To ask what you do for fun when you're skint?

Library!

It's not, in its own right - but you get 10% off plants & possibly other stuff. So it's not bad if you're into gardening!

I saved £31 (on a bill of £101) on my Tesco clubcard yesterday! Admittedly, I was buying expensive booze birthday presents for DH, but normally you can expect to save 10% on each shop.

Get every loyalty card there is. Even if they are slow to grow, it eventually adds up and many give freebies every now and then

i have Tesco, Waitrose, Morrisons, Costa, cafe nero, Sainsbury’s just off the top of my head!

Some of the ideas on here are great and I shall be using them. Mine are

a lot of libraries are warm hubs now and have hot drinks available. Get a good book, relax with a hot drink for free

i volunteer at a charity, any expenses are paid (but it doesn’t cost me anything anyway) it gets my brain working and is social

update your home using freecycle, regular scrolling can help you do up your home for free!

a lot of universities do free courses. Could you join one and learn a new skill?

could you use your free time to earn more to stop living month to month? But something that’s fun…

perhaps dog or house sitting? Babysitting? Respite caring if you have a spare room or are interested in care work

One of my favourite books is called "How I Lived a Year on Just a Pound a Day" by Kath Kelly. It's not a recent book so the 'pound a day' is probably no longer possible. She ended up having a great year by seeking out unusual free experiences that often included food. I re-read it every year for inspiration. Your local library might have a copy - I found mine in a charity shop for £1! 😊

It's a while since I was in this position,.and when I was I had young children, but things that worked for me

• saving points on things like Tesco vouchers - we had quite a few meals out /trips out and even holidays thanks to these!
• selling bits on facebook market place (I expect vinted has replaced this now?) and using the money from that for new clothes /activities
• doing bits and pieces of extra work on top of my day job and using the funds to pay for day trips /holidays. I used to work in a polling station every May and that made enough for a flight somewhere., for instance.
• working overtime whenever I got the chance.
• going on little "adventures" - even a walk can be nice if it is somewhere different
• volunteering for events like fun runs etc, it added interest to my life and meant it felt like I was living not just getting by
• going to the library and getting out books/dvds

When I.bought my first house, I was skint.. I took a couple of shifts at the local pub. It was a little bit extra cash but it was a way of spending a sociable evening talking to people without spending any money. Gave it up as my day job became more demanding but it was fun

Is it just me or is £15 for 2 drinks and 2 bits of cake not exactly the bargain of the century

I use a tesco cc and use my points for a nearly free dinner every now and again at Ask have to pay for drinks but like me you don't drink alceso will be cheap.

If you like music festivals, volunteer at them for Oxfam or similar. You have to pay for the ticket upfront but get it back once you've completed the festival. You camp there and usually get a free meal per shift so if you take your own food and drink you can do it really cheaply

I wouldn't join Dobbies, they're closing a lot of them!

If it's something that interests you, you could investigate your family tree for free at most Libraries, you have to join the Library but that's free too! It can pass a couple of hours and you may find the skeleton in your family cupboard!

I know you said you're skint but I pay 12.99 for Premium YouTube and learn so much from it, including history , cooking, sewing, DIY, black & white films. It's endless.

Is There a Dobbies near to you? They do a yearly membership….around £15 I think but you get two free hot drinks a year and then on your birthday they give you a voucher for 2 pieces of cake if I remember rightly

That's a lovely gesture.

I'm making my very first solo trip to the cinema this week. During the afternoon. To see the Bridget Jones film. I'm quite excited as it means I'll have jumped a hurdle going alone and also seeing the actual film. Plus treats! Then I plan to go more often.

If with kids

kids session at odeon- £2.50 each then morrisons cafe- kids eat free if you spend £5-cheaper than wetherspoons.

if you get Uc there are some places in london where you can get tickets for £1-3 each. Cheap coach down and it’s a whole day out. We went to tower of london a few months ago. Total £30 including the tube from Victoria coach station.

Knitting patches for a blanket whilst listening to books, libraries do a free app now called borrow box where you can get audiobooks. I try to do whole series in one go so that I get a bigger sense of achievement eg “oooh the winter of 2020, that was my jack reacher winter” etc
reading
choose a cookbook and challenge yourself to cook every recipe. I did this with a Paul Hollywood bread book a few years ago, took me 6 months doing one a week but I really enjoyed it and learnt a new skill
learn a new language
couch to 5k app

i like lighting a candle when the evenings r grim, feels nicer to embrace the winter sometimes

I’d probably use Too Good To Go a bit and have some bits that I haven’t cooked that way but look for deals. If using a supermarket with points the I’d look into using those for food in or out.

I would look for mid week menu deals too or lunch if I am able to get out then.

Community cafes. They are often cheap and some offer free food too (think one in the community centre near me currently does soup on a Thursday)

Community larders for different food items.

Look at freebie sites. Sometimes there are free cinema showings.

Silver screen at the cinema..apparently you don't have to be old to attend these (these showings are often cheaper and get a hot drink and biscuit)

Rough age group OP?

Ooh yes I like the sound of the hot choc refills 😊

I second this! I used a website called Do It, you can Google it I think it changed its name to 'do it life' now!