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

[Jgoe92k39ns9skd]

I'm living month to month atm but hoping this will change eventually.
There are only so many free museums, galleries and parks you can do, especially in this weather and they're not open during the evenings.
In terms of eating out as well, I'm not looking to go to fancy restaurants every time and id be happy with a Wetherspoons tbh or just going for a hot chocolate. I don't drink alcohol either.
It gets tedious having to constantly clean dishes, I do a mixture of fresh cooking, frozen ready meals and very basic meals.

Honestly it's hard sometimes. Looking for any suggestions or advice.

Playdates. Playdates playdates, as many playdates as possible so you get as many invites back as possible.

Oh, no kids?

Then OMG so much. I would read and read and read. Read outdoors in the garden or in a park. Read in bed. Read on the sofa.
I'd try out new recipes
I'd practice new make up looks and hairstyles
I'd have a whole day where I did nothing but watch LOTR
Go on long, long dog walks across the countryside
Go up to London and walk around the natural history museum, the science museum, (free)Westminster Abbey, the tower of London (not free) or just stroll along Westminster bridge and tower bridge (free)
Walk on the beach, paddle in the sea
Go out at night to the woods and sit in a vehicle with a flask of hot chocolate, just wildlife spotting
Join a gym with a swim-only membership (cheaper than a full membership and many gyms with pools offer them) and just swim lengths and then use the sauna and steam rooms for ages.
Sit somewhere busy and just people watch
Chat random shit on internet forums
Stay up all night getting drunk and talking crap with friends and then sleep all day
Learn a new skill like knitting or something
Stalk old boyfriends on Facebook
Wonder round the laines in Brighton if you're anywhere near, or just find a street with amazing old charity shops and old bookshops and just browse all day
Get on a VR headset and play crazy games online with friends
Forage for mushrooms and nuts and fruits and wild herbs etc then go home and Google what you can cook with it all
Rescue some chickens and keep them in the back garden
See if your local tip has a shop where they sell crap people have thrown away, take it home and upcycle it then either keep it or sell it to make money for more books

That's all I've got for now but there is so much you can do. And before anyone starts yesterday I know you can do most of the above with kids, and I have!

Buddy up. When me and exdp were broke, we took it in turns to have friends round for Sunday brunch. Baked beans, piles of buttery toast, scrambled eggs and sometimes bubble and squeaky, huge mugs of tea. Pop some music on, play a game

Then a few weeks later, your friends host.

The other things I can think of OP, I’m also on a low income and only have £10 a week for myself for any treats. I’m interested in other suggestions. What’s your age, I’m 50 but I’ve been on a budget for a long time.

I don’t have a museum art gallery or theatre where I live so not even an option. So I occasionally go to the cinema daytime showing reduced price. Take a drink with me and the parking is free.

join the library. with mine I can access Libby online so can also read ebooks, audiobooks and all the monthly magazines. The magazines are such a treat as if I go in a shop I can’t afford one.

I also use a local little lending library so in the last couple of years all my books have been free ones. I read and return, I read a book a week to keep busy.

do you have a garden? I try to get outside in mine as much as I can I’ve been sitting out in it with a hot drink even on the cold days. I also do birdwatching, sunsets, sunrises, walls around the block to see trees I like.

I also do jigsaw puzzles. Not the most interesting but if I’m feeling low and lonely I can at least get a jigsaw out. Sadly there is a cost but I get them from a local cheaper charity shop (the ones closest to me is really expensive). But the one in the not so nice area the jigsaws are Approx £1.50 and BOGOF. So I get a handful once every six weeks or so when I’m passing that side of town as I have to drive to that shop.

new to me but I’ve also started scrapbooking. I had a whole ton of card making stuff that I got cheap off of eBay as someone was having a clear out. So I’ve bought a scrapbook (£3.50) and now I’m doing a couple of pages of that once a month. If you like photos Snapfish do free prints per month (just pay postage) so I’m started to get a few in to use for craft projects like this.

im finding the tv rubbish at the moment so I’m just selecting films that show up here and there abd listening to the radio a lot more. There’s operas on radio three regularly, not my sort of thing I thought, which I’ve enjoyed. I know to see them even at the cinema is really expensive and so I listen at home.

