My skinny marg!

Thursday, May 21, 2026

Tom and I bought a used boat 12 years ago and we have thoroughly enjoyed it. We got to take our 2026 Maiden Voyage on Sunday and here is how it went…

Tom: We need towels.

Amy: Don’t forget all the boat accessories in the garage.

Tom: I forgot this, this, this, this, this, and this.

Amy:

So, we do forget all about what summer staples we need over the long dark winter, don’t we? It takes a bit to get our footing in the new season.

Here is my advice. I don’t have young kids so those of you with young kids have even more to gather! And you might need to tailor your list to the pool, the lake, or the baseball field.

Step One: Shop your house. See what bug spray you still have, what sunscreens you still have, find and wash your towels, pull out your swimsuits and coverups, etc. I don’t believe that you have to buy new sunscreen before the old is used up – unless your sunscreen is from 1995. I bought a ton of sunscreen last summer and then I just wasn’t outside as much as in previous summers. It was a weird summer. It was either storming or miserably hot every weekend.

Step Two: Make your list and shop! Have fun with it and enjoy the season. Maybe start out slowly and don’t buy everything at once but gradually add a couple of things to your online order each week.

Here are the must haves in my opinion:

Bug spray – the mosquitoes freaking love me. I am also trying the original Jergens this season to see if that keeps them away. I have heard it does!

No matter how hard you try to avoid it, flies will come in the house. I stand behind my Zevo! It really works. It’s a device you plug into the wall and then you replace the filter thingy. I have bought mine on Amazon and at Target.

Fans – I bought a little fan for my patio and it really helps!

Spray bottle for water – this is a trick my SIL taught me for the boat. Spraying some water cools you down really well. I have already used mine on my patio this year.

Insulated big cup for water – treat yourself to a new one or dig out your options and keep one everywhere. I have one or two in my car that I keep filled, Tom has two in his car, I keep one next to my coffee pot, etc. I especially love the ones that keep ice intact for a long time.

Sunscreen that smells like summer – for me that is good old Coppertone. I usually buy one like this and then do store brand for the rest. Pro Tip: Apply sunscreen at home in front of a mirror. Use lotion – not spray – it really works better. Then, when you get to your destination you can reapply with the spray. You don’t want to spray inside your house anyway. Do not get burned. It is extremely painful and it happens quickly. Keep a t-shirt if you have had too much sun and need to cover up.

Soft sided cooler – We take it on the boat but I feel like it’s good to have one in the car for groceries (if you have another errand you need to run and worry about your food getting too hot), for any outdoor event like concerts, for taking things to someone’s house, etc. Keep it in your car!

I think mine must have been totally too far gone by the end of last summer because I couldn’t find any around my garage or my house.

I ordered two to see which one I liked better. I picked these up at Target and I like both and might keep both. They were less than $20 each!

Car sunshade – I keep my car in my garage but when I go places in the summer the car gets so hot and these really help. I am going to purchase a new one for this season.

Beach towels and a drying rack/clothesline for wet towels – I think we have had our Costco towels for 10 years and they still look brand new. They are bigger and really good quality. They might be Tommy Bahama brand. I don’t think you have to wash towels every single time. They are big and that wastes a lot of energy. Put them on a clothesline or on a drying rack. Give each person a dedicated towel so they are using their own. Exception would be our river towels or lake towels. Those need to be washed each time.

Swim cover up – you can also use a button up and look chic

Hat or ballcaps

Flip flops

Swimsuit

babypool, sprinkler toys, pool toys, etc.

Coconut scented lotion – change up your scent for the new season. It’s fun! I have orange scented body wash in my shower now, too, and it smells all summer citrusy!

Summer candle – a citronella one for outside, too

Folding chairs for outdoor concerts, reunions, and picnics

Summer canned cocktails if you partake – I love the skinny cans. Anyone have a favorite? I am over Truly and White Claw and would like to try something new. Surfside maybe?

Skinny can insulator – I love mine! I found it at Target several years ago. Sadly, I had a pink monogrammed one that accidentally got thrown away so I had to replace it.

Summer cocktail ingredients like my skinny marg – 1/2 stick Crystal light lemonade, one shot white tequila, squirt some lime juice from a real lime or from a plastic lime shaped bottle with lime juice, mix all up, add ice, top with Fresca – gonna try this with my Wild Strawberry, too for a skinny strawberry marg!

I tell you what – you can start any cocktail with a half stick of Crystal Light, vodka or white tequila and top with Fresca! Why half a stick? I feel like a whole stick is too much for me. Add a bit of fresh lemon juice or lime juice, too.

I am sure I have forgotten some things! What else would you include? Give brand recommendations if you have them!

In addition…

Write out your summer bucket list

Print out blank calendars of the summer months so you can record community events and see the summer laid out

List of outdoor summer concerts where you can see it (or other summer community activities), list of summer farmer’s markets and locations, etc.

What better time than this weekend (as the unofficial start of summer) to have fun with this? Memorial Day is also a time to honor our fallen, don’t forget.

Happy weekend and start of summer!

Amy

34 thoughts on “Summer Staples”

  1. Perfect timing though our weather at the moment is not super summery at all- it’s 51 with a high of 52! But that warm weather is coming. Your tips are all good ones! I can’t think of much to add. If you’re blessed to have summers off, make sure to have a book on your Kindle, your Kindle charged, etc. Summer is not a slow down time in every profession (my husband enjoys no cessation in busyness during the summer) but if it is, enjoy it and appreciate it immensely!

