If the cash crunch has you canceling your getaway, look no further than your own backyard for free activities.

Set up a tent and camp under the stars.

Plant a veggie garden with the kids. No green thumb? Distinguish partial shade from partial sun with a sunlight calculator ($30, leevalley.com).

Host a biggest-bubble contest: Fill a kiddie pool with a bubble solution (combine dish detergent, water and glycerin), then toss in hula hoops, wands and other clever tools. rock-a-bye your worries away at day’s end by reading bedtime stories with your little ones in a hammock. Then repeat after us: “There’s no place like home.”