These days, we are spending a lot more time at home. Whether you’re on lockdown, working from home, or lost your job (and trying to find one), the list below can help keep you entertained for hours on end. While we are not used to being confined at home MOST of the time, it has become the new normal with Covid so let’s embrace it and rock on.
The list below are some inexpensive ways to spend time. I do want to caution you though that it can also be a money pit if you start spending money on it like there’s no tomorrow. What I’d recommend is to add a blow money category in your budget every month so you have a limit on what you can spend with it. Otherwise, what’s supposed to be inexpensive ways to spend your time can suck you into a rabbit hole of spending if you’re not careful.
1. Immerse yourself in hobbies that excite you
I love arts and crafts. I can spend all day doing calligraphy, coloring, or tinkering with my cutting machine. It makes me happy, busy, and enables my creativity. Arts and crafts are known to reduce stress and anxiety. It can relieve depression. It is also known to relax our minds and bodies. It enhances our creative thinking. It can even help with insomnia.
Some hobbies can also earn you money. Take a look at a few Etsy shops and you will see tons of business ideas. Some of these started off as hobbies and gave birth to small businesses. Take a look at what’s out there that’s related to your hobby and perhaps you can start your own small business as well. What’s great about turning your hobby into a business is that you’ll enjoy the work so much that it won’t really feel like work.
There are a lot of inexpensive ways to engage in a hobby that won’t break the bank. Here are some ideas for you:
Adult Coloring Books
There has been a surge of adult coloring books in the market because they are known to be very relaxing. You can buy an inexpensive adult coloring book and colored pencils from Amazon. I recommend the Art of Mandala by Jason Hamilton priced at $4.99 in Amazon. There’s also the Arteza Mandala coloring book which can easily be detached from the binding at $7.99. Both books are filled with beautiful mandalas to color. Mandalas are known to relax the mind, sort of like meditation for the mind. Some people even frame their completed mandalas, which you can do if you opt for the Arteza one. Even looking at them is already relaxing and soothing.
Before you buy though, you might want to try the free ones first to see if you’ll enjoy these. I subscribed to the Arteza.com website for a 10% off and with it, I was sent 5 mandala pages for coloring. This is when I realized that I enjoyed coloring them!
The famous ink evangelist Johanna Basford who introduced adult coloring books in the market has some freebies on her page, johannabasford.com that will get sent to you when you subscribe to her mailing list.
As for colored pencils, there are good quality inexpensive ones as well from Amazon. You can start with the 36 or 48 piece set so you are not overwhelmed with options. The brands I have tried and loved are from Castle Arts and Arteza. These wax-based colored pencils are highly pigmented but are not as soft as Prismacolors, do not break easily, and can be sharpened to a point. There are also cheaper options by famous brand names like Derwent, Faber Castell, or Staedtler. You can find a lot of colored pencil reviews from Youtube by artists if you want to find a good quality, inexpensive colored pencil that will last a long time.
Photography
These days, smart phones take breathtaking photos. You no longer need to haul an expensive and heavy DSLR to take beautiful photos worthy of display but if you already have one then by all means, use it! However, for ease of use and portability, you can use your phone. There are Youtube videos teaching you how to maximize your phone’s photo-taking capability.
Just a warning though, please do not go out and purchase the latest model of iPhone or Android. Whatever you currently have with you will do. Even those prepaid phones should have photo-taking capability. It may not be fancy but that’s where you can stretch your creativity to use what you’ve got. What you want is an inexpensive hobby to keep you entertained and occupied, not a debt to strangle you into paying!
Journaling
Writing is therapeutic. You can put all your feelings into paper, talk to yourself, advice yourself, berate yourself — all without anyone seeing them except you.
When the pandemic started, I decided to start a journal again. It would be nice to write what went on during lockdown and throughout the course of the pandemic, and then read my journal entries after all the craziness are over and done with. I wrote on my journal everyday, starting on April 1, 2020.
You don’t even need a fancy journal to start the practice — even a plain composition notebook will do. What you need is a way to express your feelings and then be able to look back a few years down the line about what you wrote.
If you prefer to do it digitally, that’s ok too. There are journaling apps on the phone and you can also create a Word document or even Google doc for your journal.
