Are you still pinching yourself that summer is ACTUALLY here? After the winter here in the Northeast, I feared I would never see a blade of grass again, let alone see sand at a beach! Yet, it is here and the warm weather is very welcome in our house. So we are already planning for our first beach trip! So if you are headed to the beach soon, here are some must haves for your beach bag!

First, a towel, beach umbrella and a hat are musts to have a place to sit and a way to keep cool. Add the uber popular mirrored sunglasses that are the rage this summer season, and you have got the basics. Add essentials like water, sunscreen, and flip flops, but don’t forget the baby powder, which can help prevent your swimsuit from ridding up and/or riding down. Plus, sprinkling it on wet, sandy feet and legs ensures that the sand wipes right off.

Then the other items will make your beach foray that much more fabulous. Add a scarf that can double as a sarong, or drape over your shoulders for lightweight sun protection. Bring your phone and headphones for music listening, a book and snacks. I’m a huge fan of Fisher Nut Exactly Snacks. The new Almond Blueburry dipped in Dark Chocolate at Costco is a combo of blueberries, pumpkin seeds, whole grain popcorn in a bite sized snack, dipped in yummy chocolate. It’s scrumptious, gluten free, and smart snacking in the sand. For the piece de resistance, bring a new Apple Watch with you too. It will enable you to keep track of how long you have been in the sun, when to come back to reality and keep abreast of emails (in case you told your boss you were working from home.) Lastly, pick up a cute coin purse. Leave your wallet tucked away safely in your locked car, and just carry around some change for those popsicles.

When picking up these pieces, have fun with it. Go bold, go quirky, go beachy. Pick bright colors, tropical themed items, and trendy pieces. Because summer is short and should be splendid!

What are your beach bag essentials? Leave your tip below, or follow me on social media (which I would really appreciate…no, really!) and enter to win a 20 ounce bag of Fisher Nut Exactly Products and a $50 Costco Gift Card. (Don’t worry, if you are not a member, you can still use it!) Full giveaway rules can be found here. Your name and email address are only collected to contact you, and are not used or stored for any other purpose. I don’t play that way. Giveaway ends July 1, 2015 at 5pm ET.

Happy Summer!