If you're single and childless what do you do at the weekend?

[Britishsummertime22]

Finding weekends tough.

What ever I like and feel like doing. I love the freedom

Whatever I want. It's joyous. No compromises, no soft play, no supervising homework.

I walk miles and miles, mountains when I can be arsed, or just nice long hikes with snacks, clear head space, appreciating the time out. Deep breaths. I love that time!

I also - paint my nails, clean my kitchen and pretend it's always like that, make some lush food, listen to music.

I go shopping
Long walks
Read a lot
Watch good TV with snacks

I do sometimes wish I had someone to go out for meals with though or mini breaks. Yes you can do that alone but if you aren't a confident person then it's easier said than done.

I'm not single, but for me it's the freedom to be spontaneous. I might get up early and do something, or I might stay in bed until 11. I've intentionally reduced my social commitments so that I can revel in the freedom of choice. This weekend has been pretty much spent in bed, on the sofa ir on the patio as I'm tired after a busy two weeks, after a lazy morning I took along bath, dressed in something both cute and comfortable, and I've eaten nice things and had pots of tea between snoozes I'm grateful I can indulge the need to rest.

I'm not single but Mr Monkey works late most Saturdays as his job is in retail and when he is marathon training Sunday is long run day.

This Saturday I cleaned the flat, went to an exhibition with friends and then drinks afterwhere we were joined by more friends.

Today I have done some Duolingo, gardened my balcony salad garden (cucumber, tomato and cucamelon plants) for a bit, washed some clothes, done some food shopping and went for a long walk in the local woods. I'll spend the early evening finishing a library book and having a leisurly bath.

I'm single, sadly discovered I couldn't have children, signed off sick from work due to exacerbation of mental illness so can't do much & friends too busy with their families or work this weekend to call in or meet for coffee so omg the loneliness!!!
It's awful!
And I get very paranoid so social gatherings with strangers are not for me even if I wasn't signed off.. I mean I struggle to work out with headphones on at the gym.

I'm single and don't have children and my weekends vary. Not super exciting but I enjoy my down time.

I work part time, so sometimes try to do weekends away like city breaks, or to visit friends who live abroad for a few days.

If I'm home then I will usually visit an elderly relative in hospital, or do shopping/ cooking/ chores on a Saturday morning. Then meet up for a walk or coffee or head to a friends house for a catch up that evening. Or just stay in and watch something on Netflix.

Sunday mornings I do a Pilates class which gets me up and out, after that I have lunch and usually head out to a food market, or the pier for a walk by the sea if the weather is good - sometimes meeting up with someone, or sometimes by myself.

Today I went to an afternoon matinee movie by myself, it was lovely.

In what way do you find it tough? Are you bored? Do you miss having company?

I’m so happy pottering on my own but sometimes I feel a bit embarrassed if I’m asked what my plans are as I have so few.

What do you wish your answer would be if someone asks you tomorrow what you got up to on the weekend?

I know what you mean about the embarrassed about so few plans. A colleague asked me last week what I did at the weekend. I replied 'Moved...around the house...slowly...doing stuff'. He just nodded sagely. What I meant was I pottered and did things I fancied as and when with no urgency, but it didn't come out like that.

For OP - I'm in my 50s and not that sociable. I walk, read, do housework, cook, watch TV, paint, write fiction, go to the theatre, art galleries, gardening, go out to lunch / dinner. Either alone or with a friend or two. Largely alone though (apart from meals out, don't enjoy that alone).

When I was single I also found weekends hard going, especially in summer. I would mainly shop on a Saturday, and go to my parents on a Sunday.

No longer single and childless but when I was, I’d sleep in, watch Netflix or whatever I fancied, reading, going to the gym, walking, meeting friends for lunch/ brunch/ etc, meal prep for the week, go away for weekends to different cities/ countries to explore.

Meet friends, go to the cinema/theatre/art gallery/museum, go for a walk, go for a cycle, go to the beach, housework, laundry, gardening, evening class homework (in term-time), shopping, watch TV, read books, go to a local event (fête or whatever,) cooking/baking, sewing/knitting/crochet, painting, writing, dating.

This weekend, I have done a load of housework and laundry, been into town and got my eyebrows done, and today, I have mostly been lying in the garden in the sun with a book.

