You may be bored at home right now, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t some fun & free things you can be doing! 

Some of these can be done with friends, some are creative based, and some are designed to help you relax or uplevel your life. 

Without further ado, here are 30 things you can do at home when you’re bored (and low on funds!)

Creative Things To Do At Home

I love doing crafty and creative things! Usually time passes so fast once you get into something creative.

Teach Yourself A Crafty Skill

We usually buy craft supplies with the best of intentions. Paint supplies, scrapbooking supplies, maybe yarn for knitting or crochet. Now is a great time to get creative and teach yourself whatever crafty skill you’ve been wanting to learn. Youtube is your friend in this circumstance! 

Make A Time Capsule

This one can be especially fun with kids! Make a time capsule by writing letters to yourself. Write about current news stories or your favorite song, it can be whatever you want! Challenge yourself to wait at least a few years before you open it and then you can see what’s changed – burying it is not required but it could be fun

Make Home Movies

Now that basically everyone has a phone that you can record on, make some home movies! Learn how to edit using free programs like iMovie.

Learn Magic Tricks

Ever wonder how some of the most popular magic tricks are done? Now is a great time to learn! Search “how to do magic” on YouTube and check out the videos!

Creative Writing

Writing is a great hobby that is totally free! Use a word doc, or an old fashioned pen and paper. You can write poetry, fiction or nonfiction, it’s up to you! Don’t worry if it’s not “good”, the act of writing itself is what helps you get better at it. 

Play With Lego

Have you (or your parents) saved all your lego from when you were a kid? I know we have! Lose yourself for a couple of hours and build whatever your heart desires. 

Free Things To Do At Home With Friends

Whether you’re able to meet up together at someone’s house, or you have to meet online, all of these things are super fun to do with your friends and don’t cost a thing

Play Board Games

Who doesn’t have at least one board game lying around? We love Catan, Ticket To Ride, Yahtzee and Skip-bo. Chances are you or your friends already have games you can play. If you have to play virtually, we have successfully played Scattergories online; the person who owns the game texts the cards to each person playing, and then you play over Facetime or Google Hangouts! If someone has a JackBox game subscription that is really fun too!

Happy Hour

Virtual or in real life, have a happy hour with any drinks or concoctions you can make with what you already have! Chit chat and enjoy!

Book Club

Book clubs can be a lot of fun! You don’t even have to read a new book, I’m currently in a group where we chat about Harry Potter – we’ve all read it several times! If you do choose a new book, try to borrow it from someone or get it through your local library! Meet in person or on Zoom

Good Ole Fashioned Phone Call

Remember when you used to chat on the phone for hours? Me too! Why not dial up a friend and chit chat on the phone if you can’t meet up in real life. Call your parents, grand parents, siblings, or friends (chances are they are bored too!).

Have A Sing-a-long

Gather your friends in real life or on zoom and have a sing a long or karaoke session! Belt it out as loud as you can and have fun with it. Disney songs are perfect for this, you likely know the words already ;). 

Yummy Things To Do At Home

I find that cooking & baking are a lot more fun when you have lots of time! And who doesn’t love eating?!

Bake Something New

Try your hand at baking something you’ve never made before. Bread, cupcakes, pie, muffins, anything goes! Challenge yourself to make something with ingredients you already have.

Recreate Your Favorite Restaurant Menu Item

I know it won’t be exactly the same, but we love trying to recreate things we ate at our favorite restaurants (especially Disney food!). Look at the menu to get the menu to get an idea of the ingredients, or Google “____ copycat recipe”, chances are you’ll find something!

Have A Picnic

You don’t have to go to a park or beach to have a picnic, you can have one at home! Eat on your balcony or in your yard. Sometimes a change in perspective makes it more exciting. 

Meal Plan

I know, I said these would be fun things to do! But meal planning CAN be fun. No?Just me? When making a meal plan you can look for different recipes, and maybe you’ll choose a theme night where you’ll make food from different countries. Just try it

Fun Things To Do For Travel Lovers

You guys all know I LOVE traveling! But what about all those times you have to be at home? Here are some fun things to do at home when you’re missing travel.

Plan Your Next Vacation

Us travel lovers usually have a rolling list of places we want to visit. But you can actually start to plan them before you ever book a plane ticket! Scope out the area you want to stay in, things you want to do, great places to eat and how you’ll get around.

Make A Travel Bucket List

It can be a list of places you want to go in your life, or in the next 5 years! 3 years ago when I started this blog, my husband and I each wrote down 3 places we wanted to go in the next 5 years! We’ve gone to Disney, but haven’t made it to the other places (we almost made it to Europe, damnit covid!)

Watch Travel Documentaries

What better way to get inspired to travel than to watch other people travel? We like Rick Steves, & Departures. 

Watch YouTube Videos

Similar to documentaries, just smaller budgets There are lots of vlogs out there! Including mine We also enjoy TheTimTracker for our Disney fix!

Check Out Webcams

Did you realize you can check out webcams of other cities online? Even some aquariums and zoos have webcams where you can check in on the fish and animals.

