Get ready to set sail this summer! Read on for the ultimate boat-buying guide.

Step 1: Choose your boat type

Like automobiles, boats should be purchased with their intended uses in mind. Determine which water activities are most important to you. Also, research different boat types and ask your boat-owning friends to share their own impressions and tips.

Also decide where you’ll keep your boat. If you’re choosing to self-store your boat, you’ll need to purchase a trailer-able boat.

Step 2: Decide if you want to buy a new or used boat

Visit boating sites like Boats.com and Discoverboating.com to check out what kind of used boats are on the market. You might be pleasantly surprised!

The ocean is calling - and so is the open road. Your dream vacation awaits! But first, you need to work out the financial details. How are you going to pay for your getaway? How much can you realistically spend? Where is the money for your vacation going to come from?

Ideally, a plump vacation fund that's fed throughout the year is the way to go. Unfortunately, though, we often don't think about how to pay for vacation until it's a few weeks away. To make things even worse, according to LearnVest, an alarming 74% of Americans go into debt to pay for a vacation.

Don't become part of that statistic! Be proactive in planning your vacation by saving up for it in advance. Forgo some luxuries in the months or weeks leading up to your vacation and save the extra cash for your getaway. Consider running a yard sale featuring all of your forgotten treasures and use the profits to fund your trip. Skip your weekly dinner out for a while and put the money in your vacation budget.

Now it's time to plan your vacation! When you've got the money saved up, create a realistic vacation budget. These six vacation saving tips will help you plan the perfect getaway while staying well within your budget.

Temperatures are rising, days are getting longer and kids are dying to get out of the classroom! This can only mean one thing: Summer is just around the bend. It's time to start planning trips, summer camps, and summer jobs.

Despite the fact that school won't end in most places for another few months, it's still a good time to start thinking about summer work. The timeframe for hiring can be as long as a month, so waiting until school is officially out isn't a good idea. Not sure where to start? Try these four tips to jumpstart a summer job search for yourself or a young adult.

Want to keep your kids engaged this summer without breaking the bank? Try out one (or several) of these low-cost, high-fun ideas.

Community programs

Community centers typically organize free programs in conjunction with the school system for preschoolers on up. It’s not uncommon for the programs to offer both breakfast and lunch as well as crafts, athletics, field trips (these do have a small fee), and a variety of educational “mini-adventures.” Some YMCAs and similar organizations also offer these kinds of opportunities.

With school letting out and sultry summer days ahead, it's time to start thinking vacation.

Because it's a supply-and-demand world, you'll likely be up against higher airfare, hotel costs and car rental rates. But here are some tips to help keep things affordable.