Fun, Frugal, and Free Activities

I’ve never been a super outdoorsy person, until recently. Having fun does not automatically have to mean spending a lot of money and in fact there are many free activities out there. And sadly enough, this is something that I have just recently come to terms with. My life has changed so much in the…

Michelle Schroeder-Gardner

Last Updated: March 4, 2024

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I’ve never been a super outdoorsy person, until recently. Having fun does not automatically have to mean spending a lot of money and in fact there are many free activities out there. And sadly enough, this is something that I have just recently come to terms with.

My life has changed so much in the past year, and with it comes the activities that I used to enjoy, versus the activities that I enjoy now. Before, I feel like all I did was shop. Ah, I have no idea how I found that fun to do every single day.

Having fun by doing things frugally does not mean that you have to hate your life. Lets please not confuse frugal with cheap. I will not just stay inside and look at a blank wall 24 hours a day just to save money. There are so many things that you can do out there that don’t require much money.

Today’s post will be all about the many frugal and low-cost activities that you can do, including some free summer activities for your family, children, and friends as well. Below are several fun, frugal, and free activities for you to try out. I also have a post dedicated to the many fun and frugal things to do in St. Louis for you to check out if interested.

Kayak in a new area is a great free summer activity to do.

Kayaking does not have to be a lot of money and because of this it is one of the first of the free activities that we will be discussing today. At many parks, you are able to rent a kayak for maybe $10 a day. And if you already have your own, then it is free. You can look for a great deal, or score a used one on sites such as Craigslist.

Go camping as one of the many great free summer activities.

Something that I am always ashamed to admit is that I have never been camping. Yes, I just said that, and yes you read that correctly.

Camping in the beginning might be expensive because you have to acquire everything, but after everything is bought, it then becomes very cheap to go camping. Much cheaper than going to a hotel. Camping is one of the several very fun free summer activities.

Find a place to hike is one of the great free activities.

I’m going to guess that there is at least somewhere around where you live where you can go for a hike. There is a park right up the street for us where we can go for a hike and it’s great!

One place that we would like to visit more is W’s family property. They have tons of acres and miles of land to explore full of creeks, cliffs and everything else. It is so pretty, and I regret not bringing the dogs there more.

Bike on trails or around your town.

Yes, a bike might cost you money in the beginning, and in some cases it might cost you a lot of money. However, I do believe that the cost pays off because usually it will be a one-time cost, unless you go through bikes like crazy (lets hope not!).

We have been going for bike rides a lot lately, and it’s been a lot of fun. I really wish that there was a way for us to get to the Katy Trail without having to get into our Jeep (there is a river that separates us from the trail, and only cars can realistically go on the overpass since it is a highway), but it is still fun.

Riding a bike is another one of the fun free summer activities for you to try.

Seek out festivals for free activities to try.

There are so many festivals happening every single month. St. Louis also has many free concerts during the summer with big headliners (past Fair St. Louis music includes: Maroon 5, Steve Miller Band, Nelly, The Offspring, Third Eye Blind, and much more – and all for absolutely FREE) that I happen to miss all of the time.

The botanical garden almost always has something fun also. I always miss the annual air balloon show also. I would like to start doing all of these things!

Go to the library.

I haven’t been to the library in a very long time. I would like to start spending at least some of my days diving into everything. Learning and reading new things, and for free? Deal!

What other frugal, yet still fun, free activities do you have to add to this list?

When was the last time you did something frugal and fun?

 


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Michelle Schroeder-Gardner

Author: Michelle Schroeder-Gardner

Hey! I’m Michelle Schroeder-Gardner and I am the founder of Making Sense of Cents. I’m passionate about all things personal finance, side hustles, making extra money, and online businesses. I have been featured in major publications such as Forbes, CNBC, Time, and Business Insider. Learn more here.

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  1. Liz

    Really great ideas! It’s so true: there is so much out there in our cities to enjoy and it’s fantastic that you are being so active outside! It’s something I really miss where I live (Brussels), there is very little access to nature in such a small, populated country, especially without a car. But back home, I used to go camping all the time – it’s not expensive at all and is really relaxing. You could probably find good deals on camping equipment on ebay, craigslist, etc.