If you are new to journaling, challenge yourself to start with the date, add at least something you’re grateful for, and include a list of what you did for the day. It could be a bullet list or a paragraph — whatever floats your fancy. Remember that this journal is yours alone so do with it as you please. Writing is like a muscle though. The more you do it, the more it gets easier.
Gardening
I know a number of folks who turn to gardening for relaxation. If this is your jam, go for it. Just being outside is good for you. I am not one to advice you about gardening though. I’ll leave it up to those who actually have the passion for it. For my mom and me, gardening is not something we did because we do not have green thumbs, LOL. My grandma and aunt however, can grow plants even from seeds! My grandma had beautiful and exotic orchids when she was alive. She even planted veggies for her food. Not me though. I can’t even keep a cactus alive (yeah, that bad!).
Cooking and/or Baking
Some days I love dabbling in the kitchen. I grew up with home cooked meals because we couldn’t afford to go out and eat. While I am not the greatest cook in the world, I can whip something up for my family. It saves money because eating out, ordering in, or taking out can drain your food budget in no time. And when you cook, you know what goes into that food.
Cooking and baking can take time but can also be very rewarding. What you want is to make a plan on what to cook and buy ingredients according to that list. This practice will save you money instead of going to the grocery without any list and thinking right then and there what to cook. It’s ineffective, costly, and may require you to make a few trips to the store because you forgot something. I used to cook a week’s worth of meal during weekends and freeze them until it’s time to eat. You can have them pre-portioned so you’ll just take a container as a single meal.
Reading
Did I already tell you that I cannot sleep without reading anything? I can go through 3-5 books a month. Last year, I challenged myself to read at least 1 non-fiction book a month and I ended up reading 2 a month! I have learned so much in 2020 just by reading books.
There are so many books you can borrow from the local library that you don’t even have to buy. They even have digital books if you prefer those — just ask the volunteers at your public library how you can borrow digital books and I’m sure they’ll be able to point you in the right direction.
If you have a phone, you can download a Kindle reading app and there are tons of free Kindle books. You can subscribe to Bookbub.com and they will deliver bargain and free books to your email address according to the genre you pick. I rarely ever buy books and if I do, you can bet it’s a non-fiction book I really want to read and is not available at the library.
Other hobbies like knitting, calligraphy, scrapbooking, needlecraft, paper craft, etc.
Whatever hobby you pick, just make sure that it you don’t get sucked into spending a ton of money on it. The last thing you want is to be saddled with debt because that noose will only get tighter if you don’t nip that in the bud as early as possible.
2. Take a walk, go for a run or hike, ride your bike – being outside is good for you
Being outside is good for the body plus it soothes the soul. A change of scenery is good especially after being cooped up at home all day. There’s something about the sun, air, sky, and dirt (or sidewalk if you’re walking around the neighborhood) that recharges and energizes you. It’s one activity that you can do without having to wear a mask on unless you’re with someone who doesn’t live with you. You can also keep your distance with others.
Hiking is also a great option especially if you go with your family. It allows you to unplug from your devices and just use your phone as a GPS or compass. It can help with lower body strengthening. The AllTrails app is a wonderful resource to look up hiking trails near you. It also categorizes the trails as Easy, Moderate, or Hard. You can even read the reviews of fellow hikers to see if it’s a trail you’d want to venture to.
A caveat though, if you think you like running or hiking and would like to invest in reliable gear, know that they can be quite expensive so it will be wise to start saving up for them. If you consistently run or hike, then it may be worth the investment.
Biking is also a great way to get outside and let the wind touch your face. It is not only a form of exercise but it’s fun to ride along with your whole family on weekends or at the end of a stressful work day.
Can I make a confession? I did not learn to ride the bike until I was in my 40s and only because my youngest son was very close to being able to ride without the training wheels on. If that happens, then I will be left by myself while my husband and our boys ride. So I learned to ride and it was an exhilarating feeling to get to do it even in my 40s. So if you don’t know how to ride a bike, there’s no time like the present to learn. And believe me, if I can learn in my 40s, you can too.
If you don’t have a bike, start by walking, running, and/or hiking then slowly save up the funds every month to buy a bike. If you are intentional about saving up for it, you’ll be able to scrape up the funds to buy one in no time.
3. Start an Exercise/Work Out Routine
There are so many benefits of working out but not so many people do it. Exercise with the right amount and type of food can control and/or lower weight gain. It helps manage many health issues. It reduces stress and anxiety, and boosts energy level.
