by Hope
Living alone has its benefits, but it also comes with the constant temptation to spend money just to break the quiet. A quick coffee run here, an online purchase there – it adds up quickly. I’ve been working on finding ways to occupy my mind without spending on unnecessary extras. After some trial and error, I’ve settled on three budget-friendly pastimes that are saving my wallet and giving my mind something engaging to do: puzzles, Legos, and Christmas movies.
Puzzles: Mindful Focus Without the Extra Cost
Puzzles are, hands down, one of the best ways I’ve found to keep myself entertained without a single dollar spent after the initial purchase. We’ve done puzzles as a family since the kids were little, little. I’ve even taken puzzles on our roadtrips. We have done them in hotels. Puzzles are a family favorite. We do them, then we donate them. And I can typically pick them up for $5-8. And always have 1-2 in the board game closet. I pulled this one out when I got back from Texas.
Puzzles give me something to focus on, piece by piece, and keep my mind active and absorbed. Plus, each puzzle stretches out for hours or even days, depending on my pace, which means it’s an investment in entertainment that lasts far longer than a one-time outing. When I’m puzzling, I don’t feel the itch to spend because my mind is too occupied to even think about shopping. Win-win.
Legos: A Creative Outlet That’s Surprisingly Affordable
Rediscovering Legos as an adult has been one of the best surprises in my quest for frugal entertainment. It started when my daughter’s boyfriend gave her a Lego flower bouquet. I thought it was so cute! And now I’ve got my own. I anticipate that after the hours I spend building and then admiring the end result. It’s a way to scratch that creative itch and stay busy without looking for distractions online. The act of building with my hands keeps me from looking for other ways to pass the time that could easily turn into impulse spending. And it’s really been working. (I realized yesterday that I haven’t had to get gas since returning from Texas.)
Christmas Movies: Cozy Entertainment at No Extra Cost
I’ve always loved Christmas movies, but now they’re more than just a tradition; they’re my go-to for affordable relaxation. I pull up the options, settle in with some tea and a blanket, and instantly feel that cozy holiday spirit. It’s an ideal way to pass the time without adding to my expenses. It’s amazing how much this cozy ritual calms the urge to browse online when I’m alone.
Protecting my Wallet…and my Sanity
Each of these activities keeps my mind engaged, my hands busy, and my wallet safe. Finding frugal joy in puzzles, Legos, and Christmas movies has been the perfect way to entertain myself without the usual spending pitfalls. They’re not just pastimes; they’re my defense against unnecessary spending and my go-to mental escapes. So, for now, I’ll happily settle in with my puzzle pieces, a stack of Lego bricks, and a holiday film queued up – because sometimes, simple, budget-friendly pleasures are exactly what we need.
Sidenote: One nice thing about living alone now is that I can leave them out on my kitchen table for days, weeks, even months without bothering anyone or prohibiting anything like a family dinner. How do you entertain yourself on a budget?
Hope is a creative, solutions-focused business manager helping clients grow their business and work more efficiently by leveraging expertise in project management, digital marketing, & tech solutions. She’s recently become an empty nester as her 5 foster/adoptive kids have spread their wings. She lives with her 3 dogs in a small town in NE Georgia and prefers the mountains to the beaches any day. She struggles with the travel bug and is doing her best to help each of her kids as their finish schooling and become independent (but it’s hard!) She has run her own consulting company for almost twenty years! Hope began sharing her journey with the BAD community in the Spring of 2015 and feels like she has finally in a place to really focus on making wise financial decisions.
Check out local social media or trade groups for puzzles. In our neighborhood we have puzzle trades. Basically post your puzzle, exchange for another through porch pickup. While it’s great to donate them, trading makes one puzzle last a longer.
You should see if your area has a Buy Nothing group where you can keep an eye out for things like puzzles. It’s a good place to offer your neighbors items that no longer serve you also.
I know we do. I’ve been a member of it for years. Although it’s current administration is pretty lax so I’ve been considering leaving. But that’s also a great idea.
Our local library has puzzles to check out. Maybe check your local library. Our even checks out sewing machines, Wilton cake pans and golf clubs.
Ohh, I hadn’t even thought of that. I will check there. I’m planning on doing a library book haul after I return from Texas for the holiday season. Snuggled up in my pjs with a stack of books sounds like the perfect way to spend some of my down time. I’ll have to check if they have other things to check out.
Don forget Walking! Given that you have dogs, I assume that you walk them? I an 64 and walk with and without my dogs for at least 4 miles a day. Where I live (just outside of Boston) people are out walking all year around – either in the neighborhood or on trails in the area! a great opportunity to enjoy the world for free!
Absolutely, right, Monica! It’s become so habitual, I often forget to add it to the things that bring me joy.
I’ve been doing between 3-5 miles almost daily since the spring when I decided to take on the “no days off mantra”, now my body reminds me quickly if I haven’t moved. (My dogs do too.)
I am moving my walks from before the sun rises to a little later in the morning now because the bridges around the lake where I walk get icy and slippery. So decided it would be safer and allow me to be more consistent if I switched some of my habits, it’s taken some getting used too.