No Spend Weekend Ideas: 15 Things To Do
At some point in your adult life, it’s probably happened. The weekend comes around, and you realise you have $10 to your name until payday on Tuesday. OK, you say to yourself, how will I get through the weekend? How can I have any fun? Looks like it’s time for some no spend weekend ideas!
It’s a great idea to challenge yourself to not spend all weekend. It’s actually much easier than you think. Once you get the hang of a no spend weekend, you’ll be surprised at how you can make it a week or more without spending any money.
We’re here to help you get started. Check out our list of 15 no spend weekend ideas. We bet you’ll still have a great weekend, and your bank account will thank you.
Overview:
- Check out your local calendar
- Curl up with a book after a library visit
- Take a walk in the park
- Clean out your closet
- Binge watch a TV show
- Listen to podcasts
- Host a board game night
- Volunteer
- Visit a museum
- Get organised
- Call a loved one
- Host a garage sale
- Go for a bike ride
- Give extra love to your pet
- Take a long relaxing bath
15 No spend weekend ideas
1. Check out your local calendar
You’ll be surprised at how many free events happen around your town every weekend. There are often free music concerts, galleries with free exhibitions and other cultural institutions that are free on a regular basis. Sites like Eventfinda can help you find events in your area that match your interests.
Or perhaps, if the weather is warm, you might find a parade or outdoor market you can visit that is completely free. Be open to new things, you might find a new activity or annual event that you’ll want to keep on your calendar.
2. Curl up with a book after a library visit
Head to your local library and pick up a book you’ve been wanting to read. This no spend weekend is the perfect opportunity to log some good reading time.
Borrowing the book won’t cost anything (and even if you don’t have a library card, now is the time to sign up and start benefiting from all the free books and more you can borrow!). Plus, maybe you can actually show up to book club this month and say you read the book!
3. Take a walk in a park
Why not enjoy the great outdoors this weekend? Nature is free, and exploring your area for fun hikes is an excellent way to avoid spending money while still having fun. If you’re lucky enough to live near hinterland, you probably have access to some amazing hikes, so check it out and see where your feet can take you.
4. Clean out a closet
Yep, it’s time. Open that closet, cabinet or room that you’ve been shoving stuff in since you moved in and dig deep. Use your free time this weekend get rid of what you don’t use (or forgot you even had) and organise what you want to keep. You’ll come out of the weekend feeling super accomplished without spending a bunch of money. And, if you want to get yourself into the green for the weekend, you can sell some of your clothes on gumtree or facebook.
5. Binge watch a show
What’s a no spend weekend without Netflix? Assuming you already paid for your monthly access to Netflix or whatever your preferred streaming service is, then get comfy and decide which show you want to binge watch this weekend. Create cheap meals out of whatever is left in the pantry and fridge — get ready to get creative! — and come back to the office on Monday full of spoilers.
Not signed up to Netflix? Check out our top free streaming services in Australia.
6. Listen to podcasts
Again, this assumes you already paid for your cell phone service, then head over to iTunes, Spotify or Amazon Music and download any of the recommended free podcasts. There’s so many that there’s sure to be one that interests you. There’s even a bunch of finance podcasts to give you some tips. Turn one on, and then tackle one of the many household tasks you put off during the week — like laundry or cleaning. It’ll fly by when you have something to listen to!
7. Host a board game night (or you can play with just a friend or partner!)
Just because you’re having a no spend weekend doesn’t mean you have to hibernate. Invite your friends over (or just stay in with your special someone) and ask them to BYO food and drinks (you can raid your pantry, there’s sure to be something you can serve) and bring out all the favourite board games.
8. Volunteer
Want to feel even better about your weekend? Don’t just not spend money, use your time to volunteer for an organisation that does work you care about — like a pet shelter, domestic abuse home, soup kitchen or anything else that would benefit from your time. Do some research ahead of the weekend and schedule it with the organisation; you’ll be glad you did.
9. Visit a free museum
You don’t need a weekend loan to get a bit of culture. Do a little research and find out what places are free or might have certain days that are free, and pick one to check out this weekend. You might be able to see a new place and still not spend any money. Bonus!
10. Organise — make lists, create a budget and more
Take a few hours out of your no spend weekend to get more organised. Make a shopping list that will provide plenty of food for you but takes into consideration upcoming deals at the local supermarket. This is a really good time to make a budget.
There’s a reason you can’t or don’t want to spend money this weekend so use that as motivation to sit down and figure out how and where you should be spending your money each month. And perhaps where you can save! There are lots of other lists you could make too — what you need to give away to charity, long term goals, etc.
11. Call a friend or family member you haven’t talked to in a while
Don’t text. Actually use the phone button and call up a family member or friend you haven’t talked to for a while. You’d be surprised how nice it is to talk live and catch up with an old friend. Or heck, call Mum. She’d love to hear how you’re doing.
12. Host a garage sale
This takes some pre-planning, but if you pull it off, you’d actually walk away from your no spend weekend with some cash. Set everything up for an early Saturday morning start and see how much of your stuff you can sell — you never know what junk is another person’s treasure.
13. Take a bike ride
Whether you’re an avid rider or your bike has been collecting dust, it’s a good time to break out the bike and use it to entertain yourself on this no spend weekend. Search for a good route or consider using it to get around this weekend so you don’t “spend” money on petrol (even if you already have a full tank).
Ride your bike to the library or the free event you’re attending and feel good about what you’re doing for the environment and the exercise you’re getting.
14. Give extra love to your pet
Make it all about your pet this weekend. If you have a dog, take him or her on a good, long walk, throw the ball around and then end it with a good, long bath where you’ll have Fido smelling so much better. If you have a cat, then do a really good brushing and just spend some extra time petting him or her. You’re sure to get plenty of purring from it.
15. Take a long, relaxing bath
Our final no spend weekend idea is to run a bath, put in the good smelling stuff and take a long soak reflecting on all you did this weekend that didn’t cost anything. Pat yourself on the back and think about how much easier it was than you thought!
If you find yourself really in a bind and in need of that extra cash quickly, then consider taking out a personal loan from Swoosh. We’re here to help, and our quick cash loans are easy to apply for and approvals happen super fast.