Youtube has a ton of video for every type of exercise routine imaginable. You can watch them and follow along. Best of all, they’re free!
If gym membership is your jam, then go for it as long as you don’t go into debt for that. If it’s part of your budget and you feel that you’re getting your money’s worth by going and exercising regularly, then by all means. Again, make sure the gym membership is part of your monthly budget and you don’t go into debt for it.
4. Learn a new skill
These days, there are a ton of free resources to help you learn. My husband is quite the handyman but there are a lot of things he doesn’t know when it comes to home maintenance. Whenever things break that require minor fixes, Youtube is his go-to resource.
You can search almost any topic out there and it will provide you with tons of videos for whatever it is you’re looking for. It’s also where I started when I was trying to learn calligraphy. If you’re a beginner, just add that to your search and Youtube will recommend beginner videos for things you want to learn.
The only caveat to this is that while Youtube can be very helpful, you can also get sucked into a rabbit hole if you’re not careful. The videos are endless and you can find yourself watching for hours on end if you have no specific agenda in mind.
Another way to learn a new skill is to turn to Udemy, Teachable, or other e-classes out there. I found lots of courses in Udemy and I only buy them when they’re on a steep sale. There are also some that are free. You can keep the training videos forever and get updates whenever the creator updates the course. Be sure to read the reviews and check out the topics or sample video lessons before you hit the purchase button. It helps to have a blow money budget specifically allotted for training so you don’t overspend on this category.
I’m a firm believer in investing in yourself, whether in books or in trainings that you actually use (and not just hoard). Just ask yourself if it’s something you can take right now. If the answer is NO, then skip it. You do not need to buy it right now. Only buy when you actually have the time to go through the training materials.
5. Volunteer / Community Service
Another way to spend your time is to volunteer. You’ll not only spend your time effectively but you’ll feel great after a volunteer work. Volunteering is a great way to give back. Volunteering is doing God’s work on earth.
If you have kids, make it a point to bring them with you, if at all possible. They get to hang out with other kids and meet new friends. They get to see what making a difference looks like. And hopefully, when they grow up, they’ll make volunteering a part of their lives as well.
You can find volunteer opportunities in your area through volunteermatch.org or a similar website. This is a truly amazing way to spend your time. I cannot tell you enough how humbling it is to fill a need in the community.
If you’re a member of NextDoor, it’s also a great way to look if there’s a need for help within the community. Amidst the pandemic lockdown and during the Texas winter storm, I have seen people posting for help with groceries because they couldn’t get out of their house. With it, I have witnessed tons of people stepping up and offering help. It made me realize that there is so much good out there, despite the many bad things you read in the news. It is during these trying times that you can find the community coming together for the common good.
While donating money is great, sometimes you can’t feel the impact because you can’t physically see where your money is going. With volunteering though, you feel the immediate impact. Whether it’s helping feed the less fortunate, bringing groceries to those in need, sitting beside someone in the hospice, keeping an elderly company, mentoring teens, etc. The smiles on their faces and the look of gratitude in their eyes is a different high altogether.
If you haven’t tried volunteering, I highly recommend it. This is why I applaud the schools for making volunteer hours in high school a requirement for graduation. It forces these teens to spend time serving their communities.
And if you think that serving is your gift to others, think again. Serving is actually a gift you can give yourself because it teaches you to look beyond your own situation. After all, giving to others in the form of time, talent, and/or treasure is a selfless act.
6. Go to Church
I was raised by a devout Catholic mom who loved going to church every chance she got. She wanted to be a nun but God’s plan was for her to become a mom instead. Church has been a huge part of my life. My faith has anchored me through life’s most difficult situations.
While going to Church is good for our souls, there are times I feel guilty because I feel like I’m just dragging myself to go. And this is coming from someone who practically grew up in church. However, once I’m there, my heart is filled with so much peace and joy. It’s like my soul saying “this is where I belong”. I feel centered and grounded.
Whether you’re a practicing Christian or not, going to church is a great way to spend your time. It is soothing for your soul. And if you think you do not know how to pray, start by talking to God like you would talk to a very close friend. Tell Him everything that’s going on with your life. Tell Him your dreams. Tell Him your heartaches. While He already knows what’s going on with you, He is never too busy to listen to whatever is in your heart.
