Ideas for 2024 that are different...

[SparklyOwls]

I want to think outside the box and do a few different things next year.

Not necessarily things which cost loads of money.

Things like:

Donate blood for first time.
Go to the cinema by myself.
Watch a court case.

Help me think up some bits please!

Sitting in the public gallery can be funny rather than depressing. It depends on the case.

Do the 1p challenge OP? Day one save 1p, day 2 save 2p up to £3.65 at the end of the year, you can actually do it in any order.

Visit the place your favourite film or tv programme is set in

Watching for ideas,

Stick a pin in a map and go there on holiday

Or think of a letter and go to the nearest town with that letter

Buy an ingredient you don't recognise, then cook with it

Ooh mine is to get good at making meringues. I have visions of making those fabulous, huge colourful ones you see it fancy patisseries... I'm going to keep practicing until I achieve it!

What a great idea..... it's inspired me to get thinking

Running, swimming and walking were all mentioned. Or do you mean specifically team sports? <shudder>

For UK based people, this is going to be a big election year (local, mayoral and hopefully general!): I’m going to vote in person for the first time (only done postal til now) and my friend will volunteer for a polling station.

I like the idea of hopping on a train, going somewhere new

I’d like to make a friendship cake, I was given one once and I liked it, but am waiting for the excesses of Christmas to die down before I offload cake onto people!
I want to start homebaking my kids snacks (niche I realise, but I can’t stand all the plastic wrapped palm oil stuff!)
I want to learn some basic DIY to get some jobs done
join a choir or book club or walking group

Love Raspberryjamsandwich idea for a jar of good things!!!

@thenewaveragebear1983
Great idea

Ive been baking all my DCs snacks for well over a year now (before then it was only for snacks at home not out and about). They love it. On holiday we obviously went back to shop bought and they were so happy to get home for homemade!

I usually have a load of frozen cakes and biscuits too for ease. And I put them in very small tuperware rather than using clingfilm.

I'm starting a new company this year which is enough new experiences but we are trying different things as a family. 1 weekend a month we have to do something different to our usual routine.

Recently we've hired a small boat (not needing sailing license), climbed a volcano, went on those inflatable things pulled behind a boat, and went parasailing.

Lovely thread.

When I did jury service the case was more funny than nasty - theft with no violence involved. It just depends on the case.

Give a poem to a person each month, or every two months.

There are some lovely ideas on here but as my New Year's Resolution is not to open Mumsnet until after 6 p.m. I will have to read it later!

Learn the Cyrillic alphabet. Obviously most useful if you are going to a country that uses it, but it's quite satisfying in its own right to be able to read it.

Learn some British Sign Language, it's going to be an exam subject soon, so there should be information about it easily available.

You get paid to work at a polling station

I'm going to do some kayaking this summer.

www.heritageopendays.org.uk/news-desk#:~:text=Heritage%20Open%20Days%20(6%2D15,40%2C000%20volunteers%20and%205%2C000%20events.

Heritage open days are good. Lots of cultural sites, that are not always available to public, open their doors. I went on a guided tour of a Victorian cemetery last year!

I set myself a "one new thing a month" challenge last year. Some ideas -

Foraging course
Saw a comedian (will not repeat!)
Saw a play (might repeat)

This year I might
Go to a poetry slam or reading
Cook a tasting menu with more than 5 courses

This year I'm trying 50 as are many of my close friends were trying to come up with a list of things we want to to do so far we've got
Hire the sauna hut at the beach then swim in the sea
Afternoon tea
Cocktail making class
Fancy cocktailS in city that have steam etc
Loony dook next new year
I want to try paddle boarding
Go to a ballet
Try a dance class
Go to v&a museum in nearby city
Go to spiritual church

@ReTrainTheBrain

OF WONDER: Classical Music for Every Day amzn.eu/d/czgEnhx

Try this book.

I totally love the 1p challenge, you can download the sheet here and do it in random order!

https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/team-blog/2019/12/the-1p-365-day-savings-challenge/

Make sure it is accredited by Signature, there are a lot of online courses being run by people who don't know enough to be teaching it.

Place marking for ideas

This is a great thread!

My suggestion is to start a compost bin. You can compost loads of things (fruit and veg peelings, loo roll tubes, grass clippings, old cotton pants and socks!). And you don't need a big garden, even a balcony would work. Recycling, plus free compost.