaneously trying to please the other, while experiencing our own euphoric physical feelings. It was okay to give away my body, because it was a fair trade

I told myself I was like Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman. You know, the prostitute that doesn’t kiss on the lips because she has to save something to prove her feelings when she finally falls in love. I had boyfriends, and I was sexually active, but I knew that I wanted to save something for the first time I fell in love. And since I was most insecure with being eaten out, cunnilingus became my “kiss on the lips.”

However, eventually I overcame whatever traumas I dealt with when I first started experimenting. And I finally found the man I was comfortable enough with to allow him to explore the depths that no man had gone before. And… it was disappointing.

For the ladies who have received mind-blowing oral sex, I’m sure you are shaking your head, thinking of all of the wonderful orgasms you’ve had thanks to a few flicks of the tongue. But for me, it’s just not arousing. I think it’s way hotter to feel my partner’s body in tandem with my own, being able to touch him and feel his heart beating next to mine. Lying there, letting him try to get me off and knowing it’s not that great for him just doesn’t do it.

I’m not saying I’m opposed, and I’m sure there will be other serious boyfriends who can try to get me off orally. But it’s not something I am longing for, nor is it something I’m missing in my life. I’d rather ride on top any day.

Last spring, I was gearing up to graduate and was waiting for the job offers to come rolling in. Instead, the only opportunity that came my way was a summer internship. At the time, I was making plenty of money waiting tables, but I knew that the added experience of an internship would add to my credentials– even if it meant taking a pay cut. So I moved to upstate New York to a place that was a five-hour drive from everyone I would care to visit.

When I first got there, I quickly realized that this job sucked. My boss, the woman who had hired me, misinformed me when I had inquired about the hours, the workload, and the learning potential of the position during my interview. However, by the end of August, when it was time to pack up and move on, I realized I had just had one of the best summers of my life.

Before I go into the ways that you, too, can make the most of your summer internship, let me explain why mine was so terrible. I had been hired by a nonprofit regional theater company as an administrative intern for their summer season. As an English major who was trying to break into theater, that sounded right up my alley when my boss had described my duties. However, when I arrived, I quickly learned that the majority of my time would be spent serving as assistant house manager — ripping tickets and listening to patrons bitch for 8 shows a week.

Though I had thought that I would build my portfolio by working side-by-side with the theater’s Educational Coordinator, my first week was spent vacuuming dust off of the theater’s 500 seats and battling the cobwebs that had set in while the venue was dark for the winter.

But I came out OK and you can too. Here are some tips for making the most of that craptastic summer internship:

1. Make friends.

All work and no play…. right? Hey, if the workload sucks, at least you can form a support group and walk away with some valuable new relationships. I had another intern who had the same responsibilities as me, and though our personalities are very different, we couldn’t help but develop a strong friendship. I was the crazy one who showed her how to open up, and she was the level-headed one who talked me off a ledge every time I freaked out about a bad decision. Now, she lives in Japan– go figure– and we Skype several times a week.

Besides the other intern, I got to a point halfway through the summer when I decided to show everyone the “real” me. Take this advice with a grain of salt, because there is a fine line between work and play, but halfway through the summer, I totally let my guard down and started partying it up. I learned how to work the room, and one night, one of my coworkers informed me, “Kathryn, you ARE the party.” Later in the summer, I organized a keg party that everyone in the company attended- young and old, interns and lifers, actors, tech crew, directors- everyone. When the summer came to an end, even the box office team gushed that nobody had ever brought every department together like that.

2. Take on more responsibilities.

I was clearly not going to build my resume simply by performing custodial duties every week. So I made it clear that I was willing to work extra hard in order to be given more tasks. I spoke to the Educational Coordinator and expressed my interest in evaluating script submissions for her, and she gave me scripts to read in my own time (yes, I am a nerd, but at least I was using the skill set I had developed in college). When word spread that I was willing to work outside of my normal intern duties, I was rewarded by the Costume Supervisor, who paid me an extra $40 a week to serve as a dresser on one of the shows. In Intern World, $40 goes a long way. If there’s anything I’ve learned from internships, it’s that everything is what you make of it. You’re not going to get experience if you go home every day and bitch that you just spent 8 unpaid hours making photocopies. But if you put yourself out there, you can garner an infinite amount of experience.