Have a big lie in
Go out for breakfast/lunch/dinner
Go to a market
Go on a protest march
Go to an exhibition/museum/gallery
Go for a walk
Do the laundry and grocery shopping
Meet a friend for tea and scones
Batch cook and bake
Go to the cinema or a show
Go to the park
Do a hair mask/pedi/facial/manicure
Binge watch crap on Netflix
Stay up late (binge watching crap on Netflix 😀)

All of these are things I've done either this weekend or last. Next weekend I'm going to a film festival

It is hard, i moved to somewhere i knew no one in my In my 20s and early 30s. I joined a walking group, did a history course which had weekend trips to places, joined a tennis club and played matches on a Sunday. Watched a lot of Friends abd ER on a Friday night. Made friends at tennis I saw outside of tennis.

Went away at the weekend to see Friends or family.

Often went to tbe pub after work with colleagues on friday.

In my 40s my husbandworked away a lot and i gound it harder. I had an allotmentthat kept me busy. .

It might not suit your lifestyle but as far as I'm aware you didn't post the OP.

OP asked a question and @wtfactually answered it.

Just because it's not to your liking doesn't mean it's not helpful. OP might like to go camping or rent a cottage somewhere random.

I often find if you ask most people what they did at the weekend, generally they say 'nothing/nothing exciting'. Take up an absorbing hobby that you can excel at given the time you have to put into it (PP mentioned an allotment). I play piano and bass guitar and play in two bands which requires a lot of commitment and practice time. I also have a dog which is a lot of walking time! Or maybe a craft such as sewing/crochet so you can make clothes or household items.

Two years ago I joined a library which can take up a couple of absorbing hours just browsing around (not to mention the reading at home time from the books you take out, obviously).

OP asked if you ARE single and childless what do you do.

This poster responded to say what she did when she was single and childless. We could all told OP what we did many years ago - I too went clubbing, and stayed at friends houses and travelled around in a big pose of single friends. But that was when I was much younger.

everyone was single and childless at some point. For many people it was in their teens and early twenties.

it is safe to assume that OP was talking about what people do as fully formed adults when most of their friends are no longer single and childless.

I assume getting pissed and being hungover with a large group of friends isn’t an option for OP - even if she wanted this for her weekends, it’s harder to find people who go clubbing and partying all weekend as you move into the proper adult world.

but you are right - I have assumed too much. Maybe OP could go clubbing and to the beach and spend all day hungover with friends. But if she had access to these friends with loads of free time why would she be struggling with the weekends?

Happily single and empty nest.

Walk dog in national park
Talk to dog
Afternoon nap cuddling dog
Another dog walk on beach
Read/tv/knitting/catching up with friends on phone.
Housework only if I am really bored
Meet friends for lunch
City break long weekend 3 times a year.
Travel to London to meet adult DC
Intensive internet research on anything that takes my fancy

Maybe OP could go clubbing and to the beach and spend all day hungover with friends.

You don't need anyone to go to the beach. Technically you don't need anyone to go clubbing or get hungover, but they do seem to be group activities. But I quite often go to the beach alone, to swim and read. Would have done this weekend, if I weren't on-call.

Sorry, of course OP can go to the beach.

I was specifically talking about the poster who said she used to spend her weekends getting drunk at different places with her best friends - drinking at night hungover during the day. They did this all over the place.

The point I was making (and I am now sorry I did😂) was that getting drunk at various places then spending the day hungover with a group of friends might have suited this poster years ago when she was single and Childless (hell I did this in my teens and early twenties), but it’s unlikely to be the solution now for OP.

Great to see this is still going! I went parasailing with them, it was awesome. Also did an art weekend and lots of meals out. I also used Citysocialising to meet groups (in London) when I felt like I was the only one not coupled up - I don’t think that exists any more, but there may be other similar sites. My ideal weekend was (Saturday) wake up around 11, spend the day wandering round the clothes shops, meet friends for drinks, dance the night away. (Sunday) sleep, grocery shop, washing, dinner out, bed at a probably unreasonable time.

Having a good group of friends helps. Lunches out, bbqs, walks, shopping, coffee, cinema, drinks etc etc

If friends are busy/feel like some downtime, sunbathe in summer, binge box sets in winter, read, go for walks, bake, spend hours learning to perfect a new recipe etc etc

Also visit family, chill with parents.

Whatever I want. This weekend I cleaned out over 5000 contacts from linked in had a kebab and read. Also watched a movie

I think Meet-up is the replacement for Citysocialising, they seem to include lots of cities, obviously useless if you’re in a small village but maybe try the WI or similar if you did fancy meeting people?