Cheap summer thrills: 21! ways to enjoy the season, for a song

Cheap (and chic) way to kiss off cancer and smell delicious doing it: A broad-spectrum sunblock - used liberally and regularly - will help protect your skin from the sun’s cancer-causing rays. But don’t forget your kisser. Too Faced cosmetics’ Luxury Lip Balm ($16) contains an SPF 15 sunscreen and has a summery, tropical scent. Even better, part of the proceeds fund melanoma research. www.toofaced.com - HAYLEY KAUFMAN

Best way to boite hop like it’s 2007, without paying 2007 prices: You’re no longer paying full price for those jeans at Barneys, so why on earth are you still paying full price for Mojitos and honey-glazed duck wings? Show up early - or show up late - and score $5 cocktails and dollar bites at many of Boston’s hottest eateries - just don’t call it happy hour. Look for weekday deals at Rocca, Banq, Persephone, Gaslight, and Sel del la Terre. Find more sweet deals at www.hubeats.com or www.bostonchefs.com - C.M.

Best way to approximate New York Fashion Week without boarding the Bolt Bus or buying black market tickets to fashion shows off Craigslist: Fashionably Late at the Liberty Hotel isn’t the Tents at Bryant Park, but this stylish weekly gathering has emerged as an important showcase for designers. Some weeks are not quite as impressive as others, but at least we now have a regular outlet for local (Sam Mendoza, Michael DePaulo) and national (Betsey Johnson, Cynthia Rowley) designers to present their clothes. And it gives locals an excuse to get dolled up on a Thursday night. Admission is free. 215 Charles St., Boston. 617-224-4001. www.libertyhotel.com - C.M.

Best way to pretend that you’re spending quality time with your dog in the summer sun while secretly looking for potential dates: K9 & Cocktails party at the Beehive. On Aug. 15 from 3 to 5 p.m., the Beehive holds a summer cocktail soiree, with (nonalcoholic) doggy drinks selling for just $1 each. The Beeftini (beef broth) or the Veggie Mary (stewed farm vegetables) will keep the dogs quiet as you mingle with other canine devotees. If you can’t wait until August to find your potential dog-loving mate, the Liberty Hotel hosts a weekly Yappy Hour every Wednesday night from 5 to 7 p.m. Beehive, 541 Tremont St., Boston. 617-423-0069, www.beehiveboston.com - C.M.

Best way to save cash and liver function at the bar this summer: Booze-less “mocktails’’ have grown up and local bars are getting braver about experimenting with mixers, juices, and sodas to create tastes so exotic that no alcohol is needed. Local musician/cocktail godfather Br. Cleve suggests hitting bars known for inventive cocktails, such as Eastern Standard (www.easternstandard.com), Drink (www.drinkfortpoint.com), or Marliave (www.marliaveboston.com) to make sure you’re getting something better than cranberry and Sprite. Most mocks are half the price of their hooch-laden counterparts, so drink up. - C.M.

Cheapest way to let everybody see you sweat - and enjoy it: So much stress these days, right? Trying to hold onto your current job. Figuring out what you’d like to do for your next job. Imagining how you’ll pay the mortgage if the bottom falls out of both options. What you need is a place to sweat in peace. For this, head to Dillons Russian Steam Bath in Chelsea. Said to be the oldest steam bath in the United States, Dillons is low-key and unpretentious; for $20, you can shvitz in comfort - and leave ready to take on the world. 77 Chestnut St., Chelsea. www.dillonsrussiansteambath.com - H.K.