3. Network.

Making yourself known and networking is one of the most invaluable perks that can come with an internship, if you take the initiative. By taking on more responsibilities and becoming the Social Mascot of the company I worked for, I met a LOT of people. I didn’t have to volunteer with the Education department, but not only did doing so boost my resume, it allowed me to get close enough with the coordinator that she offered to serve as my reference when I left the internship. Besides, industry professionals started where you are now, so use the “intern card” to your advantage. Ask one of the head honchos of the company to have an informational meeting with you. You will get to describe your skills set, receive advice, and display initiative that your self-appointed mentor will appreciate. How can someone say “no” to a struggling intern? Even if you’re stuck in a department that isn’t right for you, reach out to a coworker and ask if you could shadow him or her for the day. Hey, it doesn’t hurt to ask.

4. Read.

If you’re bitching about spending several hours a day filing and photocopying, you might as well find a way to make these menial tasks matter. Photocopying contracts? Read them. Filing meeting minutes? Read them. You’ll learn about everything, including the microscopic details that your superiors schedule four-hour fourways to brood over at length. If you’re given a document, your boss trusts you with it. Look at what it is, and take in the info. Do NOT repeat any of it, because many items will be confidential, but there’s nothing wrong with seeing how other professionals handle their business affairs, is there? Because hey– you’ll be there one day.

5. Speak up.

If you’re not being challenged, or if there are flaws in your intern program, keeping mum won’t help. Find someone you trust- another colleague, your internship coordinator, maybe even your boss- and express the fact that there’s room for improvement (politely, of course). Chances are, the company won’t want to risk losing a free employee halfway through the summer when the pool of applicants has already dried up. It’s even better if you have a plan, so you can suggest an alternative. It’s pointless to wait until your exit interview to gripe about how miserable you were this summer, so stand up for yourself and see if you can make a change NOW.

The only thing harder than saying goodbye to your roommate for the summer is packing up your dorm… and mopping all of the dried beer of the floor.  And scrubbing your desk where pizza sauce has been encrusted for months. And figuring out how to pack it all into your two-door.  Yeah, moving out sucks.  But moving IN with your parents again… well, let’s face it.  It rocks.

Here are my top ten faves about crashing with Mom and Dad for three months.  What are yours?

1.  You can live with your parents without looking like a deadbeat loser.

You have an excuse: You’re still in college and the dorms closed.  If you were 35 and working at the Venus Club and living with the ‘rents… you might belong on Jerry Springer.  But there’s nothing shameful about going back to your teenage years and living under their roof for one more summer.

2.  You’re a legal adult now.

Maybe your parents tried to force some strict rules on you in high school, and you vowed to move out asap.  But now, you’re an adult.  So even if they try to enforce a curfew, you at least have the “I’m a grown up” argument, which can be bolstered with “I just made Dean’s List,” or “In college, you aren’t keeping tabs on me and I made it home alive, didn’t I?” Plus, a lot of parents won’t even pick that fight, because they realize that you are an adult, you are a responsible collegiate, and they don’t want to know what happens on spring break.

3.  Laundry.

I don’t know what’s better, not having to pay for a load of laundry, or having the freedom of throwing your clothes in the dryer in the morning and leaving them there all day long.  Or using the dryer to get out the wrinkles in your cotton v-neck because you don’t feel like ironing.  Or being able to wash ONE shirt on its own because you reeeeally want it to be clean for the bar tomorrow night, but nothing else is dirty.  Idk, all of the above?

4.  You can spread out.

You can walk down a hallway without having to wear shower shoes.  You can watch a movie without worrying that your roommate will be studying.  You can use the downstairs bathroom when you’re downstairs, and the upstairs bathroom when you’re upstairs.  Ah, life’s little pleasures.

5.  Home-cooked meals.

Do I need to explain this?

6.  Home-cooked leftovers.

Plenty of room in the fridge to save tomorrow’s lunch.  Or breakfast.

7.  All of the amenities that are banned from dorm rooms.

Stove, hot plate, caged iguana, you name it.  You don’t have to hide the candles at your parents house to avoid getting fined or written up.

