One of the biggest ways to save your money is to have “No Spend Weekends”. A No Spend Weekend is just a weekend where you save your money. Instead of going out and partying or eating out at restaurants, you choose to do activities that have little-to-no cost. Finding creative ways to have a fun weekend on a budget can be so fun, and you never know what new thing you’ll discover. You will also have better peace of mind knowing that you are being responsible with your money.
1. Movie Night At Home
Set up a cozy space to relax and watch a movie. You can build a fort or make a soft pile of blankets and pillows. Get out some snacks from your pantry (popcorn is recommended), and put on a free movie or movie you already own. Movie nights are the perfect no spend weekend activity.
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2. Cook a New Recipe
There is a website that gives you recipes to make based on the ingredients you already have in your kitchen here. Learn how to make a new meal or bake a new dish without having to run to the grocery store. You can even make a competition out of it. Have two people make a dish and recruit food judges to decide whose meal is better.
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3. Play Tourist In Your City
Go to Yelp and a place you have never been to near you. Find an old library or cool building in your city. Visit a store you’ve never been to. You don’t need to buy anything. Pretend you are a tourist and look for neat new places. Walk around a part of your city you don’t go to often. If you see a pretty building, walk in and look around!
4. Spa Day
Having a spa day is a great way to de-stress and primp on a budget. Clean your house, make some spa-like treats (fruit is a good option), pour yourself a glass of wine or fruit-infused water, light some candles, turn on some spa music, draw yourself a bath, exfoliate, try a face mask, deep-condition your hair, color your hair, paint your nails etc. Just relax and enjoy yourself.
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5. Window Shop and Walk
You don’t have to actually purchase items to “shop.” One of my favorite no spend weekend things to do is to walk through the mall or strip boutiques and just window shop. Take pictures of things you find for your Christmas or birthday wish list. Make yourself a hot chocolate or coffee to bring with you as you stroll! Bring yourself some snacks too, so that you’re not tempted to purchase that Annie’s Pretzel or treat from a food truck.
6. Harry Potter Marathon
This is the perfect activity around the holidays! There is always a HP marathon weekend around Christmas on TV, but you can also watch them on Hulu, Peacock, and HBO Max. Just try a free trial of one of these platforms so that you can watch them over the weekend at no cost. Just remember to cancel the free trial when you’re done. Watching all of the Harry Potter movies takes over 19 hours, so it will be a busy weekend. You don’t have to binge Harry Potter – you can watch Lord of the Rings, Twilight, Star Wars, The Sound of Music, Jurassic Park, Jaws, The Avengers, Pirates of the Caribbean, James Bond, Fast and Furious, X-Men, The Hunger Games, etc.
TV Shows are also great for bingeing! Check out some great TV shows to watch here!
7. Get Active Outside
If you have nice weather, spend some time outdoors! Find a safe hiking path near you or walking trail. Go for a jog or long walk. Ride a bike, hopscotch, do an outdoor workout, roller skate, rollerblade, play some tennis, basketball, throw a ball, and all things outdoors. Try your hand at meditation in the comfort of nature. Have a picnic in the park. Toss a frisbee. Create a scavenger hunt for your friends and family!
8. Start a DIY Project
Begin working on that project you’ve been meaning to get around to. There are so many fun arts and crafts projects you can find on Pinterest, and they are all either free or super cheap to make. Make your Christmas or birthday presents this year. I have some examples of DIY gifts here in this post!
9. Free Events Near You
Just google “free events near me” and find one that appeals to you. There could be a concert, play, musical, fair, or museum right next to you that you would have never known about. Doing this, I have found a “drink wine while antiquing” event that was so much fun!
10. Go Camping
I do not mean you have to go to the highest mountain and sleep in a tent (unless you want to, then Godspeed). You can camp in your backyard or living room. Just pitch a tent or set up a cozy fort for your camping experience. Bring some marshmallows to roast, games to play, and some campfire stories. There are also free sites to set up camp in parks, so you can go real-life camping! Camping is a great bonding opportunity for groups of friends and families. So set up camp this weekend, and have a ball!
11. At-Home Date Night
Dating can be incredibly expensive. There are the costs of the restaurants, parking, drinks, and Ubers (if you had one too many drinks 🙂 Save you and your partner the hassle and expense of a night out and have date-night right there at home. Light some candles, turn on romantic music, cook a nice dinner together, and have a great date night from your own home. There is the huge bonus of being able to drink whatever and however much you want since you are already at home!
12. Get Creative
Channel your inner Van Gogh and try out painting! You could try to re-create a pricey piece instead of buying one, or you can create your own. Follow along to a Bob Ross painting tutorial or a free beginner’s painting tutorial on YouTube. Try your hand at water-coloring. Paint outside so that you can be as messy as you want!
13. Have A Game Night
Board games can seem lame until you get a big group of people and knock back a few cold ones. Games like Monopoly can last for hours, and the players end up getting highly competitive. Almost every home has a deck of cards, so play some Blackjack or card games.
14. Put Pen To Paper
Writing can be highly cathartic. Find an old notebook or create a new Word document on your computer and begin writing. Sometimes it’s just nice to put pen to paper.
Try journaling (there are free journal prompts online). Write a book. Start a diary that you’ll be able to look back on when you’re older.
Channel Your Inner Marie Condo
If you don’t know, Marie Condo is a professional organizing consultant who has written four books on organizing. De-clutter your home and car. Throw away trash, and donate things you don’t need or use anymore. Sort through your closets and cabinets. Clean out drawers. Color-code your clothes if you feel fancy. Re-arrange your rooms. Clean and organize your space. Dust, vacuum, wipe down surfaces, polish your silver if you’re *boujee*, make the beds, fluff the pillows, light a candle, and make your space beautiful.
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These were 15 fun activities you can do on a no spend weekend to have some fun on a budget. Let me know which of these you will do on your next no spend weekend!
Xo,
Layton
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