We have some great webcams around Nova Scotia as well!

Relaxing Things To Do At Home

We all need a little RnR – rest and relaxation that is! Sometimes you just can’t have a weekend getaway or a spa day, so here’s what you can do at home for some “you time”.

Watch Classic Movies

I know watching a movie isn’t the most original suggestion, but why not check out some classic movies you haven’t seen? Maybe check out the American Film Institute’s top 100 American films!

Stargazing

Looking for something fun to do at night? Head outside (on a clear night, obviously) and check out the stars! There are free apps that will tell you what the heck you are looking at. If you live in the city, you may have to go for a little drive (don’t forget to pack snacks!).

Do Puzzles

Most people find puzzles relaxing, if not somewhat infuriating at times. I know I always get sucked in for hours! It’s nice to stare at something other than a screen for a while.

Bath & Face Mask

What’s more relaxing than a bath? I love soaking in the tub, sometimes I read a book or listen to a podcast. You can also do a face mask before or after your bath. Here is my fav DIY face mask recipe.

DIY Mani & Pedi

After that lovely bath, why not do a DIY manicure and pedicure while you’re at it? You can make an easy sugar scrub with some olive oil and sugar to get rid of dead skin, and then paint those nails! 

Meditation

This one will probably take some practice, but meditation can be so relaxing! Try finding a comfortable place to sit and focus on your breathing. The goal of meditation isn’t to have zero thoughts, it’s to become more mindful. This guide on how to meditate for beginners is super helpful! 

Free Ways To Up-Level Your Life

You don’t have to buy a course or pay for a coach to up-level your life! These options are free, and fun.

Listen To Podcasts

There are literally podcasts about anything and everything! You can choose something that you’re interested in, or something you want to learn more about. I love

• Harry Potter & The Sacred Text
• The Travel Mug Podcast (psst. This podcast is mine, but it’s SO much fun!)
• Rope Drop Radio
• We Regret To Inform You
• Under The Influence

Exercise

There are plenty of ways to exercise that are free! Running or walking is basically free – you likely already have a pair of sneakers! The Couch to 5K app is great for running beginners. There are also free YouTube videos for a variety of workouts like yoga, kettlebell and HIIT.

Free Courses

I never knew how many free online courses there were until I looked! Even Harvard is offering some free courses. There is a variety and you can choose from whatever interests you! I also love Udemy – lots of great options for free courses here as well (my husband used free & paid Udemy courses to make a career change!).

Make A Vision Board

This year I made a digital vision board on a free website called Canva. I made it using their free photos and it’s the background of my laptop so I see it everyday! You can easily print it, or make a vision board with paper and old magazines. Either way, spend some time visualizing what you want.

Final Thoughts

Wow! Who knew there were so many things to do at home when you’re bored? All of these activities are perfect if you’re doing a no-spend month as well.

Let me know what free activities you’ve been up to!

I thought the month would feel long and difficult but it wasn’t too bad. I definitely learned a lot about how to avoid my triggers. After the month was over we were able to put $1200 directly onto our debt, plus our regular payment of $780. That felt SO good. It’s also encouraging to know that for some reason if our income declined by a bit, we’d be okay financially without dipping into our emergency fund.

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Here are my best tips for a successful No Spend Month!

• Unsubscribe from emails. The last thing you want when you’re trying to stop shopping is an email about a sale at your fav store. Seriously just unsubscribe; chances are you don’t even need what they are selling anyway.
• Don’t go window shopping – online or in person. If you can stop the habit of browsing when you are bored, it will cut down on impulse purchases.
• Take inventory of what you already have. You might think you need toothpaste or something like that, but you may already have some just lost in your medicine cabinet or linen closet.
• In order to save money on groceries you need to meal plan. This was a huge struggle for me. I had meal planned for all our suppers but totally didn’t plan anything for breakfasts and lunches. You don’t have to plan out exactly what you’ll have everyday but it’s helpful to have a list of options. It will also help with my other struggle, which is grabbing lunch on my way to work.
• Be grateful for what you already have. Instead of focusing on things you want, enjoy the things you have already!
• Remember why you are doing this – you have a goal in mind and this is the way to get there!

Related: What To Do During A No Spend Month

Final Thoughts

A no spend month was a great way to make progress on your goals! Have you done a no spend month? Do you have any advice?

First of all, what is a no spend challenge? It’s a period of time where you commit to spending as little as possible! No take out, no shopping and no impulse buys! It’s a great way to jumpstart your debt repayment or savings goals.

Just because you’re not spending money doesn’t mean you can’t have any fun! I wrote last week about no spend date night ideas, but here’s some ideas that aren’t for dates! It’s a great time to be productive or try new things.

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Things to do on a no spend month or week!