Cheapest way to laugh off the pressure of a first date and maybe do a bit of bonding: “Mortified’’ is the show in which everyday folks share the journals, poems, love letters, even home movies they created in the dark and angsty moments of their youth. The show takes place in Boston occasionally; the next is Aug. 6 at Mottley’s Comedy Club. The $15 you’ll spend on a ticket is cheaper than therapy, if watching others recall past humiliation eases flashbacks of your own. The organizers are always looking for new participants - though that might be tricky on a first date. 61 Chatham St. 877-548-3237. www.mottleyscomedy.com - AMI ALBERNAZ

Cheapest way to rock out to an ’80s pop hit while enjoying fried dough: Fill up your gas tank, grab a designated driver, and head to New Bedford for the Feast of the Blessed Sacrament, commonly shortened to the Madeira Feast, July 30-Aug. 2. Billed as the world’s largest Portuguese festival, the feast boasts free admission and mouth-watering treats, such as caçoila (CA-sir-la) - pork butts marinated in wine vinegar - and malassadas, which are like fried dough, but with more sugar. Wash it all down with the sweet Madeira wine ($3 per 3-ounce cup). On stage: The Romantics, the one-hit wonders behind “What I Like About You.’’ Madeira Field, 50 Madeira Ave., New Bedford. 508-992-6911. www.portuguesefeast.com - A.A.

Cheapest reason to make it a three-day weekend (as if you needed one): Giving us more of a reason to play hooky are the Free Fun Fridays underwritten by the Highland Street Foundation in Framingham to mark its 20th anniversary. One area attraction is free each Friday until Sept. 4: tomorrow’s Friday freebie is the Franklin Park Zoo. Other designated sites this summer include the Boston Children’s Museum (July 31), Plimoth Plantation (Aug. 7), and Stone Zoo (Aug. 14). Find a complete list at highlandstreet.org - A.A.

Cheap way to convince your kids to take their music lessons seriously and practice, practice, practice: Kids can be competitive little cusses. Their friends get potty trained, they want to be potty trained. Their friends get an iPhone, they want an iPhone. So get the competitive juices flowing by taking your darlings to hear some of the best young musicians in the world. Wednesday at the Hatch Shell, The Youth Orchestra of the Americas will perform the music of Bernstein, Dvorak, and Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2, featuring Lexington’s own Gabriela Montero. It’s free. Put the money you save toward a Steinway. 7 p.m. Charles River Esplanade - H.K.

Cheapest way to get a taste of Maine - without actually going to Maine: L.L. Bean opens at Dedham’s Legacy Place this weekend with giveaways, outdoor safety clinics, and free kayaking and fly-casting lessons. The store provides the equipment and transportation to nearby Wigwam Pond; the outings last about two hours, and take place 10 a.m.-5 p.m. tomorrow through Sunday. Sign up in-person at the store. Space is limited. (Children ages 8 and up are welcome.) Can’t make it? The store will hold kayaking and fly-casting lessons for $15 each weekend until October. 950 Providence Highway, Dedham. 888-552-3261. www.llbean.com/dedham - A.A.

Cheapest way to achieve Brad Pitt’s freshly-scrubbed look without enduring Botox needles: Decleor aftershave. Rumor has it that Mr. Jolie is a longtime fan of the skincare line, which is known for using whimsical ingredients, such as licorice and peppermint, in its products. Naturally, Brad’s favorite cooling aftershave also includes an anti-aging ingredient (a-ha!). If the $38 price tag helps users achieve even an iota of Pitt’s youthful luster, then this cream is worth every cent. www.decleordirect.com. - C.M.

Best place to contemplate the social mores of 1960s corporate America. In costume. While drinking. Between the lousy weather and the lack of disposable income, this summer’s been something of a bust so far, making us all the more eager for the return of “Mad Men,’’ the wistful and transporting series on AMC. And how better to celebrate the Aug. 16 premiere than with a cocktail party at Noir? Dress up for the bash as your favorite character (given our current weight, we choose Peggy Olsen, circa seven months pregnant, rather than Christina Hendricks, below) and you might just win a prize. There will be snacks. 10 p.m., Noir at the Charles Hotel, One Bennett St., Cambridge. www.noir-bar.com - H.K.

