20 Ways to Have Fun on a Budget

Go for a Walk

Walking is cheap, healthy fun

Even in the city, there's nature to be seen, squirrels in the park, sunsets to enjoy. Otherwise you can people watch as you walk around your home city or make a game of seeing it as a tourist would - paying attention to the architecture and the unique features of your neighborhood or city.

Walking is not only enjoyable, it's also healthy.

Read

Reading is a very budget-friendly entertainment

Reading is free entertainment if you have a library card or have friends who read. You can also find book swap clubs in your area.

Nothing is more relaxing for me than curling up on the sofa with a good book. Reading is my favorite way to have fun on a budget.

Play Board Games and Card Games

Games provide hours of cheap entertainment and healthy social interaction

You can usually find board games and card games pretty cheap at secondhand stores and discount stores. Even bought brand new, the outlay for a board game or card game is far lest than the cost of going to a movie or out to eat.

We have Boggle, Scrabble, and Apples to Apples in our closet and they get a lot of use.

Visit with Friends

Attend Open Mic Nights

Enjoy free or nearly free music, poetry readings, or comedy acts

You might not be able to afford concerts anymore but you can still enjoy live music and entertainment. Some bars, coffee houses, and clubs host open mic music nights for comedians, musicians, poets, and other performers. Check with your local bars, clubs, and coffee houses for dates and times. For the cost of a drink or two (avoid alcohol to keep it cheap) you can enjoy an evening of live entertainment.

Join a Book Club

Social fun on a budget

Combine reading and visiting with friends and you can get together with friends or socialize with new people through a book club. Many bookstores will host them so all you need to do is read then talk about it. Check the bulletin boards at your local bookstores and libraries for book clubs or create one of your own.

Play Free Online Games

Watch Free Movies

Libraries often allow you to check out movies as well as books. The library is a great source of free entertainment. Also, if you live in an apartment complex check with your complex office; they may have a movie lending library.

You can also swap DVDs with friends and family members.

Go on Picnics

Pinics provide cheap entertainment

You've got to eat, right? Well, then, pack it up and take it outdoors. Eat in a local park or even your own back yard. To keep this a cheap entertainment, walk or bike to your destination.

Enjoy Free Zoo and Museum Visits

Many museums and zoos have days when admission is free. Find out when these promotional free admittance days are through your local zoo and museum webpages.

Volunteer

Volunteering is fulfilling, interesting, and usually costs nothing

Check out your local charities (homeless shelters, soup kitchens, food banks, animal shelters, literacy projects, etc.) and find one or more that you would like to support and volunteer there. I've found that most people take great pleasure in volunteer work - or at least take pride and pleasure in having volunteered. Give it a try, it can be very enjoyable.

Check Out Your Apartment Complex Clubhouse

Free entertainment may be just a building away

If you live in an apartment complex that has a clubhouse - use it! You may be wasting access to such luxuries as a pool, hot tub, exercise equipment, computers with internet access, or a movie library. Be sure to bring along a friend, too!

Go to Free Shows

Work Some Free Crosswords, and Puzzles or Color in Some Free Coloring Pages

You can find many free coloring pages on just about any subject online. The same goes for crossword puzzles and word searches. Print them out and have fun.

You can also sometimes find crossword puzzles in newspapers and periodicals. So nab the newspapers and magazines your friends, family, or workplaces discard and check them for entertaining puzzles.

Join or Create a Common Interest Club or Forum

Try New Recipes

Tasty fun on a budget

Look up a new recipe online and give it a try or go hog wild and look up a whole meal's worth of recipes to create a theme dinner. Don't choose recipes with expensive or unusual ingredients, just try something different. Get your whole family involved for added fun.

Attend Community Events

Make Blanket Tents and Have Pillow Fights

Some of the best free fun available!

You're an adult? Yeah, well, so what! Dig out your blanket tent making skills and create your own indoor camping spot. Then hide in it with a pet, friend or sweetheart, lounging on some pillows and cushions. When it's time for it to come down, demolish it with a pillow war.

Visit the Park

Spending time outside is healthy and often free

Investigate your local parks. Visit a park near you to play on playground equipment, grill some hot dogs, or simply to lie down in the grass.

You can also combine going to a park with other activities such as having a potluck or just getting together with friends. This is especially nice if you don't have appropriate housing to host a traditional gathering.

Make Squidoo Lenses

Sign up for free and have fun making lenses out of family photos, hobbies, passions, rants or whatever you like. Not only is it fun to make Squidoo lenses but you might just earn enough to defray your other entertainment costs.