8.  All of your sh*t is already there.

You have to be selective when you move to the dorms, and only bring the stuff you’ll need (or think you’ll need), but everything you left behind when the spring semester started is right there waiting for you.  Go out and enjoy the weather – ride your bike, dust off your Rollerblades, look through your closet and discover all the random fun-yet-unnecessary things you forgot about because they wouldn’t fit in your Yaffa Blocks when you packed up a few months ago.  A personal fave? Discovering that an outfit you didn’t think you’d wear this semester is suddenly “in” again and you don’t have to buy a newer version.

9.  Reunions!

Most likely, you’re not the only one moving home.  Now’s the time to catch up with your high school pals, your former coworkers, and anyone else that you blew off when you were busy studying/partying away at school.  Plus, chances are, your parents already know your old friends, and will be thrilled if you have a few people over for a low-key night in.

10.  Ummm, can you say Rent-Free?

Take the time to save up this summer, because you’re going to have to shell out a few grand for housing next fall – and you might still have to share a room!  When you do move out on your own, that monthly rent check will be the bane of your existence.  Plus, you’ll have to pay for utilities, electricity, heat, water – not to mention hiring repair men whenever things get broken.  Don’t take your dad for granted this summer when he stays on top of replacing the light bulbs, mowing the lawn, and fixing the plumbing.

The weather is getting warmer, and I don’t know about you, but my feet are itching to get into some flip flops.  Is it summer yet?

Personally, I just survived one of the harshest winters in years (if you live in a warm climate, I hate you), combined with a crapload of work and stress.  Once summer hits, I’m going to call Benjamin Linus and ask him to freeze time so I can stay in July forever (pardon the Lost reference- I’m kind of obsessed).  I am currently making a To-Do list to make sure I enjoy every possible moment during the upcoming summer months.

1.  Music Festivals!

Once, I almost passed out due to the sweltering heat at the Warped Tour.  So worth it.  Music fests are a great way to hang out all day with thousands of strangers and listen to live music from not one, but several of your fave bands… or to discover new groups that you simply NEED to download on i-Tunes, like now.  If the festival spans a few days, make a road-trip-slash-camping-trip out of the ordeal with your favorites, and leave all of your worries behind.

A friend from England invited me to the Exit Fest in Serbia, featuring Moby, among others.  And to be honest, Serbia sounds fan-f**king-tastic right now.  But, let’s be honest.  What college student can afford Serbia in this economy?  Check out Starpulse for a rundown on festivals that might be coming to a city near you!

2.  Drive-in Movies!

When the air changes and I know it’s officially summer, I immediately crave a silver screen feature under the stars, complete with lawn chairs, blankets, and soccer-mom-vans that are oh-so-convenient on carload night.  Way more fun that being cooped up at home with a stack of Netflix orders, and cheaper than going to the cinema (you get two movies for less than the price of one!), the drive-in is a longstanding summertime tradition.

It’s too bad that many drive-in movie locations have buckled in recent years, but Driveinmovie.com has a listing of current locations across the country.

3.  Keg Parties!

Whether it’s a high school reunion in your hometown or the dudes across the hall just got their own duplex, summer is the prime time to party.  Pool parties, hot tub parties, bonfire parties… the possibilities are endless.  Plus, since so many people are on break or taking vacations, you’ll never run into the same crowd twice.  You might meet someone new who’s visiting a friend at the party, or run into someone from school you haven’t Facebooked in forever.  Besides, you can finally wear halter tops without freezing your buns off on the walk home.

4.  W-A-T-E-R!

I’m just going to lump all aquatic activities into one category.

Swimming Pools. Beaches. Lakes. Hot Tubs. Slip N’ Slides.

Jetskiing. Tubing. White Water Rafting. Chicken Tournaments.

I can’t wait to alternate my vintage style Juicy Couture one-piece (with a little ruffle to hide the thighs I wish were more toned) with the bikini that makes my cleavage take the focus off of said thighs.  As much as I’m looking forward to weekend beach trips, I’m also excited to work up a sweat at the gym and come home to dive straight into my parents’ in-ground pool.  My skin is going to get so prune-y it’s ridiculous.

