Explore the world of free fun! Who says you need money to have a good time? Not here! Forget the idea that fun always costs something. We’re proving that wrong. Because who doesn’t love having a blast without spending a dime? Get ready to discover many awesome activities that won’t cost you a thing.
There are hundreds of things you can do when you have no money to spend. You will have a lot of fun doing these no-money experiences and creating memories with these no-money activities.
It doesn’t matter whether you’re building up your emergency fund, saving for retirement, or paying off debt. You will save money in the process that you can use towards your (financial) goals.
20 Fun Things To Do With No Money
Here are wonderful things to do with no money. These unique and amazing ideas will keep you entertained without spending any money. Your cash will stay in your pocket, and you will still have loads of fun!
1. Make A Bucket List
A bucket list should be the number 1 thing that you do. Think about what you want to do in your life.
You can create different lists for one month, one year, five years, or even your entire lifetime. The sky is the limit!
What are the things in life that you really want to do?
Don’t worry if some of these things will cost you money, that’s something you can figure out later.
The fun part is thinking about what you want to do and making your list.
2. Head To The Library
Frugal lifehack: when in doubt, go to the library.
Libraries are incredible sources of fun and free things. You can find (e)books, music, videos, games, and they may also host some events.
Many libraries have movie nights, author readings, and many more events you may want to attend. Check at the library what they have to offer.
This is a great source of free activities in your town or city. Every city will have some kind of free activity throughout the year. Check the website of your town for free activities.
To have more options, you can check the ones from cities or towns nearby. You will be surprised how many free things you can do in your area.
Invite your local friends and have fun!
4. Listen To A Podcast
Podcasts are a great way to learn about a topic in a fun and engaging way for free. I personally love and devour them.
Listening to podcasts on your commute, while you’re doing things around the house, or just sitting around relaxing and listening to podcasts.
Check out these amazing personal finance podcasts that will teach you everything about finances, money, and investing.
5. Explore Like A Tourist
Often we go to explore other parts of the country or even other parts of the world. It may be good to find fun things to do close to home.
Have you ever explored your home city as a tourist? When you are traveling, the way we explore is very different. Grab a tourist guide or check online for any no-money activities available.
Your local sports community often has sports games and leagues that are going on throughout the year.
Watch a game or two when you are feeling it. When you feel like you want to be involved more, check to participate or join as a volunteer.
7. Volunteer
Find something that you get excited about and approach your local organization for some volunteering.
Many great organizations are always looking for people that can help and support their cause.
8. Get Outside
Getting outside is one of the major things we do to get both movement and fresh air.
When you’re looking for ways to save money, this is one of the top tips for a frugal life.
Pro tip: if you want to get fit while outside, try this 30-day beginner plank challenge. You will feel strong and motivated afterward. The best thing? It’s completely free.
9. Call A Friend
When I was younger, we’re talking 10 years ago, I was constantly calling with my friends. I mean, like hours on end talking. With the friends that I had been in school with for the entire day.
Pick up your phone and call a friend.
They will love it. Plus, you will come up with some other fun things to do rather quickly!
10. Create A Walking Tour
Do you know how many big cities have a walking tour available when you visit them? You can do that yourself!
Check the historical and cultural highlights in your city and walk around to see them. Do some research on the history, and you will be much wiser at the end of the day.
When the weather is good, pack your lunch and go for a picnic in the park.
11. Take Photos
Unleash your creative self and take your camera or phone to take pictures. Take pictures of anything and everything that you think is interesting. Plus, take lots of them.
You can check later if you have taken anything beautiful or compelling.
You can use those pictures for any crafts projects, phone wallpaper, or make your own cards. The options are endless!
12. Start A Blog
You can use services like Blogger or WordPress when you want to start a blog for free. This will make your URL something like yourname.blogger.com or yourname.wordpress.com.
Start with such a service and start a blog.
It will be a ton of fun, you will meet many great people with the same passion and improve your writing skills. Perhaps you will also earn some income later on (crazy, I know!).
13. Visit A Museum Or Zoo
Check your local museum or zoo, many of them will be free.
If there are no free museums or zoos that you like, a couple of them will probably have free entry days. They will often be free a fixed day per week or have a free day more often.
Another great tip: check your local library. They could have museum passes that they loan out.
There are many options to enjoy museums or zoos free of charge!
14. Go Hiking
Have some free local fun and go hiking! Find a hiking trail near you and simply go.
Don’t forget, snacks, water, and sunscreen.
15. Take A Ride On Your Bike
Do you own a bike? This would be the perfect time to take it outside and go for a bike ride.
Riding your bike is a great way to get some exercise without going to the gym.
Alternatively, biking could be a great way to get some daily movement in if you’re normally driving to work. For me personally, I bike to work for around 40 minutes every day. It wakes me up, and it gets me some daily exercise.
When you’re using your bike a lot, there may be some maintenance costs. However, I can assure you that maintaining a car is more expensive.
16. Check Your House For Maintenance
Check your home monthly for small maintenance tasks. If you find something that is not working correctly, write it down, and you can assess all of those at the same time.
This will be great to make sure your home is still functioning optimally, and you will be enjoying it.
16. Read A Book
There are thousands of books out there, and I bet you have some favorites in your house. Pick one and read it!
If you want to read something new, ask a friend or go to your local library. Are you looking for free books for kids, try out these genius methods!
17. Do A Photoshoot
There is nothing more fun than doing a photo shoot. Whether it’s with your friends, partner, or family – fun is guaranteed.
Bring out your inner top model and go posing in front of the camera.
When you rather be on the other side of the camera, take pictures of your kids or your friends. That will save you tons of money in the long run, by not having to buy any school or sports photos for your family, for example.
18. Neighborhood Cleanup
While we’re decluttering our house, why not declutter our neighborhood?
This can be very simple: walk through your neighborhood and pick up the litter (you may want to take a pair of gloves with you).
You leave the area beautiful, clean, and everyone can enjoy it!
19. Start A Journal
Journaling is a powerful tool that can help you with many things.
Journaling will help you to:
- Get clarity.
- Organize your thoughts.
- Make you feel calmer.
- Solve your problems by thinking them through.
- Increase creativity.
This is not an exhaustive list by any means. There are many more benefits of journaling. These are simply the ones that I noticed over time.
Grab an old notebook and a pen, start your journal today!
Here are my tips on how to start your gratitude journal.
20. Go For A Swim
After your nap, you’re ready to wake up again and go outside for a bit.
What is better than going swimming? Most towns have a public swimming pool, a public pond, or anything of the like.
It is a great way to spend time with friends and loved ones. Swimming is the best thing to do for fun, plus it’s often free.
Fun Things To Do Without Spending Money
We have gotten very deep into things to do with no money. This list gives you enough ideas about what to do when you have a no-spend week or month.
If this list teaches you anything, I hope it’s this: you can have the best time without spending any money. You don’t need to spend money to have fun. Saving money is easy and fun.
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Founder of Spark Nomad, Radical FIRE, Journalist
Expertise: Personal finance and travel content
Education: Bachelor of Economics at Radboud University, Master in Finance at Radboud University, Minor in Economics at Chapman University.
Over 200 articles, essays, and short stories published across the web.
Experience: Marjolein Dilven is a journalist and founder of Radical FIRE, a personal finance platform, and Spark Nomad, a travel platform. Marjolein has a finance and economics background with a master’s in Finance. She has quit her job to travel the world, documenting her travels on Spark Nomad to help people plan their travels. Marjolein Dilven has written for publications like MSN, Associated Press, CNBC, Town News syndicate, and more.
