Few activities test a person’s self-control and spending discipline, quite like the no-spend weekend challenge. As the name suggests, a no-spend weekend involves trying to expend as little money as one can. People can achieve this by attempting to save on grocery bills, engaging in budget-friendly grocery shopping, and employing a host of no-spend weekend ideas. Certain tried-and-tested tips can be useful for those who want to pull off this fun and challenging task.
1. Filling one’s days with free activities
A no-spend weekend does not translate into an eventless one. To make the weekend more exciting, one can pack it with many free activities, such as going to the gym, reading a good book, playing Scrabble, solving crossword puzzles or any other multi-player game, and watching an engrossing film or TV show, among other things. Constantly engaging in immersive tasks can fill out a person’s schedule over the weekend and speed up the passage of time for them. When people have nothing to do, they often feel tempted to splurge money on entertainment and other kinds of activities. By keeping one’s mind engaged with hands-on tasks, one can help alter the awareness of time, making the weekend more enjoyable and fulfilling.
2. Walking or bike riding
Apart from participating in exercise and homely activities, traveling to various places can also help pass the weekend with zero to minimal expenditure. Both walking and cycling let people explore their surroundings, view beautiful scenery, and get good physical exercise simultaneously. A good session of winter walking tends to be as enjoyable as an engrossing summer stroll. Walking is an effective way for people to know their neighbors and their overall locality even better than they did before. Bike riding, on the other hand, is a substitute for using fuel-guzzling vehicles to get to one’s preferred travel destination.
3. Cooking a delicious meal
Many people possess a host of culinary skills and love the sights, tastes, and aromas of a delicious dish. For such individuals, concocting a delicious meal is a great way to make their weekend fun and engrossing as well as satisfying from a cooking perspective. This is one of those money-saving weekend tips that requires all the constituent ingredients to be available in one’s kitchen. If one needs to spend a minuscule amount on necessary ingredients, then they can take a final call about spending that money. All in all, cooking up a delicious dish with kitchen ingredients is a great way to enjoy some good old, cost-free weekend fun.
4. Enjoying free local events
In many instances, local supermarkets or libraries are likely to host special events for visitors during the weekend. People on a zero-spending spree can check social media platforms for charity events, school initiatives, parades, festivals, and other free-of-cost entry events in their locality. Such festivals tend to be out there during the warmer months of the year for families to enjoy.
5. Starting a local outdoor initiative
Social media is a powerful and resourceful tool not just for finding great events but also for launching community initiatives. These platforms engage one’s local community and help spark remarkable projects. The best part, as expected, is that such events tend to be free or low-cost.
Examples of such initiatives include encouraging students to collect and paint stones or organizing classic treasure hunts, both of which can be engaging for participants. These activities foster a sense of proximity within communities and help residents connect with newcomers in the area.
To successfully execute a free local outdoor initiative, the support of volunteering community members is essential.
6. Engaging in birdwatching
Individuals interested in the science and beauty of birds can literally spend an entire weekend just birdwatching and taking notes. Birdwatching, also known as birding, is one of those frugal weekend activities for adults that can be enjoyed alone or with a group of friends. This activity involves people using the naked eye, binoculars, telescopes, or other visual enhancement devices to view, observe birds, and listen to the sounds of different species. Through this activity, one can pass the time while learning useful information about certain birds’ behavior, distribution, migration patterns, and other related aspects.
7. Playing with one’s children
Paying games with kids is a nifty way to spend time and save money during a given weekend. One can indulge in games such as building blocks, video games, and word puzzles with children to keep them as well as oneself occupied as the weekend slowly rolls by. Additionally, playing games helps strengthen the bond between parents and their little ones. These activities can also serve as a way to assess the intelligence and cognitive abilities of kids.
8. Meeting up with one’s friends and acquaintances
If a person’s relatives or friends live close to them, they can walk to their house, meet up, and spend the weekend together. Visiting relatives is a sure-shot way to efficiently pass the time during the weekend without spending money on food or travel. Besides that, friends and relatives will also be able to have an enriching time while saving money themselves instead of going out for expensive activities.
Besides these, one can also look for and plan affordable weekend getaways in the US, be it along or with family or friends.