5.  Road Trips!

This can apply to any of the above.  But road trips are pretty much the best part of summer.  The driving part is sometimes even better than reaching the final destination when you factor in the windows-down-sing-alongs, pumping your fists feverishly to make truck drivers blow the horn, and bonding with your pals because you’ve been couped up in a car for hours on end and will talk about anything to make the time pass.

Organize a road trip to a music festival, a crazy party, or a beach town.  Invite a group of low-maintenance, fun-loving friends, and set out on an adventure.  (Note: I say low-maintenance because you don’t want a princess who complains about rest area bathrooms, lack of electrical outlets for her hair straightener, or the fact that you keep driving through dead zones and she can’t call her shnookums and tell him how much she misses him already).

With the possible exception of the music festivals, all of these totally fun events can happen pretty much spur-of-the-moment.  I plan to live totally spontaneously this summer in order to make the most of every sunshine-filled day that passes.  What’s everyone else looking forward to this summer? I want to add to my list….

You might have said “No” to 1/2 price happy hour during the winter, but now your friends can twist your arm to drink overpriced margaritas at a trendy beach bar.  Cutting costs doesn’t have to mean cutting down on fun, however, and if you play your cards right, you can have a kickass summer and barely spend a dime.

1.  Hang out at the lake.

Big beaches can actually cost a pretty penny, when you factor in overpriced parking costs, expensive surrounding restaurants, and the gas money if it’s a major tourist trap that seems worth a 2- to 3-hour drive.  You can still soak in the sun and go for a dip at your local lake.  If the lake is part of a community park, you might have to pay a couple dollars to park, but that money usually goes towards keeping the park clean.

2.  Go fruit picking.

Check out local farms and farmer’s markets and stock of on all the fresh produce that’s yours for the picking.  Whether you visit a strawberry patch, a blueberry field, or stock up on a harvest of tomatoes, you can spend a few therapeutic hours away from the commotion of our high-tech world, and maintain your bikini bod by eating healthy.  Then, go home and conjure up some gastronomic experiments, such as homemade caprese salad (tomatoes layered with fresh mozzarella and drizzled with balsamic vinegar) or a genuine strawberry daiquiri.

3.  Get athletic.

If you can freeze your gym membership to save some cash, there’s no better time than the summer.  Even if you can’t, there’s no reason you can’t organize a group of friends to partake in some physical- and fun- activity.  Bike riding, rollerblading, volleyball, badminton, softball, basketball- if you have the equipment already, you won’t have to spend a dime.

4.  Pool parties, duh.

There’s hardly a reason to go out an spend money if you or one of your BFFs has a pool.  In fact, it’s an excuse to have a pool party every weekend.  Does warm weather make you want to start drinking at 2 p.m. (or is that just me…)? Rather than go out to an expensive lunch, have a cookout and grab a six pack of Corona Light to enjoy while you lounge.  Invite a few more people over for some quality chicken tournaments, or create a Facebook event to host the pool party of the century.

5.  Local festivals.

Plenty of towns host grand summer events, from music festivals to “A Taste of <insert city here>” to small carnivals.  Many of these events are free, but if they aren’t, they’ll be much less expensive than an excursion to the closest big city.  Even if you look up events at towns and cities that are slightly outside your normal geographic location, if you get a bunch of friends to chip in on gas, you’ll still spend less money than a summer holiday.

6.  Fireworks.

Fourth of July is NOT the only reason to set off some explosives, and this summer, there will be plenty of evenings when things go BANG! in the night.  Either go to the park where the fireworks are being hosted, or lounge in lawnchairs in your own backyard and sling back a few while the night sky is lit up.  Just bring the bug spray.

7. Camping.

You just had your big spring break holiday, didn’t you? Besides, in July and August, all the tropical locales are way too hot, humid, and congested with other tourists.  Find a local campground, and not only will you save a ton of money on lodging, but you’ll be more inclined to cook out rather than eat out, and participate in other nature-type activities rather than exploring overpriced theme parks and nightclubs.

If you are creative and look into other local happenings around your town, you’re bound to come up with individual activities that won’t break the bank.  Besides, in the summer, you don’t have to fear the outdoors, so get out and do something!  And, remember how stressed you were during finals? That should be reason alone to relax and go easy on your wallet.