• Puzzle
• Clean out your inbox
• Take a free online course
• Meditate
• Hike
• Make a vision board
• Have a friend over for coffee
• Read
• Weed your garden
• Clean your house
• Update your resume
• Bake something
• Meal plan
• Free online yoga / workout
• Take a bath
• Visit someone
• Clean out your closet
• Play a board game
• Have a picnic
• Go for a walk / run
• Volunteer
• Finish a project you’ve been putting off
• Visit the library
• Rearrange furniture
• Declutter
• Learn to play an instrument on YouTube
• Host a potluck
• Volunteer
• Find a free museum
• Clean your car
• Do it yourself manicure and pedicure
• Make a budget
• Read blogs
• Go to open houses and dream
• Go to the beach
• Geocaching
• Go to the playground
• Find free local events / festivals
• Create your bucket list
• Write – a blog or a book or in a journal
• Host a clothing swap
• Learn calligraphy

Stuck at home? Here’s 30 fun & free things you can do at home!

Final Thoughts

Hope this helps inspire you to have lots of fun during your no spend month! We’ve been doing lots of visiting, LOTS of watching Olympics, writing, and decluttering. Do you have anything to add to my list?

Here’s what I thought about our No Spend Month when it was over!

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Make Your Own Cards

We’ve done this before. I usually go for something cheesy like “Do you play Quidditch, because you look like a keeper!”

Play a Board Game

One of our favorite pastimes! I’m sure you have some games or a deck of cards in your house somewhere.

Arts and Crafts

You probably have some art supplies lying around! Head over to Pinterest for inspiration!

Go on a Hike

A hike is such a great way to spend an afternoon! Even if it’s winter where you are, here in Halifax NS you can borrow snow shoes for free from many places.

Video Games

Go for a retro date night and dig out your old Nintendo 64 and play! Bonus points if you still have bean bag chairs hanging around!

Free Museum Nights

Lots of museums have a “free” night or a “pay what you wish” night! They’re usually crowded so get there early.

Geocaching

I’ve never tried this before but apparently it’s the world’s largest treasure hunt! Their website will help you get started https://www.geocaching.com/play

Cook Together

Of course you’ll have to buy some groceries for this one, but cooking something together will give you something to do, and dinner! Try to replicate one of your fav restaurant dishes, or play your own version of “chopped” with whatever is in the fridge!

Stargazing

Get an app on your phone like Star Walk, so that you know what you are looking at! Head outside the city, away from light pollution for better gazing!

Daydream Together

We do this seriously all the time. Plan a vacation you want to take, dream about things you want in your ultimate dream home, or talk about the future together.

Head to the Beach

I love a good beach day. You can go for a walk on the beach in the winter too, although this one is much more fun in the warm weather.

Practice Your Photography Skills

Practice at home on each other/ your pets, or head out for a walk and get some nature photography.

Go For A Scenic Drive

Put some coffee in a travel mug, pack some snacks and head out for a drive.

Workout Together

Go for a run, use those free weights that are collecting dust, do some yoga together. There are lots of free videos on YouTube. Make sure you take it slow if you’re a beginner!

Relax

Have a bath together, give each other massages, and light some candles, all the cheesy stuff! Make sure those phones are set to do not disturb ;)!

Do you have any great ideas for a free date night? Let me know in the comments!

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We are attempting something I’d never thought I would do – A no spend challenge! For the month of February we wont be spending any “extra” money. Of course we’ll pay our mortgage and bills but we will be severely cutting down on our variable spending.

You don’t have to do an entire month; you could do a week, weekend or even day! Some people have done a shopping ban for an entire year or more.

Why Do A No Spend Challenge

We are doing this in hopes that we will be able to put a good chunk of money on the student debt. You could also do this to jumpstart your saving, or after overspending. It’s also a good way to change your spending habits. It will help you think before reaching for your credit card and buying on impulse. It will help if you delete your credit card info from sites, and unsubscribe from store emails to reduce temptation!

Our Rules

Allowed

• All utilities, mortgage etc.
• Allowed to spend $100 on groceries (we also have some grocery gift cards we got for Christmas that we will be using)
• Donate to charity
• Food for the dog

Not Allowed

• Shopping for ‘wants’
• Take-out
• Gifts
• Spa/nails/hair

The “rules” for a no spend challenge should be tailored to you! This is totally personal and you can include or not include anything you want. Because we’re only doing this for a month we can restrict things like food and gifts pretty drastically, if you’re doing this for longer you might want to up this allowance.

To keep track of your expenses, get my printable daily expense tracker here!

What Will We Do?

You don’t need to spend money to have fun! I have all kinds of ideas for what we can do without spending money! I will share in another post what we’re going to get up to, but if you’re looking for some ideas: teach yourself something using YouTube, organize and declutter, or rent movies/books from the library are great places to start!

Challenge Accepted!

I know this is going to be challenging but I’m really excited! Fellow blogger Cait Flanders just released her book “The Year Of Less”; I ordered it from Amazon and just started reading it for inspiration this month!

The Year of Less: How I Stopped Shopping, Gave Away My Belongings, and Discovered Life Is Worth More Than Anything You Can Buy in a Store

If this seems overwhelming to you, you might want to start with my conscious spending challenge, you can sign up here:

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