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One of the best weekends I’ve had in the past year cost exactly $0. A Saturday morning hike with a friend, an afternoon cooking a new recipe from ingredients I already had, an evening game night at home. No restaurants, no movies, no shopping. And honestly? I had more fun than most weekends where I spent $100+ on “entertainment.”
We’ve been conditioned to believe that fun requires spending. Bored? Go shopping. Want to see friends? Go to a restaurant. Need a break? Book something. But some of the most enjoyable, memorable experiences in life are completely free — and learning how to have fun without spending money is one of the most underrated frugal living skills you can develop.
This isn’t about deprivation. It’s about discovering that the best moments rarely come with a price tag. Here are 50+ genuinely fun things you can do without spending a single dollar.
Why Learning to Have Fun Without Spending Money Matters
Before the list, let’s talk about why this matters financially. The average American household spends over $3,500 per year on entertainment, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Expenditure Survey. That’s nearly $300 per month — money that could be building an emergency fund, paying off debt, or growing in investments.
You don’t need to eliminate entertainment spending entirely. But if even half of your fun activities were free, you’d save $1,750+ per year. That’s a meaningful number. And the shift doesn’t require sacrifice — it requires creativity.
Learning to have fun without spending money also breaks the cycle of emotional spending. Many people spend on entertainment as a stress response, which creates a loop: stress → spend → guilt about spending → more stress. Free activities break that loop entirely.
Free Things to Do Alone
Sometimes the best fun is solo time that recharges you without costing anything:
Get moving. Go for a walk, run, or bike ride in your neighborhood or a local trail. Do a free YouTube workout — channels like Fitness Blender, POPSUGAR Fitness, and Yoga With Adriene offer thousands of full-length sessions. Stretch in the park. Movement is one of the best mood boosters available, and it’s completely free.
Learn something new. Watch free courses on YouTube, Khan Academy, or Coursera (audit mode). Learn a language with Duolingo. Watch documentaries. Read a book from the library or revisit one on your shelf. Listen to a podcast on a topic you’ve always been curious about.
Get creative. Write in a journal. Start a blog. Draw or sketch with supplies you already own. Try a new recipe using only what’s in your pantry — cooking challenges are surprisingly fun when you treat them like a game. Our guide to saving money on groceries has ideas for stretching pantry ingredients into great meals.
Declutter and organize. This sounds like a chore, but it’s oddly satisfying. Reorganize a closet, clean out a drawer, or sort through old photos. Bonus: you might find things worth selling online for cash.
Explore your own city. Visit free museums (many have free admission days), walk through neighborhoods you’ve never explored, find a scenic overlook, visit a farmers market just to browse, or find a local event happening in a park.
Free Things to Do With Friends
Socializing doesn’t require a restaurant tab or bar bill:
Host a potluck dinner. Everyone brings one dish. The food is better, the conversation is longer, and the total cost per person is a fraction of dining out. Theme it — taco night, breakfast for dinner, international cuisine night.
Game night. Board games, card games, charades, trivia — pick your style. Most people have at least a few games gathering dust. If not, a deck of cards supports dozens of games. Rotate hosting duties so no one person bears the setup every time.
Outdoor adventures. Hike a local trail, have a picnic in the park, play frisbee or soccer, go swimming at a public beach or lake, stargaze, or just walk and talk. Fresh air and movement make any hangout better.
Movie or show marathon. Pick a series or movie franchise and watch together at someone’s home. Make popcorn. It’s the same experience as a movie theater minus the $15 tickets and $8 sodas.
Learn together. Watch a free online masterclass, practice a language together, do a free yoga session on YouTube, or teach each other a skill. One of you knows how to cook Thai food? The other can teach guitar basics? Trade knowledge instead of buying entertainment.
Volunteer together. Find a local food bank, animal shelter, park cleanup, or community event that needs volunteers. You’re doing something meaningful together, and it often leads to the best conversations.
Free Things to Do as a Couple
Date nights don’t need to drain your wallet to be meaningful:
Cook a fancy meal together. Pick an ambitious recipe and make it a team effort. Set the table nicely, light candles, play music. The experience of cooking together is often more intimate and fun than sitting across from each other at a restaurant.
Sunset or sunrise outing. Find a scenic spot and watch the sky change. Bring coffee or tea from home. It’s simple, romantic, and costs nothing.
Photo walk. Explore your neighborhood or a nearby area with your phone cameras. Challenge each other to capture the best shot of something specific — doors, flowers, shadows, textures. You’ll see your surroundings with fresh eyes.
At-home spa night. DIY face masks (honey and oatmeal work), foot soaks, massage exchange. Put on relaxing music and turn the bathroom into a spa. The relaxation is real even if the setting isn’t a resort.