Here are the ten worst summer jobs… which might just make bankruptcy look like the better option.

1.  Amusement Park Attendant
You make minimum wage to stand in the blazing heat all summer, get lobster-red sunburns, and keep little kids in check as they anxiously await their turn on the water slide you’d sell your soul to go down.  You deal with cranky parents demanding that you speed up the line (which you can’t, for everyone’s safety), and clean up puke when the little brats get sick off of the giant ice cream cone they inhaled right before getting in your line.  Oh, and you have to wear a doofy polo with the theme park’s logo.  PASS.

2.  Landscaping and Construction.
These jobs are grueling no matter what time of year.  But when it’s 90 degrees and there’s no shade in sight, you can really do some damage to your body.  Sure, it pays well, but you’re going to constantly battle UV rays, dehydration, and straight up muscle exhaustion.  If you’ve been relatively inactive sitting at your desk and studying all summer, taking on such a physically exhausting job will be brutal.

3.  Flyering.
I wouldn’t include this if I hadn’t done it before, since most of you probably have no clue what “flyering” is.  One summer, I took a one-day job hanging 1,000 door hangers advertising a new ice cream shop on residential doorknobs.  It paid $250 for the day, so I thought it would be cool.  However, that day was spent walking around on concrete for 9 hours (even in sneakers this gets painful), and being paranoid that residents would come out with a shotgun after I left shit on their doorknobs.  Oh, I tried to wear sunscreen, but missed two strips of skin and wore a racer-back tank top.  My sunburns left scars, which look like wings on my back.  No lie.

4.  Flyering- Part 2.
If you live in a big city, there are plenty of companies looking for promoters to hand out fliers advertising their product.  Again, one of the sh*ttier jobs I’ve done in my life.  You stand for hours in the blazing heat, trying to give people a deal… and they get MAD at you for it.  They could just walk away and say “No thank you,” but these people feel like you’re targeting them.  As a flyer-er, I’ve seen everything from people saying the product I’m promoting sucks (not my problem, just trying to make a deal), to strangers thinking that my handing them a piece of paper means they should immediately tell me their life story.

5.  Ice Cream Scooper.
One of two things will inevitably happen.  One – you build huge forearm muscles scooping ice cream for obnoxious tourists in plaid shorts and fanny packs.  It’s crazy hot and the ice cream melts down your arms, so you retreat in a sticky mess every night.  Plus, you can’t even eat any of the goods.  Two – you CAN eat as much ice cream as you like, but you’re sedentary for the whole summer and can’t fit into your bathing suit two weeks after starting the gig.  Oh, and after a shower, you have SPRINKLES clogging the drain.

6.  Theme Park Mascot.
We’ve all heard the Disney horror stories, right? About the theme park characters who aren’t allowed to take their “heads” off, even if they get so overheated they puke on themselves? Need I say more…

7.  Any office work that is totally unrelated to your future career plan.
Let’s face it: you need the money so you do secretarial work all summer and miss all of the beautiful summer pool parties and beach outings, yet get no career experience out of it.  Settling for a desk job simply blows.

8.  Babysitting.
Like the office gig, you’re going to miss out on a lot of fun outings this summer.  Babysitting as a part-time job isn’t so bad, but if you’ve somehow committed to wrangling the neighborhood brats every day for the summer, when you say “NO” to your BFF’s beach party road trip, it will feel like a dagger through the heart.

9.  Housekeeping.
You live in a summer tourist mecca where jobs just sprout over the summer.  EVERYONE’S taking their holiday there, and the restaurant and hotel jobs are flourishing.  Yet, you get stuck as a housekeeper.  Remember that scene from Blue Crush when the surfer girl freaks out over cleaning some drunk football player’s shit out of the bathroom? Yeah, picture that before you agree to be a housekeeper.

10.  Lifeguarding at a Senior’s Center.
You’re not going to have the opp to do mouth-to-mouth on anyone remotely attractive.  And you’re going to get depressed about the inevitable future when you see the wrinkled doing “water sports” in the pool each day.  Yeah… need I even explain that one?

Hey, CC’ers, what jobs are you looking forward to (or NOT looking forward to) this summer? And what are the gigs you passed up on because all the money in the world couldn’t persuade you to punch in every day for three months?