If you’re trying to live minimally and pay off your debts, you are going to have a tight budget. But that doesn’t mean you stop living. There are plenty of things you can do for little to no cost and still have money to save. The more you save, the more you can get ahead on paying off student loans, repaying fast cash loans to cover those unexpected medical bills, or simply saving for a rainy day.
Here are some activities you can have fun doing even when you have a tight budget.
1. Free Local Concerts
Most communities have a gazebo or park where they host free concerts throughout the year. You can hear local bands play these concerts, and you can set up a picnic table during these shows. You might go to local shows in a local theater, or you could go to free concerts that are held as big fundraisers.
When you go to these local concerts, you can spend all night eating and drinking with friends. You do not need to pay for tickets, and you might make a small donation to the charity. You can write off that donation at the end of the year, and you did not spend a small fortune on tickets.
2. Discounted Family Activities
There are community events and discounted family activities that you might enjoy during the year. These events allow you to bring your kids to a free festival, or you might go to a carnival where you spend pennies and nickels to get on rides. There are times when you might want to go to a local theme park that opens in the summer, or you could visit local churches that host summer and fall festivals throughout the year.
There are also family activities that are hosted by the community during the holidays. Some parks will have skating rinks, and communities in colder climates may set up skating rinks on frozen lakes.
3. Bake at Home
If you are baking at home, you can have a family cake and cookie decorating contest every week. Baking with the family can become a tradition, and it is much cheaper to bake at home than buy your baked goods from a pastry shop. You will hone your baking skills, and you will teach your kids how to bake at the same time.
You can bake cookies for every holiday, and you can invite the neighborhood kids over for a cookie decorating contest. You can bake cookies for the seniors that live up the street, or you might take all your baked goods to a local shelter that needs food and treats for its residents.
4. Invest in Theme Park Passes
When you invest in theme park passes, you are buying into a pass that you can use all year long. You get a significant discount compared to the cost of a daily pass, and you can use these passes for discounts at shops in the park. Plus, these passes may verify your parking, give you discounts on rides, or admit you to special events without an extra ticket.
5. Go to A College Sporting Event
Going to a college game is often cheaper on the secondhand market because you can buy tickets from a student or get cheaper tickets in the upper bowl of a big stadium. You can go to a tailgate before the game, and you can hang out in local bars or restaurants after the game. A college game is a cheap way for you to get a big group together, and you can tour the college campus if you want.
Conclusion
The activities that you choose from the list above can fill your calendar for the year. You can take the family to local concerts, free events, and college games for little to no money. You can invest in theme park passes that are much cheaper than the cost of a daily pass, and you can bring big groups to each event. Plan your yearly calendar using these tips so that you have money left over to get ahead financially in other areas of your life.