20 Little Things To Do Before August Ends

August has a funny way of disappearing. One minute it feels like summer is stretching out ahead of you, and the next there are back-to-school signs everywhere, the evenings are getting a little shorter and September is suddenly right around the corner.

The good news is you do not need to squeeze in one last vacation or come up with an elaborate summer bucket list to make the end of the season feel special. Some of the best summer moments are ridiculously simple…

Dinner outside on a Tuesday. Peaches that drip down your wrist. Sitting in a lawn chair after dark when you probably should have gone inside half an hour ago.

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So, before August slips away completely, pick a few things from this list that sound good to you. There is no challenge to complete and absolutely no need to do all 20. This is simply a little reminder to notice and enjoy some of those ordinary summer moments while they are still here.

And if you would rather stick the list on the fridge and choose from it as you go, there is a free printable version waiting for you at the end of the post.

20 Simple Things To Do Before August Ends

1. Eat dinner outside on an ordinary weeknight

Do not wait for the weekend or for someone to suggest a barbecue. Carry Tuesday night’s dinner outside and let an otherwise completely normal evening feel a little more like summer.

2. Buy peaches while they’re still everywhere

There are certain foods that just taste like a season, and ripe summer peaches are one of them. Buy a few while the produce section is still piled high with them.

3. Order the cool drink that’s become your go-to this summer

Maybe it is iced coffee, lemonade, sweet tea or something fizzy with far too much ice. Have it one more time while it still feels completely appropriate to be carrying a cold cup everywhere you go.

4. Take one slow sunset drive with a chilled summer vibes playlist

Pick an evening with nowhere urgent to be, put on the music you have been listening to all summer and take the long way home.

5. Stop at a roadside fresh produce stand you’ve passed all summer

You know the one you keep driving past and thinking you should stop at sometime? Make this the time. Buy tomatoes, corn, peaches or whatever looks especially good that day.

6. Squeeze in one more picnic, even if you have to do it on the fly

A picnic does not need a wicker basket and an entire afternoon of preparation. Sandwiches, takeout or snacks eaten on a blanket at the park absolutely count.

7. Read outside until the light disappears

Take your book, magazine or Kindle outside in the late afternoon and stay there until you have to admit you can no longer see properly.

8. Walk barefoot through cool evening grass

One of those tiny summer pleasures that takes about thirty seconds and costs absolutely nothing.

9. Eat corn on the cob and don’t care how messy it gets

Butter on your fingers, corn stuck in your teeth and absolutely no elegant way to eat it. That is part of the fun.

10. Wear the summer outfit you’ve been treating as ‘for best’

If you have been saving a favorite dress, sandals or bright summer top for the right occasion, this is your reminder that an ordinary August day is occasion enough.

11. Put breakfast on a tray and take it outside to eat in the cool morning air

Morning is often the nicest part of a hot summer day. Take your coffee and breakfast outside before the heat arrives and the day gets busy.

12. Take a photo of your favorite summer corner

Maybe it is the flowers by your front steps, the chair where you drink your morning coffee or the backyard at golden hour. Take a photo because ordinary places change with the seasons too.

13. Hang out with friends or family outside until the streetlights come on

Stay at the table a little longer. Let the kids keep playing. Keep talking on the porch. There is something about a warm evening stretching past sunset that feels wonderfully old-fashioned.

14. Open the windows after dinner and let the gentle summer air in

When the day’s heat finally lifts, turn off the air conditioning for a little while if the weather allows and let the evening breeze move through the house.

15. Say yes to one last-minute outdoor evening plan

Ice cream? A walk? Someone asking if you want to sit outside for an hour? If you can, say yes before your practical brain starts listing all the reasons staying home would be easier.

16. Take a weekday walk in nature to soak up summer sights

You do not need to turn it into exercise or track how far you walked. Go somewhere green and notice what late summer actually looks, sounds and smells like.

17. Buy one last bunch of flowers in the loudest summer color

Sunshine yellow, hot pink, bright orange, whatever looks impossible to ignore. Put them somewhere you will keep seeing them.

18. Sit in a lawn chair after dark and listen to the sounds of summer

Leave your phone inside for ten minutes and just listen. Crickets, cicadas, distant voices, a neighbor’s dog, cars on a faraway road. Late summer has its own soundtrack.

19. Write down three things summer got right

They do not have to be impressive. Maybe you found a great ice cream place, had one brilliant family day or finally spent more evenings outside. Write down three things you are genuinely glad happened.

20. Stargaze up at a cloudless summer night sky and make a wish for fall

Finish the month by looking up instead of at a screen. Find a clear night, stay outside for a while and think about one thing you would love the next season to bring.

Get The Free 20 Things To Do Before August Ends Printable

Want to keep the ideas somewhere you will actually see them before September arrives?

Download the free “20 Little Things To Do Before August Ends” printable here and pop it on the fridge, pin it to your noticeboard or send it to someone you would like to squeeze a few more summer moments in with.