I am the queen of low-cost entertainment. While I don’t mind the occasional “fun” expenditure, the cost of doing things these days simply boggles my mind. To go out for a nice dinner, you’re looking at a bill of around $40 (unless you hit up a happy hour, then you’re good), anytime you want to head to a museum or local event you’re looking at $30 a ticket minimum… and that’s just the tip of the iceberg. So, if you’re like me and you’re looking for cheap fun activities you can do this weekend, here are some ideas.
Embrace the Streaming Lifestyle
Going to the movies is great and all but after the $10 ticket and $20 worth of goodies — which usually consists of a small popcorn and soda, because let’s be honest theatre food is basically highway robbery — it hardly seems worth it. The worst is when you get excited to go to the theatre, grab your treats and sit down to watch only to find out the film is painfully boring (The Old Man & the Gun, I’m looking at you).
If you’re like me and you find the good ol’ fashioned dinner and a movie weekend plans to be a little more money than you want to spend, consider using that awesome streaming service you pay under $10 a month for. Seriously, you could watch one movie for every screen at your local theatre, eat one bag of popcorn and drink a soda for each one of those and still be looking at spending less money (what, I like my snacks?). What’s better cheap fun than that?
If you’re specifically looking to hang out with friends, consider a potluck dinner and a flick. There’s no reason why you can’t share the couch!
Curl Up With a Good Book
Let’s be honest, no one actually “curls up” with a good book, but you catch my drift. Books are a pretty low-cost entertainment option, offering great characters, a compelling story and a harrowing adventure all from the comfort of your own couch.
Don’t have any good books to curl up with this weekend? Consider heading to your local library where they have hundreds, if not thousands of good books that you can try on for size. Heck, do what I do and pick up 10, read the first three chapters of each, decide they’re no good and watch Netflix instead.
Host a Get-Together
Even if all you plan on doing at your weekend get-together is having drinks and eating it’s still significantly cheaper than going out on the town. Also, I’m super big on this potluck idea, so suggest everyone makes a snack and brings it along (food budget cut, you’re welcome).
If you’re having friends over and you’re not sure what to do with them for a cheap fun activity, besides hanging out… consider hosting a game night. This is basically my favorite suggested activity because it’s a way to not only play board games (which are the best) but is also a great opportunity to share a few laughs.
Scope Out Free (Or Cheap) Event Nights
Our local museum here has a free admissions night on the first Thursday of every month. If you’re looking for cheap fun, chances are somewhere around you has the same. Even if there’s not a free night per se, there are often discount event nights to help boost ticket sales. I find that local theatre productions run severely discounted tickets the night or two before the official opening of a play, which could be a great opportunity for you. And there are likely similar opportunities in your town.
Keep your eye out for free activities and promotions that you can substitute your $100+ food and beverage tab for. Though, you might want to expand your search to the back half of the week as well (say Wednesday or Thursday) because I find that places trying to sell off tickets are looking for guests during the week.
What cheap fun things to do are on your list? Share them in the comments below!
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Tae started out as a journalist before following the money into the corporate world. But it turns out that the grass isn’t always greener and now you can find her spending most of her time writing about all the things she loves. Namely, money, travel and business with a hefty dose of self-deprecating humor. She is a podcast fanatic, blogging aficionado and loves to find new ways to turn passions into cold hard cash!