It’s easy to get overwhelmed by the holidays. Lots of gatherings, a mix of cranky kids and adults on too little sleep and too much sugar, and the mystique of all the lights and sounds of the season. Just when the holidays hurry up and get here, you’re ready to be done with it and get back to normal life.

Then you have most of January living your normal life, and February gets here, and you wonder what you have coming up to look forward to. There is just a blur of weeknights and weekends now, and weekends are great, but there is no mystique. So you have to add some on your own. 

Maybe you have a trip planned for spring break, but that’s not until the end of March. Perhaps you already have plans for the summer, but that’s even farther away. What are you doing in February and early March to pass the time? 

A beach weekend in late winter might sound insane until you see the crazy low offseason rates you can get on a rental home. The weather isn’t great, but the beach towns still have plenty to offer when the rain and wind hang around, and it’s tough to beat being at the coast no matter what time of year it is. 

Even if you can’t really spend the money on a bunch of outings, you should still find a way to get away. Sometimes a weekend away with zero excursions is just what you need to recharge. Movies look and sound better at a beach house, and you can go for as many walks as you want to avoid feeling guilty for putting your feet up for once. A box of microwave popcorn and a pack of red vines will set you back about $10 total, and you can even pick up a pack of hard cider so you can really get the most bang for your buck. Good luck finding a cheaper movie night in town, and new (or new to you) movies just don’t hit the same on the same old couch you are already on every night. 

And if you have extra money to go out and see the town? Check out the really fun stuff like the Oregon Coast Aquarium and Ripley’s Believe It Or Not in Newport. The Funland Arcade in Seaside is life-changing, and there are bumper cars and Tilt A Whirl up the street. If you’re feeling old-fashioned, you can even get a fantastic Pronto Pup before or after you do so. 

There are outlet malls in Seaside and Lincoln City to wander, and plenty of neat local shops in Cannon Beach – and any beach town, for that matter. Astoria has plenty of movie set locations, breweries, and the pier has something for everyone if you walk long enough. The Astoria Column has great viewpoints, and if you’re willing to drive a little north, the town of Long Beach has plenty of neat spots to explore, perhaps none more entertaining than Marsh’s Free Museum. If you haven’t seen Jake the Alligator Man, you have to wonder if you’ve seen anything. 

Sometimes life really is simple, and sometimes a corn dog or an ice cream cone in hand while walking on the boardwalk in a hoodie could be all you need. If it starts raining, just put your hood on and keep smiling. 

If you’re a coffee person, there is a great coffee shop in every beach town, and they always have something fun and local that you just can’t find where you live. Maybe they have a creative flavor option, or maybe the coffee just tastes better when you’re near salt water. It’s tough to say, but it seems to be better there. It could be that you’re tasting freedom and happiness, but it’s probably just really good coffee. 

If you have a sweet tooth, even for a modest budget, you can get all sorts of things that are made fresh, like taffy and fudge and any number of baked goods. You’ll be surprised how far you can stretch $20 if you’re not looking for anything specific. 

If you already have expensive trips planned, there is no need to make this one an extra item to find funds for. Spend less than what you have. That’s the secret to being content and sleeping well at night. I don’t know what that looks like personally since we have two kids in daycare, but I’ve heard it’s great. 

We decided to take a beach weekend in early March, and we can’t wait. It might not be worth the money to a financial planner, and it could be dreary weather with two kids under 4. There might not be many places we can wander without getting sand and water everywhere, but we’ll make it work. Sometimes the best plans are the ones that aren’t planned at all. Our one-year-old saw the ocean for the first time in October, and the smile on her face was simply priceless. 

It may not always be within the budget, but sometimes you have to take the easy way out and have some fun.