Last week I purchased sunscreen and was surprised at how expensive it was! It had been over a year since I purchased sunscreen and the last time I purchased it I got it on clearance with a coupon. Most of the bottles at my local store were $8 for 10 ounces! Ouch!
Of course, not using sunscreen is not an option, but I do have a money saving alternative.
Swim shirts.
Whether you call them rash guards, swim shirts, surf shirts, etc., they serve the same purpose, protecting your skin from the sun. These shirts offer UV protection and you can wear them over and over with no worries about missing a spot like when applying sunscreen.
These shirts cost between $10 and $25 and usually last about two seasons. This is a big savings over sunscreen. We still use sunscreen on their faces, arms and legs, but we use much less than we would if we had to coat their whole body.
These shirts are available everywhere and a great frugal investment for the summer!
Hi!
Where do you recommend purchasing these for less money? And do you find that your family members get hot in them?
I have been thinking about these for years, but never asked these questions.
Thanks for the reminder!
We live in Phoenix AZ (104 degrees here today) and everyone in my family wear UV swim shirts when we are out in the pool. It does cut down on sunscreen usage (we still use it on arms, legs and faces). I have 2 kids (3 & 5) and at their ages a sunburnt back would be miserable for them and for me. We often find kids spf 50 UV swim shirts at Target at the end of the season for $5 each. I stock up at this price, buying a couple of sizes up for each. We generally wear at least 1 shirt out a season for the kids so having extras is really nice.
I had no idea these shirts were available. I knew they made swimsuits out of this material though. What a great invention!
We love swim shirts. My kids wear them when ever we go out to play in the water, So do I . Thanks to them we have not had a sunburn while swimming.
I love swim shirts, everyone in my family wears them. I recently picked up some new swim trunks for my son at Target that had an UVP for 50 for just $9.99. Well worth the price
Great find Lisa!
This is a great idea!! Sunscreen is very expensive and is so had to apply to children.
Just last week I got found one in the clearance rack at Old Navy for my 9 year old. ($7.99 I think).
We bought all of our kiddos swim shirts when we went to Florida a few months ago. The swim shirts were a lifesaver and I will never go without them again. My kids are extremely fair and we were able to spend hours at the beach with no worries. I actually read about them on your blog a couple of years ago and that is what prompted me to invest in them. Thanks for the tip!!!!!
PS: Ever since coming home from Florida our kids have been asking to move there. We flew out of MI in a snowstorm and landed in Florida at 85 degrees. It was VERY hard to fly BACK to snow after a week in swimsuit weather
I bet! We are enjoying our days at the pool and beach. It is the life!
Great idea! As someone who is “pasty”, I need all the help I can get!
Thanks for the info!