Once upon a time someone sang “Summer loving, had me a blast.” That person would go on to make a bunch of terrible movies about talking babies, so maybe we shouldn’t dwell on that part. But we should remember the part about summer. Ah yes, the time for frolic. This episode of GauchoTV kicks off the first in the Summer Fun Series. How to save money while having your summer fun. Being on a budget doesn’t mean you can’t have a good time. Oh sure, maybe it rules out that round-the-world blimp cruise you wanted to go on. But there is still fun to be had. And have it, we will.

We start off this week with a very practical Top 5. It’s the Top 5 FREE ways to make a list. Writing things down is SO last century. Get with the times! It’s all about the internet these days. Although one of the options is shockingly analog.

Then the bulk of this episode is like an Alfred Hitchcock movie come to life. No, not Vertigo. After trying to tell you about summer savings on theme parks and the best value for sunscreen while using a very effective prop (it’s a folder covered in aluminum foil), Marv gives up and heads back into the house to try to do the entire episode from memory. Ah! Technical Difficulties! What would GauchoTV be without them? Please, do not answer that question.

Eventually Mother Nature forced Marv to crop GIGANTIC pieces of this episode out while keeping the runtime reasonable, so if you want to find out how to save money on theme parks, Marv did a lot of his research on amusementpark.com, themeparkinsider.com, themouseforless.com and mousesavers.com. Check them out and you’ll learn what he found out. The short version: Plan ahead and buy your tickets in advance, because you WILL get fleeced if you wait to buy your tickets at the ticket booth.

Now get out there and get soak up some rays, Gauchos!