I recently did a no-spend challenge month, to live more frugally and re-set my spending habits. The biggest lesson learned from the challenge was to not waste money on things that I really don’t feel strongly about, and to invest more in things that I really value.
It was a great challenge. I had fun, felt like I accomplished some goals, and took some “me” time, without spending any money. The best part about this list is that it is TOTALLY FREE. It doesn’t require that you already have things to get started. I moved last year with just what fit in my car, so I don’t have a lot of extra supplies, random arts and crafts, or an assortment of odds and ends to turn to. I was still able to do a lot during the month, so I wanted to share it.
Here is a list of things to do this weekend, that won’t have you emptying your wallet.
Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, which means I may receive a small commission, at no cost to you, if you make a purchase through a link on this blog. I would never recommend a product I don’t use or love myself.
Have Fun
1. Read a Book
Trade in some screen time for a book. You can read for pleasure, knowledge, self-awareness. And finding free books is easy. Visit the library, find a local “little library” box, borrow from a friend, or look online at sources like Amazon free kindle books.
2. Go on a Hike or Walk
Enjoy the space around you in at a slower and more intentional way. Alltrails makes it easy to find trails based on location and difficulty. Walking around town is another option. With a little advanced research you could plan a self-guided walking tour of your hometown, visiting historical areas and pointing out interesting facts. Geocaching can turn your walk into a scavenger hunt, great for kids and adults. It doesn’t have to be this complicated though. You could also just walk around the block. A quick walk in the morning or after dinner would be a great habit to start.
3. Play at the Park
When was the last time you slid down a slide, swung on swings, or hung from the monkey bars? Embrace what it’s like to be a kid again. Join a pick-up game, throw a frisbee around, build a sand castle, walk, sketch, read, be creative.
4. Pack a Picnic
Put together some snacks or a multi-course meal and take it outdoors. Great if you are already going on a hike or to the park. If you are feeling withdrawal from going out to eat at restaurants, picnicking may satisfy what you have been missing.
5. Free Museum Day
Many cities will have free educational attractions, like museums, galleries, and zoos. Even exhibits you normally pay for will often have “free days” for the public, or free passes on request, call them and ask about opportunities.
There may be discounts or free access for categories like children, seniors, military, students, using sustainable transportation, affordable access, and local residents (even Disneyland had a buy a day, get a second day free for local residents for awhile, you would be surprised by the deals out there).
Another place to contact if your library. Local libraries sometime loan out museum passes for the day.
Every Kid Outdoors is a program that allows every 4th grade student in America to get a free National Parks pass for them and their family to visit national parks around the country. This pass is usually $80 a year for adults.
6. Watch Your Favorite Movie
Settle in with some snacks and watch your favorite movie. Even better, invite friends over, have them each bring their favorites and have your own film festival. A ton of fun and it won’t cost anything.
7. Be an Amateaur Photographer for the Day
Tap into your creative side with your camera. Use your phone or digital camera to capture things you get inspired by. Use a photo challenge list to get ideas of what you can photograph. You can use your best shots for other projects, like wall art, gift cards, or being an Instagram influencer.
8. Stargaze
Spend a night looking up at the stars. Try to pick a clear evening, away from the city lights. Use Star Tracker or Sky View to identify constellations and planets. Lay out some blankets, lay on your back, looking up towards to sky, and realizing just how big and vast the universe is around you.
9. Pantry Potluck Party
Organize a potluck party with friends where everyone contributes a dish. Utilize items from your cupboards to make something you can contribute. Invite people whom you don’t feel pressured to impress, who you can set the intention with that it is not about making the most fancy, exotic dish. Don’t go out buying new ingredients. Get creative. Keep it simple. Enjoy just being together.
10. Build a Blanket Fort
This may be my favorite thing on this list. There is no better way to spend the afternoon than building a giant hide-a-way. Use chairs, blankets, tables. Create a space for fun and play and then let your imagination run wild.
11. Scavenger Hunt
The good old fashioned scavenger hunt can be a blast. Leave clues around the house or neighborhood and send someone on a search. This can be fairly labor intensive for the planner though. Another option is to find scavenger lists of items or categories to search for. A great group activity is a photo scavenger hunt where you have a list of places, things, or actions. People break into different groups and get points for getting a photo of the things on the last, usually with extra points for the more people you can get in the photo.
12. Attend an Open House
Even if you aren’t in the market for a new home, going to open houses can still be fun. It’s a great way to do some recon, get to know what is available in the area, price out the market, or get some ideas of good home improvement ideas. It can be entertaining to tour a home that you would never be able to afford, just to see them. And you may even get free cookies.
13. Dance
Turn the music on high and have a dance party in your living room. Literally dance like no one is watching. Also a great way to burn calories.
Discover new music you like. Try free services like Pandora, Spotify, or YouTube.
14. Community Event or Class
Event calendars are a treasure trove of free events and activities sponsored by local organizations. I have found things like live music, book readings, festivals, art gallery showings, fly fishing classes, health and wellness classes, dance classes. The opportunities are very broad and diverse. This is a great resource for any time of the year. If you are in a no-spend challenge, the important thing to be cognizant of is to not self-sabotage your success through your choices. Even if the events themselves are free, sometimes there are other things to buy that are just too hard to resist.
