Whenever I start to feel myself being dragged down by a seemingly endless stream of tests, papers and general clutter, I have to remind myself of the beauty that is summer.

I mean, really, we’ve made it through a lot of school so far — surely we can handle some more.

To distract myself from my busy schedule, and all of my responsibilities, I have been fantasizing a lot lately about how I plan on spending summer days. Of course, Pinterest helps keep me busy with this — it’s got countless tips and tricks for having a successful summer.

Here are some of the tips that I found to be the most useful:

Aloe Vera Cubes

You’d think that after six years of lifeguarding at an outdoor pool, I would have learned to put on sunscreen before I spend an entire afternoon baking in the sun. Unfortunately, I haven’t learned and that tends to leave me bright red and in pain for the first few weeks of summer.

For some soothing relief from those inevitable sunburns of the season, try freezing yourself some aloe vera cubes. It’s as easy as it sounds — just pour some aloe vera gel into an ice cube tray, allow them to freeze and apply them to your burns.

DIY Waterproof Phone Case

If you haven’t invested in a life-proof phone case, you’re probably living life a little on the wild side every time you dare to bring your phone with to the lake or pool.

Instead of going out and buying a durable phone case, you can go ahead and buy a box of plastic zip-lock baggies. Granted, I would still be cautious bringing electronics around water, but keeping your phone in a baggie could at least provides some kind of barrier — and could potentially save you a lot of money.

Baby Oil for Shaving

One of the hardest things for me to adjust to during the summer months is shaving my legs regularly. Sadly, when you’re going swimming, shaving your legs is like a double-edged sword — you either don’t shave your legs and risk having gorilla legs, or you shave them and deal with your legs burning the minute they touch the water. To solve this painful predicament, try lathering up with baby oil after you shave.

DIY Lemon Hair Lightening Treatment

Here’s another money saving tip: instead of having your hair professionally colored for the summer, make your own fruity hair lightener. All it takes is a cup of lemon juice, a ¼ cup of warm water and a spray bottle. Mix the two together and spray in your hair when before you go out in the sun for a period of time. By the end of the summer, you should have nice, natural-looking highlights.