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    1. I know! Go figure! It’s so cool this am here but after the humid muggy we had I will take it.
      How could I forget a book?
      Tom is so busy in the summer, too, in commercial construction.

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  2. Sunglasses! I can’t walk outside without them this time of year. My staples are just sunglasses, sunscreen, bug spray, and book.

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  3. this is a great list and a super idea to go ahead and make a calendar this weekend. Shockingly, we do not have plans this weekend so I started a list of a few things I want to get done around the house… I am going to add this to that list 🙂

    Years ago I made a “boat checklist” on my notes app. I truly get it out every single time and I’m always surprised, when I double check it, that I have forgotten something – even after all these years! it has the most essential things, like the boat, keys and parking pass, as well as dog bowl, food, and leash, which we ignore if we are not taking a dog. That way, I can edit it and use it year after year. I’ve actually started doing this for other activities that we may only do 1–2 times a year… It really frees up my brain space from worrying and overthinking while planning.

    Happy summer!

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    1. hahahaha – auto correct and a well-placed comma can change everything – ha! “Boat” is not on the list but “boat keys” are!! Yes, we have forgotten them before, that’s how they made the list :/

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    2. That’s a great idea but I want the technical stuff to fall on Tom and I can’t see him ever making a list on paper or phone. Ugh! I take care of the food, drink, dog stuff!

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  5. This is a great list. I agree about sunscreen 🤣love the soft sided cooler idea – we have a couple but good to keep in the car if needed.
    I use a spray bottle now at the pool thanks to your tip!

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  7. This was so much fun to read! I love a good summer list/bucket list post. I agree with all the things you shared here. I love your skinny margarita recipe! I’ve had it, but it’s been a while since I’ve made my own. I want to get a few things to do that this weekend to have around here. I may need to purchase a new cooler bag this summer…I have one that’s really flimsy, and I have a huge one. I need a midsized one for my pool days with Marilyn! Thanks for the rec on the ones at Target. I hope you have a great day! It’s so rainy here right now…I’m longing to put some of knowledge to good use, but our sun isn’t supposed to come out again until after Wednesday of next week! Bleh. Not a great way to kick off summer.

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    1. Thank you! I think this would be fun for you this weekend. Maybe you will have time at school to make your list! Lol! I am excited to try to make a strawberry marg with the wild straw CL.
      I couldn’t believe these Target options were like $17 or so. One is Igloo brand. They are the perfect size for a few drinks and a lunch at the pool.
      Same here. It’s really cool today! But, you know what? No leaf blowing or screaming kids! Poor kids must be having indoor recess and poor teachers on the last week of school!

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  9. Great list! Thanks! I just bought some SuperGoop spray sunscreen. I will let you know what I think. My husband uses Banana Boat and likes the mist form for his head/scalp 😅 I will have to check into the Zevos. One year we had horrible fly issues but not sure why. It wasn’t just my house but neighbors too. I know some restaurants that could use some!

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  10. This is a great list and I love the idea of a blank summer calendar. I think we have more mosquito’s here in Texas, but fewer flies. We rarely see them around the house – inside or out. Summer in Texas kind of means time to head inside, unless you are in a pool!

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  12. I bought sunscreen last week and then found another one in the bathroom cupboard from last year, unopened. Ugh! I need to hunt our fans down, it’s supposed to be warm here next week. Thank you for the reminders and great list!

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    1. I hate that! But, you will most likely use them both up. Yes to fans. I can’t believe it too me so long to buy a small fan that worked so well. I even traveled with it!

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  13. Hi new subscriber from UK – really enjoying your posts. We are due a hot spell this bank holiday weekend here so your Summer staples post very timely.
    As a fellow sweet treat for mosquitos could I please let you know what has been working for me the past few years both at home and on European trips. I take vitamin b complex gummies every day – apparently one of the b vitamins tastes ugh to the mozzies and I spray myself with Avon Skin So Soft Spray – over any sunscreen or body lotion before I leave home. Amazon carries Avon Skin So Soft I believe. Thanks

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    1. Welcome Rachel! I am obsessed with all things UK – where specifically are you from? I just watched Ladies of London on Bravo. My son did study abroad in Ormskirk and we got to pick him up; this was 2023. We saw Manchester, Liverpool, York, Ormskirk and then went to Edinburgh and Glasgow. I really want to see London and so many other places in England and Wales and more of Scotland. I am a traveler that likes smaller and mid-sized cities. Let me know if you have any itineraries recs for me. I am worried that the gas prices will make plane prices really high.
      I have heard the Skin So Soft trick but not about the B vitamins. My friend gave herself B6 toxicity with too many vitamins for hair and nails and such. I am definitely willing to try both!
      Again, happy to meet you!

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  15. We need a new cooler for the boat. I hate how heavy the better ones are. We had a Tourit for a few years but the zipper broke last year and we need to replace it. Hubs likes to say every summer our first trip out on the boat is like my first time on a boat ever lol. I have to relearn everything! We recently bought some white wine and rose in a can from an Italian vintner. They’re tasty and will be nice fore the boat. I’d tell you the name but I’d have to go to the lower frig for that and I’m feeling lazy. I’ll send it eventually : )

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    1. We have a big heavy cooler that came with the boat but it’s under the seat and hard to get to.
      Lol – I can relate.
      I found some limoncello spritz cans at Whole Foods. The canned wines and cocktail section is pretty good now. I’m kind of over then seltzers like Truly but I haven’t been shopping to see what new flavors might be out.

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      2. I have not tried that one. Maybe I will. I like the pineapple High Noon. I think my favorite of all the seltzers is the Vizzy Mimosa. It really tastes like a mimosa!

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