Look at local independent cinemas, I found out recently that one a bus ride away from us does regular pay as you feel showings and it’s a behold cinema.

I have the tesco credit card and tesco club card both get points. I use the cc to pay for everything I can then pay it off in full each month even got a separate bank account I transfer the money I spend on the card as I go as if spending from normal bank account. Mainly food and petrol shops. Now and again do tesco shop if they have stuff I want on offer. Had free meal yesterday at Ask. Look at hotukdeals they have a freebie page for free offers

Sex is the obvious answer to me too 🤣

If there is a Gail's near you, you can have a free hot drink when you download the app. I had a flat white and it was really nice!

We have an allotment - that’s fun but not in the cold
crafting
quilt making using old clothes / shirts
sketch pad and some watercolours
geocaching
we started ticking off all the castles in our county - must continue

Also geocaching

Library
Local history club
I’m part of a local church and Sundays and a once a week home group really help me feel sociable and connected

Oh yeah and sex. All the sex. So much sex and all day long.
Oh for those early relationship, pre-kid days when you would just be in bed all day, snacking and watching crap on TV in between having all the sex. Seeing how many times a day you could do it and how many different ways, then trying to beat your own record.
Good times.

I like to sit in a cafe with a book, even better if it's a cafe with a view

Don't want to sound rude but does foodcycle get people from all walks of life, I don't want to turn up if it's predominantly people who are reliant on food banks or homeless even. Not because I don't want to associate with them but because I don't want to take away from them if im not as in need.

Some fabulous ideas on here.

Volunteer at a local care home keep some elderly people happy and there's always tea and biscuits on offer probably a free meal every now and then too.

Countryside walks - lovey in the winter as long as it’s not raining! Back home for a home made hot chocolate (or stop at a cafe or pub if you prefer/ have the funds).

Immerse yourself in a good book - at home or in the local library.

Not our one, quite a mixed bag. Quite a few elderly people who live alone. It’s advertised as more of a community meal, rather than as a substitute for a food bank. Obviously I don’t know about other areas ours is mixed, I’d say most that go don’t ‘need’ the meal more the company. Some are partners/kids/relatives of the volunteers

It’s 2 drinks EACH MONTH for the year, plus cake on your birthday.
And all the discount for the plantstc….

Volunteer at a festival! You pay a deposit which you get back so you go for free! You need a tent but it's so much fun!

Did a too good to go order today - cost me £2.50 and 3 of us had a very hearty lunch! Highly recommend it.

when my children were small i signed up for volunteer litter picking with the council. We were sent a pack containing everything we needed plus a big box of tea bags and other incentives. Loved that. However, because I was on the councils list of volunteers I was also offered a volunteering role at a weekend festival.

Oooh I'll get this- I'm not a JL shopper but I have a voucher and this will help!

I'm a huge fan of audiobooks from the library via Libby and BorrowBox apps.
Listen to a book while going for a walk is my treat.

Also as others have said, volunteering. Can be very sociable and for me a volunteer role led to a career and life change.

There are friendly free drop-in clubs that meet in our town - games, crafts, environmental.

Loving all the ideas on here.

I'm not skint but my hobbies are all cheap or free:
Run.
Walk.
Wild swim.
All of the above with friends or groups.
Bird/insect/nature spotting
Drawing/painting using YouTube tutorials
Reread every book you own and swap out all the ones you don't think you'll read a third time with friends/bookswap places
Volunteer with a local wildlife charity to plant trees or other labour needed
Potluck dinners with friends
Beach-combing
YouTube workouts to get fit/strong/coordinated
Foraging (e.g. mushrooms, using books/apps)
Write a novel, memoirs or research a paper about something you wished you understood.
Learn a language with online resources or conversation groups if they exist locally

The library near me has a free coffee morning every week and some sweet old chap bought a box of chocolates as it was Valentine’s Day last week for everyone to share. He is a widower and talked about his wife with such fondness.

I volunteer at a church who cook a two course lunch every week. People from all walks of life attend. Mainly older people but a few younger, its main aim is to combat loneliness and for people who are on low incomes but everyone is welcome.