15. Phone a Friend
Get in touch with someone you haven’t talked to in awhile and have a meaningful conversation. Reconnect with loved ones. You can even have virtual game nights. Houseparty lets you group chat with options to play games.
Be Productive
16. Car Wash
Washing the car feels so good when it is done, but it’s hard to find the time to do it. This was easily one of the most satisfying things that I did during my no-spend challenge. I get that not everyone will have the supplies for a car wash, so for some people, what we normally think of as a car wash wouldn’t be totally free. There are aspects of cleaning the car that don’t require any extra supplies though. Clearing out any trash/junk. Wiping down and cleaning the inside. Vacuuming the carpets. Cleaning any stains or sticky spots off the seats. These can all be done with things you might have for your usual household cleaning.
If you do have the supplies, you could even do a little weekend side hustle and wash other peoples cars.
17. Closet Purge
Get rid of the stuff that you don’t use. Marie Kondo your living space. It’s a great way to clear up physical and mental space in your life. The easiest place to start is probably with clothing and then working through each room of the house.
If there are a lot of things that are still in good shape, donate it to charity, give it to a friend, sell it, or post things on Facebook. If you have a local Buy Nothing group on Facebook, that is a great resource for sharing and finding things.
18. Household Maintenance Walkthrough
Walk through the house looking for little maintenance things that need to be done. Are there burnt-out light bulbs, old filters, wall-hanger holes in the walls, broken sprinklers? The hardest part will be putting off the actual maintenance until your challenge ends. But make a list of things you will need and maybe look up some videos of easy repairs you could do yourself.
19. Start a Compost
A great project for any DIYers interested in sustainability. Make use of things that would normally be considered trash. Compost improves soil condition for gardening. Next summer you could start a garden and have fresh foods from your fertile soil.
20. Volunteer
This can be with an organization or just done locally through your own initiative. There are lots of groups that utilize volunteers. You could aid the elderly, youth groups, special interest groups, animals, probably in any area that interests you. Walking around your own neighborhood and cleaning up trash that you find is another idea of something easy to do.
21. Organize Finances
Invest in your finances even more by optimizing an area that has been neglected. Set some goals, create a budget, start an emergency fund, track your network, set up investments, calculate what you need to retire. Take some time and create a plan for developing some financial independence
22. Learn Something New
It has never been easier to learn things for free. The online resources available to learn something new are practically endless. Here are a few sources. YouTube for really anything from how to fix things around the house – to – workout routines – to – science experiments. A couple of academic resources are Khan Academy, MIT’s OpenCourse Ware, and Open Yale Courses. For inspiration on world views, TED talks are a great resource.
23. Network
Building professional relationships can really open up doors in your career. Draft emails to professional partners finding out about what they are doing and updating them on what you are doing, and set them to send Monday morning.
If you don’t have a mentor, find someone that you trust, and that is willing to invest in you. This is a sure way to improve your career trajectory and make your working life more enjoyable.
Rest and Rejuvenate
24. Practice Yoga and Meditate
Yoga and meditation are such amazing ways to slow down and enjoy your time more intentionally. If you ever go through stress or anxiety, this practice can by life changing. There are great videos on YouTube to walk you through practices at home. Yoga with Kassandra and Yoga with Adriene are good channels. For meditation, the Headspace App is really beginner friendly. I found that Yin Yoga before going to bed has been instrumental in getting better sleep.
25. Start a Workout Routine
Exercise plays a big role in feeling better, sleeping better and staying healthy. Walking around the neighborhood is an awesome starting point. Online workout videos are an easy way to do daily exercise from the comfort of your home. Local parks are good places to find free equipment to practice things like pull ups.
26. Journal
Writing things down can help to clarify thoughts in your mind. It can be like therapy, providing an avenue for expressing yourself, free of judgement or criticism. Writing sometimes brings out creativity. It can also be a way of tracking things that are important that you don’t want to forget. If you have difficulty sleeping, writing down a list of things you need to remember before going to bed sometimes allows you to move on, and sleep sounder.
27. Work on Your Goals
If you haven’t set goals, think of some things that you really want to accomplish. Then create a game plan for what needs to be done in order to accomplish it. And start the first step. If you have some extra time, use it accomplish something you have always wanted to do.
28. Create Something
Channel the right side of your brain and create something new. Some simple ideas are art projects like a drawing, calligraphy, dough sculpture, or sending a homemade greeting card to sometime. Poetry or writing is another option. Recycle or reuse things around you for a modern art project. Put together a time capsule. Make a kite or paper airplane. The main idea is to get creative.
29. DIY Spa Day
Pull out those sample bottles, toiletry gift bags, almost empty bottles that you have been rationing the last bits of. Use what you have and pamper yourself. Take a bath, shave your legs, lather on the moisturizers or that face mask stuff you forgot about it, paint your nails. You deserve to take some time to feel good. And better yet if you can clear out even more stuff around the house.
30. Take a Nap
If you just read through this list of things to do to fill your extra time, then you are probably the type of person who doesn’t sit around idle very much. So I leave this as a reminder, that it’s ok to just not do anything sometimes. Spend a day in PJ’s, curl up in your favorite blanket, and just let your dreams take over.
There you have it.
Get out and have a good time.
Let me know if you found things that you enjoyed doing that were free. I will try it out next weekend.
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