    Taking walks, reading a book, having a picnic, playing badminton or soccer in a park, are all nice things to do for free in the summer. Almost free things can also be visiting local markets (cheaper produce usually) for the atmosphere, fresh food and free tastings. Cooking a new meal trying to use the ingredients you already have is also a good, frugal idea!

    1. Thanks Liz! These are all great ideas!

  2. Mark Ross

    I’ll add walking/jogging with a dog on those. It’s also a great way to keep yourself healthy and meet new people that would talk with you about your dog and their dog/s too.

    1. Yes, walking and jogging with my dog is always fun!

  3. The Norwegian Girl

    This weekend there´s a big literature festival AND a FOOOOD festival in town, so I´m definitely stoked about going! It doesn´t cost anything, and I get the chance to meet some famous authors and taste some delicious food;-)

    1. That sounds awesome!

  4. Skint in the City

    Picnics and camping are my two favourite, low-cost outdoors activities. So much so that even if I’d the money for a posh holiday I’d still go campaign. Nothing more refreshing – and both picnics and camping are perfectly do-able in October when the days are still sunny. Just bring a cosy duvet for those crisp evenings and cuddle up with loved ones!

    1. Yes, I always love a good picnic. Yum!

  5. Lisa @ Cents To Save

    I have been going to the library a lot more lately. I commute an hour to and from work, so I have been listening to books on tape. It makes the drive much more tolerable.

    1. Mrs. Pop @ Planting Our Pennies

      I love audiobooks! I get them from the library (free!) and listen to them while running (free!) or biking (free!). Triple win =)

      Around here the beach is another free activity that locals don’t seem to take advantage of enough, but I love.

      1. I don’t think I have ever listened to an audio book. I need to get some!

    2. An hour sounds crazy!

  6. Kayaking is so much fun! I almost forgot about it until I read this post even though I love to go haha. DVDs from the library as well as books (though I’ve had little to no time to read recently) are a big source of my frugal entertainment. We had a bonfire two weekends ago and that has been a fairly frugal activity, though it will be MUCH more frugal next year when we can stop buying wood since our friend’s Dad is going to help us cut down a big tree in our yard for firewood. Gotta love frugal entertainment and activities!

    1. Yes, frugal entertainment is always the best!

  7. I’ve been running a lot lately, discovering new trails, would love to have a running buddy to make it even more fun! But it is as cheap as can be.

    1. Yes, it’s always fun!

  8. We have a lot of free festivals during the year where I live. I try to attend as many as possible.

    1. I hardly ever go to them. Hopefully this changes!

  9. Haha sounds like a great way to stay sane 🙂

  10. Excellent tips and ideas.

    There’s a lot of fun to be had with little money, once you start thinking outside the box. A day kayaking or biking is surely MORE rewarding than a night at the cinema, while also eating junk food. We do some of these activities and really love them.

    1. Yes, it is definitely a lot more rewarding!

  11. Connie @ Savvy With Saving

    Great ideas! There’s a new bike renting program in NYC that allows you to rent a bike for the day for $10. It’s perfect for me since I really don’t have any space to store a bike and I only ride every now and then.

    1. Stefanie @ The Broke and Beautiful Life

      Connie, the annual citibike membership is $100 for the YEAR! (and you get an extra 15 minutes per ride). I’ve had the annual membership since June and I couldn’t recommend it more.

      1. Wow that is awesome!

  12. We’ve taken the kids to the park A LOT this summer. My two-year-old is finally big enough to play on the equipment unassisted and it’s really a lot of fun to watch.

    1. Sounds like fun 🙂

  13. We’ve taken the kids to the park A LOT this summer. My two-year-old is finally big enough to play on the equipment unassisted and it’s really a lot of fun to watch.

  14. I love this post and personally do one of these things every week.

    So many people going through life thinking that the “mall” is the place to go when you have free time and would like to get out of the house. To me, its the world’s most life sapping and depressing place.

    Like you’re doing now Michelle, get and see the world – its ****ing brilliant!!

  15. Nick (@ayoungpro)

    Along the same lines as Kayaking, find a swimmable body of water and go for a swim!