Calling all weekend warriors! Do you find yourself spending a good chunk of your money on the weekends? We’ve been there. In this article, we will walk you through some of our favorite free weekend activities to help save you money AND keep you entertained. 🙂

First things first though, why do the majority of people spend so much money on the weekends? Well, people are so willing to do some excessive card swiping because they naturally feel happier on the weekends: no work, their time is their own. So they want to maximize happiness levels by buying everything they could want and or need.

This is only a bandaid though. Often, people who hate their jobs the most are coincidentally the ones spending the most. This is a mechanism for them to receive instant gratification and forget the troubling feeling that their job may bring.

Regardless if you love or hate your job, here are some of our favorite frugal ways to spend the weekend.

Exporing

It sounds silly, but there are few things I enjoy more than just finding new places to go see. There are so many undiscovered places close to you that you would have no idea about without exploring. Jake, Jam and I make a point of trying to find new trails, lakes, ponds, and viewpoints on a regular basis.

Finding Free Events

I mentioned this once before in this article, specifically point #6. If you aren’t on your city or town’s facebook page, you definitely should be. I would even urge you to join neighboring cities and towns to take advantage of any freebies. This is where they will announce any free or highly discounted events. For example, Jake and I found out about an entirely free concert happening just a few towns over.

Also, check in with your employer to see if they offer any free tickets or at least discounted. There have been times when Jake and I received free sports tickets, free museum tickets and free movie tickets from our employers just by asking.

Meetup.com

Meetup.com is a site meant to bring people together. It’s where people who have common interests can schedule a date to “meet up” and talk about said interest. Rarely have I seen a meetup cost money.

Jake and I go to real estate meetups all the time in order to learn more and grow our network. We love hearing what has and hasn’t worked for other people, especially those who have invested in our area.

Learning New Recipes

Jake may say he can’t cook, but don’t believe him. The boy has skills.

Recently, we have been really trying to make our house as plant-based as possible. Since both of us were dairy and meat consumers for the majority of our lives, this is new territory for us. We like to find some mouth-watering recipes on Pinterest or Instagram that we have all the ingredients for (or close enough where we can make minor substitutions) and recreate these recipes.

We just made the most amazing lentil steak last night that was eerily similar in texture to the real thing.

This is a fun way to spend time together and the end result means a full belly which is always wonderful. 🙂

Self-Educating

Rainy weekends make me want to stay in sweatpants all day and get cozy. My trade off with myself for not leaving the couch all day is that I have to learn one new, beneficial thing that I am interested in. Heck, sometimes Jake and I even spend sunny weekends inside learning because it has become sort of an addiction at this point. We want to learn the most we possibly can and put it into action.

Anyways, we use OverDrive to get free ebooks and audiobooks. You can also visit your local library if you want to borrow a hard copy for free.

But if you want to dive into a lesson plan or have someone directly teach you about a topic, we have used the following sites:

• Edx: This website was founded by MIT and Harvard to help share free learning materials and courses with the world. Now there are over 100 colleges and companies providing free materials to help people learn about a wide variety of topics.
  • Jake and I have both taken classes in R, Python and Storytelling.
  • The classes are entirely free. You have the option of paying a small fee for an actual certificate of completion which may be worth it if you’re trying to further your career in a specific field but if it’s just for fun then that may be unnecessary
• Code Academy: Everything is in the name with this one. This website allows you to learn how to code (in many different coding languages) for no cost. You can upgrade to their premium for a fee however you have access to so much free information that it really may not be necessary for you.
  • This site also offers classes in design, game development, web development and programming.
• Khan Academy: This website was created by a non-profit company whose main goal is to spread access to free education. On Khan, you can access classes in all sorts of topics. Whether it is mathematics, history, economics, finance or computing, they have a class for you.
  • It is completely free once you sign up!!
  • My favorite class from Khan so far has been the Pixar in a Box class. This allowed me to see behind the scenes how a Pixar movie is created.

If you prefer in person lessons, then it’s worth mentioning that I have seen free classes hosted by towns and community colleges. They usually happen at night during the week but it is worth checking out any near you to see if they’re something you would like.

Needless to say, there are dozens of websites that allow you to learn for completely free. Take advantage of these free opportunities and use them to fine tune a skill that you want to be able to use more effectively. And hey, maybe this is the perfect opportunity to learn a skill that could turn into a side hustle! 🙂

Hiking & Camping

Ok, so the latter of the two may not be free if you have to buy all of the gear and pay a campsite fee, but once you get over the initial cost of gear then all you have to do is find free campsites.

Hiking and camping are both great opportunities to get outside and get some exercise. I find both activities incredibly regenerating. Being in nature provides me with a peace-of-mind that I can’t always get by being in the city. Whether or not something is weighing you down, I urge you to give either of the two a try.

Hiking has a lower barrier to entry and there are all sorts of trails out there for beginners. You can choose the trail you hike based on your own preferences: Do you want a view of a body of water? Do you want to hit multiple peaks? There are plenty of hikes out there, all you have to do is google ones near you.

Camping does require a bit more gear. If you don’t want to buy it right away, see if you can borrow some friends gear or rent some from a local outdoor shop. Some camping gear that you may need includes:

• Tent
• Camp chairs (some campsite provide a picnic table so you don’t even need these!)
• Lantern/Flashlights
• First Aid Kits
• Sleeping matts
• Sleeping bags

Give hiking or camping a shot, if you like being outside and getting some exercise then odds are you won’t regret it. 🙂

Final Thoughts

Whether you choose something mentioned on the list above or you come up with some fresh new ideas, it is important to remember that weekends are not just for spending all of the hard-earned money you just made during the week. Instead, I challenge you to learn or try something new. You never know how much you may like it! 🙂

Have you ever tried any of the activities listed above? Or better yet, do you have any other frugal weekend activities? Let me know in the comments!!

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