A period of unemployment beckons... hit me up with suggestions on how to fill my time please!

[IDontHateRainbows]

I'm in a contract role which ends soon and I'm unlikely to find any new work this side of Xmas. With economic storm clouds looming it may even be the spring before I'm back in work.

I have enough money to pay the bills and will give myself a modest allowance for personal spending ( eg £50/ week)

I'm looking for inspiration for hobbies/ interests/ things to do during that time that won't cost the earth.

The more 'out there' the better!

I would tell you what I like/ don't like but really I want to develop new interests or look into new things I may not have considered before.

What would you do with your time in my shoes?

I know that you don’t want to make money but try selling stuff, old clothes etc

Learn church bellringing! (You did say ‘out there’!)

Community garden/allotment? It’s great getting outside in the winter and putting in the foundations for spring/summer.

Do Couch to 5K. Declutter something. Volunteer at the food bank.

Volunteer to be a befriender for the elderly

Find a volunteering opportunity

Write a book

Volunteering? There are loads of different options that might interest you.
Children - guiding or scouts
Adults - driving people to doctor/hospital appointments, dementia cafe (I did this one summer it was really rewarding), homeless shelters (especially over Christmas winter period)
Heritage - national trust or English Heritage properties, local museum
Charities - charity shops

keeps you busy and you are helping other people.

Nanowrimo (write a book in a November) has just started.

Write a novel. Start running seriously. Take Tai Chi classes. Learn a language. Go on one serious walk a week? Do something leisurely on a weekday morning that makes you feel deliciously as though you’re matching school, even just a really good coffee and cake. Get outdoors during daylight, which is always a pleasure this time of year.

Buy a second hand sewing machine and tailor all your clothes so they fit perfectly - that’s what I want to do anyway.

Do some long walks and discover places in your area that you haven't visited. Take up a new sport. Start learning a new language. Take up a craft activity.

Possibly the wrong time of the year but I’d love to do a history or RE GCSE, or learn to play the piano.

I’d also make good use of a seat filler app to buy cheap tickets to events I wouldn’t normally attend, such as talks, plays, orchestra performances etc.

The OU have loads of free online courses - look at Open Learn.

Build yourself a bench/ bower for the garden.
Go to a beach/river and find some visually interesting things and make a picture.
Come up with a fabulous Xmas feast then get all your mates to chip in 20 quid and throw a fab party between Xmas and New year when everyone's kicking their heels and forgotten what day it is.
Go to your local pet shelter and be an animal socialiser aka stroke cats to help out... Our local shelter has volunteers who do this, it's to help make the animals more human happy and makes them easier to find homes for them, but basically you're cuddling furries for a good cause.

Visit someone you haven't seen in years, for life reasons getting in the way, but would like to.

Boring, but are there any courses that would help prove you are keeping your skills current? Something to add to your CV ready for the new year.

I'm also self-employed and in a quiet period, and I need to make myself lists or a timetable to stop myself wasting my days on MN 😳

The seat filler app sounds cool, never heard of them before!

Buy an old chair and reupholster it

Yoga at home on YouTube.

Declutter

Learn some new quick and easy meals for when you are back at work

Go to all the local beauty spots and museums and art galleries and do all the local walks

Sign up to do market research focus groups

Try life drawing

Join a local amateur theatre group

Wild swimming

Join a gym or pool and go everyday in the past 6 months I leant to swim
Length and can now swim a mile.

Have a sparkling clean home

De clutter and do all the diy jobs

Sell on vinted

Sort my life admin out

Clean the car every week

Walk the dog more

Bake a cake every week

Manage my finance more effectively

Cook and fill the freezer

Should say pool and gym member ship is £35 a month but I get showered there everyday!

Learn to sew

I'd take the time to go through every door/ cupboard/ room in my house and declutter and deep clean and repaint/ fix things. Would feel amazing!

If you have any National Trust properties nearby they can be really fun places to volunteer. Ditto with other museums I'd expect.

Or just go revist museums and other free places. I've been to the Natural History and science museums so many times but always seem to find more things to see.

Or starting an amazing fitness programme sounds great too. I always wish I had the energy to do things 3-4 times a week and get in shape properly just once in my life.

Reread a series you loved or buy one you've always been meaning to start.