Question games. Download a free conversation starter app or search for “deep questions for couples” online. You’ll learn things about each other you never thought to ask — even if you’ve been together for years.
Free Things to Do With Kids
Kids are naturally good at having fun without spending money — adults just need to match their energy:
Park days. Playgrounds, open fields, trails, duck ponds. Pack a lunch and make it a half-day adventure. Kids don’t care if the park is fancy — they care that you’re there.
Scavenger hunts. Create a simple list of things to find in the neighborhood or backyard: a red car, a bird, something round, a funny sign. Make it competitive or collaborative depending on ages.
Art and craft projects. Use supplies you already have — paper, markers, old magazines for collages, cardboard boxes for building. YouTube has thousands of kid-friendly craft tutorials.
Baking together. Cookies, pancakes, muffins — basic ingredients you likely have at home. Kids love measuring, mixing, and especially eating the results.
Library visits. Most libraries offer free story times, activity programs, reading challenges, and access to books, movies, and games. A weekly library trip can become a beloved routine that costs zero dollars.
Nature exploration. Collect leaves, identify birds, look for insects, plant seeds from kitchen scraps, build a fort from sticks. Kids learn naturally through play, and you’re teaching them that the best experiences aren’t bought — they’re discovered.
Free Entertainment Resources Most People Forget About
You’re paying for some of these already through taxes or subscriptions — use them:
Public libraries. Beyond books: free e-books, audiobooks, movies, magazines, museum passes, Wi-Fi, computer access, and community programs. Libraries are the most underused free resource in America.
Community calendars. Check your city or county website for free concerts, festivals, movie screenings, fitness classes, and cultural events. Most communities host dozens of free events monthly that residents never hear about.
National parks and public lands. Many national parks offer free entrance days throughout the year. State parks, local trails, and public forests are free year-round. The National Park Service maintains a list of parks that never charge admission.
Free apps and platforms. Duolingo (languages), Khan Academy (education), Libby (library e-books), YouTube (everything), AllTrails free tier (hiking), Meetup free events (social activities). Your phone is a gateway to thousands of hours of free entertainment and learning.
Making the Shift: From Spending to Living
Learning to have fun without spending money doesn’t mean never spending on entertainment again. It means building a default mode where fun doesn’t automatically equal spending. When your baseline activities are free, the paid experiences you do choose become more intentional and more enjoyable.
This shift supports every other financial goal you’re working toward. More free fun means more money for savings, less temptation to overspend, and more success with strategies like the no-spend challenge or cutting unnecessary subscriptions.
The truth is, the memories that matter most — the hike where you got caught in the rain, the kitchen disaster that turned into the best meal, the game night that went until 2 AM — rarely involve swiping a card.
For more ways to live well on less, explore our complete guide to frugal living for beginners.
FAQ Section
How can I have fun without spending money on weekends?
Fill weekends with a mix of outdoor activities (hikes, park visits, bike rides), social activities (potlucks, game nights, volunteer events), creative projects (cooking, journaling, DIY crafts), and exploration (free museums, neighborhood walks, local events). Planning 2-3 free activities in advance prevents the boredom that leads to impulse spending.
What can couples do for free on a date night?
Cook an ambitious meal together, watch a sunset from a scenic spot, do an at-home spa night, take a photo walk, have a deep conversation using free question prompts, or stargaze with a free astronomy app. The most meaningful dates focus on connection, not spending.
How do I entertain kids without spending money?
Kids thrive on attention and creativity, not purchases. Park days, scavenger hunts, baking together, art projects with supplies you have, library visits, nature exploration, and building forts from cardboard boxes are all free and engaging. Involving kids in planning activities gives them ownership and excitement.
Is it possible to socialize without spending money?
Absolutely. Host potluck dinners, organize game nights, join free community events, volunteer together, exercise together at parks, or simply take walks and talk. The social norm of meeting at restaurants or bars is a habit, not a requirement. Most friends are happy to do free activities when someone suggests them.
How much money can I save by finding free entertainment?
The average American household spends over $3,500 per year on entertainment. If you replaced half of your paid activities with free alternatives, you’d save approximately $1,750+ annually. That’s enough to fund a significant emergency fund contribution, pay down credit card debt, or start investing.
Won’t free activities feel boring compared to paid entertainment?
The opposite is often true. Free activities tend to involve more creativity, personal connection, and physical movement — all of which produce more lasting satisfaction than passive paid entertainment. The initial adjustment period is real, but most people find that once they build a habit of free fun, they enjoy it more than spending-based entertainment.
Toyin Onagoruwa is the founding editor of BrokeMeNot. He works as a software engineer in banking and has over 5 years of experience writing about personal finance, credit cards, and frugal living. He combines his fintech engineering background with real-world money management experience to create financial content you can actually use. Connect with him on LinkedIn.