If you’re on a tight budget, paying off debt, or just financially conservative, you may be hesitant to spend too much having fun. If you're in this boat, check out these free and low-cost ways to save money on entertainment.
After a hard week of work or college, you likely want to relax a bit and unwind. But if you’re on a tight budget, paying off debt, or just financially conservative, you may be hesitant to spend too much. For example, fifteen years ago, when my husband and I were newly married and on a tight budget, we went out to a Mexican restaurant with some co-workers. There were no prices on the menu; when our bill came, our tab was $65. I wanted to cry because I knew the damage that tab would do to our meager budget.
However, we’ve become wiser and more creative since then. We’ve found there are plenty of free and low-cost ways to have fun. Having fun can be enjoyable when you know you won’t be wrecking your budget.
Free Entertainment Options
The best entertainment options are the free ones! Here are some of our favorites:
Join a Book Club
A book club offers you the chance, once a month, to read a good book and get together with friends to discuss it. If you ask around, you may find a friend who is part of a book club and will extend you an invitation to join her club. Or, you could start your own! Our public library also has a monthly book club. I’ve joined a book club that meets online, so you can join the discussion whenever you have time during the day or two it’s time to discuss.
Go Hiking
We’re lucky to live in the Southwest desert, so there is no shortage of hiking trails, all of which are free. No matter where you live, there are likely available hiking trails that you can utilize. This offers the best of both worlds—you get to exercise for free (yay for no gym membership!) and you get to be out in nature.
Geocaching
If you have a GPS device, you can join in the fun of geocaching. Simply go to the website, register for free, and choose a geocache to investigate. Think of geocaching like an outdoor treasure hunt. You find the treasure at specific GPS coordinates.
The fun is in the journey and in finding the cache once you get there, which isn’t always easy, especially if it is camouflaged. Once you find the cache, write your name on the log and continue on your way. Next weekend you may be ready for another geocache expedition.
Once you get used to basic geocaching, you can pick more challenging routes or different types of geocaching like puzzle caches—you need to solve a puzzle before you can get to the cache. There are many, many other types of geocaches you can participate in to keep the game from getting dull such as Mega-Event Cache where more than 500 people participate.
I have a friend who has 7 kids, and she and her husband find geocaching on the weekends as a family a great, free way to keep themselves and the kids entertained. Plus, they’re teaching their kids important life lessons like how to navigate and how to safely hike to geocaching locations.
Game Night with Friends
At my former job, a co-worker and his wife had monthly game days. All day long, anyone could stop in and play a game when it was convenient. People would stop by all day long and stay for a few hours to play games and snack. If you don’t want to have your house open all day as they did, you could have a game night for a few hours once a month. Have all of your guests bring a snack and their favorite game, and you have a free night of entertainment.
Free Concerts or Movies
In the summer, many communities offer free movies and concerts. This is a great way to get into the outdoors and enjoy free entertainment. If you live in a college town, you may even be able to find free book readings and free concerts all year long.
Free Passes from the Library
If you have a public library card, check if your library offers free tickets to attractions around the city. Our library offers two free passes for each library patron each day to local museums, theaters, and other events. In addition, they offer attractions to the large city two hours away, providing patrons with plenty of free entertainment.
Low Cost Entertainment Options
While there are plenty of free entertainment options, sometimes you’ll want to change up what you do for fun and spend a little cash. There are many ways to stretch your money, though, so entertainment isn’t so expensive.
Selectively Go Out to Restaurants
The problem with free entertainment options is that sometimes you have friends who would prefer to go out to eat. You can still do this, but just take steps to make it more frugal. If you feel comfortable doing so, consider splitting a meal with a friend. (My mom goes out to eat several times a week because she doesn’t like cooking for just herself. She always splits a meal, and even with tip, her tab is usually under $10.) Or, go out for coffee or dessert instead of a full meal.
Use Costco Restaurant Gift Cards
If you have a Costco membership, and you like to eat out, consider using the Costco restaurant gift cards. Typically, you’ll pay $80 for $100 worth of gift cards, saving you $20. If you don’t have a Costco membership, your membership can be paid for with just three gift card purchases. Any more than that, you’ll be saving money with a membership, not to mention all the other items you can buy there to save money (but that’s another post).
Get a Movie Pass
Love to see movies but hate the price? Consider getting a MoviePass for just $9.95 a month or $6.99 a month if you buy an annual subscription (plus additional processing fee). You are allowed to see one movie a day, every day of the month! You’ll need to check if your theater accepts MoviePass because some don’t, but most do. If you’re a die-hard movie fan, this is a great way to get your fix on the cheap.
Hit the Discount Movie Theater
If you don’t go to the movies enough to warrant a MoviePass, consider going to the discount movie theater. You can likely go to see a movie for just $2 to $5. If you pass up the concession stand, this is frugal entertainment!
Joining a Biking or Running Club
Many of these clubs are free to join, but you’ll need to pay for your equipment. Still, this can be an excellent way to stay in shape, increase your motivation, and make new friends. When my friend was in her 20s, she joined a kayaking club. Most weekends, she’d be out on the rivers kayaking with other club members. She made friends there that she still has today.
If you’re living on a budget, there is no reason to live an austere life in the name of financial prudence. Instead, search for the many free and low-cost options in your area. You’ll find you can have fun and stay within your budget.
