School’s out for summer is likely the refrain around your house these days or soon will be. If you’re like many families living on a coast, at some point you’ll probably plan a trip to the beach–or the shore, as it’s called in New Jersey.

Speaking of the Shore, writer Jen A. Miller, author of The Jersey Shore, Atlantic City through Cape May: Great Destinations (a travel guide about the South Jersey shore that tells readers about the best places to stay, play and eat there), knows how to stretch a dollar when she’s down the shore. That’s good to know since AAA says that the average family spends $261 per day on food and lodging while on vacation.

As anyone who visits the Jersey Shore knows, the cost of hotels, beach tags (since there are few public and therefore free beaches here), souvenirs, boardwalk rides, pizza and all those ice cream cones can quickly add up.

“The Jersey shore offers so much to see, do and eat that it’s easy to blow your budget,” Jen says. “But if you know where to look, you can shave hundreds of dollars off the cost of your vacation through discounts and freebies.”

Here are her eight tips on how to save cash while down the Shore:

1. Get a Coupon Clipper. You can find these booklets in a town’s chamber of commerce or tourism office, or on the web. In these coupon books, you can find discounts on everything from food to amusement park admission. I recently ordered a Wildwoods Vacation Kit for our summer trip to Wildwood, NJ. It arrived last week and has hundreds of dollars of discounts in it.

2. Go Off Peak. This doesn’t mean you have to walk the beach in December. Most hotels and B&Bs charge more in July and August. Try a June or September vacation instead. It’s a lot cheaper, and less crowded.

3. Book Last Minute. This may sound counter intuitive, given the advice above, but Jen says that booking last minute can work in your favor–especially late in the season, like late August, when many people are starting to think “back to school” not “back to the beach,” oops, I mean the Shore. “That late in the season, many places are trying to fill rooms any way they can,” she says, “so they’ll drop the price to get you in rather than leave a room empty.” She suggests asking for any “procrastinator’s specials.”

4. Special Events = Special Savings. If the town is running any special events, check with restaurants, retailers, hotels and B&Bs to see if they’re offering any promotional tie ins. For example, there are a ton of free things to do and see in Wildwood this summer, from Radio Disney concerts to nightly fireworks. And they’re all free.

5. Travel in Packs. Some B&Bs offer special discounts, or extras, if your group rents out the entire building. If you can’t get the gang together, ask for referrals from friends and family, then make sure you mention that when you book a room. For example, the Inn at the Park in Cape May offers a 5 percent discount if a past guest refers you.

6. Souvenir Savings. You don’t have to pay premium prices for souvenirs along the boardwalk. Check local grocery stores, which usually carry town-branded items, like t-shirts and mugs, at lower prices.

7. BYOB. BYOBs (bring your own booze, er bottle) are hot at the Jersey Shore, so look for restaurants where you can bring your own wine. You’ll save on the alcohol mark up, and the food is usually a few bucks less because the establishment doesn’t have to pay for a liquor license.

8. Find a Free Beach. Most Jersey shore towns require beach tags in order for you to dip your toes in the sand and surf, but you can save on tags by visiting Atlantic City or Wildwood–in these towns, beach access is free.

For more about the Jersey Shore, visit Miller’s website or buy her book. And watch her recent Shore savings segment on NBC 10.

P.S. If it happens to rain on your Shore vacation, check out Miller’s suggestions for rainy-day activities.