Best fancy-shmancy South End brunch for under $10: With exposed brick walls, chandeliers, and granite checkerboard floors, Masa incites a nagging urge to assume a slightly straighter posture, or a delicately extended pinky. But don’t let the swanky facade fool you: the Saturday “Brunch Fiesta’’ is a steal at just $7.95. Start out with coffee or tea, fresh fruit, granola con leche or a gooey caramelized plantain empanada. Next, indulge in one of four entrees, like the Santa Fe Eggs Benedict, served with avocado and green chili hollandaise. Saturdays 10 a.m.-3 p.m. 439 Tremont St., 617-338-8884, www.masarestaurant.com - HANNAH MARTIN

Best way to use a mob mentality to score big discounts: If you harbor any doubts about group purchasing power, point your browser in the direction of www.groupon.com or www.buywithme.com. These sites work under the simple premise that if enough people participate, businesses can offer big discounts. Earlier this week, Groupon was selling half-price manicure and pedicure packages at a spa in Cambridge, but offers run the gamut from kayaking on the Charles to hot stone massages. The sites are free, just sign up. If enough people pounce on the daily deal, you start saving. - C.M.

Most poorly named - but inexpensive! - girls’ night out: In need of a midweek pick-me-up? Felt’s Female Feature, a ladies’ night held every Wednesday, serves up appetizers, entrees, and desserts at $3 a pop. A sampling of the menu items: garlicky shrimp (served in a martini glass), mini mac and four cheeses, and chocolate mousse. Each Wednesday has a different theme or activity (one night it was pole-dancing lessons); next week will be celebrity trivia, and on a country-themed night Aug. 12, the club will give away a pair of Kenny Chesney tickets. Reservations strongly recommended. 533 Washington St., Boston, 617-350-5555. www.feltboston.com - A.A.

Best approximation of Miami’s South Beach, in the middle of suburbia: Sunday afternoons at Bokx 109. The weekly soiree features a masseuse, a DJ, and a heated saline pool, which manager Davide Crusoe says is better for the skin than its chlorine-heavy cousins. DJ Chris Rokx (OK, already, enough with the “kx’’) offers the soundtrack, and food and drink is available from Bokx’s menu. The soiree runs from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., with the action getting wettest around 4 p.m. It’ll set you back $40. Any other day of the week? Just $20. Bokx 109, inside Hotel Indigo, 399 Grove St., Newton. 617-454-3399, www.bokx109.com - C.M.

Cheapest way to indulge your history fetish - on a trolley, on a boat, and on a blanket: If last year’s John Adams miniseries stoked your American history obsession, mark your calendar for Aug. 22’s Grape Island Tryst and Family Picnic, sponsored by the National Park Service and partner organizations. Set out in a trolley from the Adams National Historical Park visitor center and then head via boat to Grape Island, where John and Abigail rendezvoused in their youth. You’ll picnic and hear snippets of the couple’s correspondence. Bring a lunch, a blanket, and $5, which includes transportation. Arrive at the Adams National Historical Park visitor center center at 9 a.m. 1250 Hancock St., Quincy. For more information, call 617-770-1175 or visit www.nps.gov/adam/ - A.A.

Cheapest place to be wowed by the physics of flight, and consider where your next vacation might take you: You won’t encounter a limitless ocean at East Boston’s Constitution Beach, but visiting does offer an unexpected benefit: unrivaled plane-watching. With Logan Airport almost stone-throwing distance away, you can find a perch and be mesmerized by the jumbo jets taking off and landing in continuous succession. The drone is meditative, and there’s something to imagining where all the winged giants are headed even if you’re just watching from the shore. Take the Blue Line to Orient Heights and walk down Bennington Street to the pedestrian overpass. For more information, see www.bostonharborwalk.com or www.mass.gov/dcr - A.A.

Cheapest combination baseball, playground, cartoon, and occasionally sumo-wrestling event north of the city: A trip to LeLacheur Park, home of the Lowell Spinners, a Sox minor-league affiliate is blessedly gentle on the wallet, with the priciest seats going for $8. Because the park is small, any ticket (they start at $4, for standing room) is good. Spinners games are perfect for anyone who lacks a nine-inning attention span. There are frequent cartoon and movie clips on a giant screen; between-inning entertainment (T-shirt tosses, sumo wrestling); even a play area for kids. Call ahead for tickets; you might get standing-room if you show up at the park, but you won’t be turned away. 450 Aiken St., Lowell. 978-459-1702. www.lowellspinners.com - A.A.