When you do step into Church, open your heart fully and be prepared to experience peace.
7. Play Games with Your Family
I don’t know about you but in our house, we disable the kids’ devices on a regular basis because if we don’t do it, they’ll stay hooked on their devices all day long.
My husband and I both said that when we were kids, we didn’t have any of these gadgets, not even cellphones. We didn’t have fancy toys because there was no money to buy them. We were very creative with how we played. And that creativity helped us in the long run.
There are so many ways to entertain ourselves without screen time. While we do spend Friday and Saturday nights as family movie nights in our home, there are also other ways we entertain ourselves without being tuned in to a device. Here are some ideas:
- Board Games – Remember these? As kids, we used to play these games when we get stuck indoors. These days, our kids use devices to fend off boredom. We can bring the board games fun back by playing together. Some examples are Monopoly, Scrabble, Clue, Trivia, Taboo, etc.
- Action Games – I hate drawing because I don’t think I am good at it. However, every time I play Charade, Guesstures, or Pictionary, I get a ton of fun! Try playing these with kids and it’s even more hilarious!
- Scavenger Hunt – This is fun to do while on a walk or hike with the kids. Print a list in advance and have that list as you walk so the kids can check it off once they see it.
- Card games – As a child, I remembered playing Uno, memory match cards, and playing cards. We even used to mark our faces with a lipstick when someone loses. It’s funny and a great photo opportunity. My boys vehemently object to the lipstick but it’s something worth trying.
- Q&A Games – Games like Table Topics is a great conversation game. This can be played at Thanksgiving while waiting for dinner, on Christmas Eve while waiting for midnight to strike, or on Christmas day after opening the presents.
- Mind Games – While I have not played Chess, Checkers, or Mastermind, Scrabble and Boggle are two of my favorite games. These games help you think strategically while Scrabble and Boggle helps build your vocabulary.
- Build Jigsaw Puzzles together – While this isn’t a game per se, some families find it fun to build a huge jigsaw puzzle together and once done, frame it and display in their homes. Try a smaller version first and see if your family will love building one together too.
- Games Played Outside – I am the most uncoordinated person you’ll ever meet so I stay away from these. However, my boys love playing these games outside (Ball catch, Basketball, Hopscotch, etc). It gets them out of the house and playing together. Anything that gets them out of the house to play is a win in my book!
8. Work on a Side Hustle
Some small businesses started as a hobby. Some of them started as side hustles and some are full time ventures.
For our Christmas gifts for 2020, we bought them from Etsy instead of big box stores. The pandemic has brought so many businesses to its knees so we thought of supporting small businesses instead of the Amazons of the world. Don’t get me wrong, we still love the convenience of Amazon and its wide variety of goods. However, I think that gifts are more personalized when they’re bought from small businesses. You will not only make the recipients happy with one of a kind items but you’ll also be supporting a family behind that small business.
If you think a business is not for you, then there are so many side hustles that are available as well. There’s food deliveries from Uber Eats, Door Dash, GrubHub, etc. There are grocery deliveries like InstaCart. Some groceries are even hiring shoppers for their curbside pick up. What’s great about these gigs is that the tip goes to you. In our case, we love leaving a Thank You card by the door mat for the delivery folks with cash inside as tip. The app itself will also say that 100% of the tip goes to the driver.
If you don’t like to drive and prefer work from home options, there are tutoring gigs as well. My brother is teaching ESL (English as Second Language) virtually. He says he enjoys it so much because he can pick the time when he’s available. There are pre-determined lesson plans so he reviews those prior to the virtual session. These gigs are paid by the hour.
I have a friend who does DJing as a side gig. He makes good money off of it.
The thing is, there are so many ideas to earn extra cash. You just have to be creative, take a look at what’s out there, and try your idea out. Who knows, your idea might turn into a million dollar business or more!
Wouldn’t it be great to not only spend your time wisely but earn some cash in doing so? That’s a definite win in my book!
There you have it, folks. We’ve just been through a few (or many) inexpensive ways to spend your time without breaking the bank. Just a word to the wise — never to go overboard. Use what you already have instead of buying more stuff in order to do the things I mentioned above.
And, as always, I would love to hear from you. Which of these have you tried? If you haven’t tried any of these yet, which of these would you like to try? Hit me up in the comments below.
