Whether it’s the end of the pay period and you’re running low on cash, or you’ve decided that your middle name is now “Frugal”, it can be hard to keep yourself entertained. Here are eight activities that you can do without thinking about selling a kidney.
Bush Walks, But Better
Do you feel disconnected from the world, and you need to take a break from city life? Anthony Ashworth, Vastu Feng Shui man, offers his advice for those who want to go out in nature. “Spirit walks in nature Forest Bathing 100% free. In Australia, we are lucky to have an abundance of bushland near or in our cities, so take yourself into nature on a Spirit Walks, the Japanese call it forest bathing. It’s more than a bush walk, it’s where you go into nature more consciously, you start by announcing yourself and your intention to be in the bush ie : "I am Anthony I am here to connect with the spirit of the bush and receive healing" ask permission of the spirit of the forest to be there, then walk very slowly and watch, slow & deepen your breathing down. Use all your sensors, listen, smell and feel the forest, sit down and do nothing for at last 20 minutes or more in one spot (no talking) then go hug or at least place your hands on the tree and then speak with that tree and see if it has anything to say, you might get quite the surprise? Meditate on a rock & connect your soul with the soul of nature our original m other get your toes into the soil or into the creek. Being in the forest brings us peace of mind, peace of soul and peace to our overly abused wallets too.” Find out more about Anthony Ashworth by following him on Facebook and Instagram.
Sleep It Off
Sleep is impossibly important for our health, and sleep is free. Take a weekend afternoon, snuggle up with a nice, warm blanket and snooze. Having a good, solid nap is a great way to unwind from a busy week, a great way to restore your mental health and let your brain heal itself. Also, if you’ve been feeling extra tired lately, you may be suffering from sleep debt. Sleep debt is where you fall behind in hours of sleep that you need to properly function. When you lose hours of sleep, you gain debt, which can be detrimental to your health. So, why not take the afternoon off and have a well-earned sleep?
Make Like Yoghurt And Get Cultured
Many art galleries across Australia offer free exhibitions and shows, even if they’re the permanent exhibitions. It’s so easy to get lost in an art gallery, lapping up all of the history, the beauty and the facts behind each piece, you can stay there all day.
Walk Your Pet
Your pet adores you, so why not love them back by taking them on a nice, long walk? If it’s a nice day, take them to the park and chase them around for a bit. They can get tuckered out and have some real fun, whilst you get some exercise for yourself. So grab your pet supplies and get active, it’ll benefit you and your furry pal! If you have a pet that doesn’t typically leave house (even if you beg it to), why not just spend some quality one-on-one time with them? You can even just be in the same room as them, giving them a cuddle or just a smile. They’ll be thankful. Pets also help reduce stress and anxiety, so if you’re feeling a bit under the weather, your furry buddy may help you get out of your funk. For more facts about the correlation between pets and your mental health, read this article.
Movie Night
Grab your friends, grab some popcorn and spend the night in! Going to the cinema is expensive, and the floors are sticky. At home, you can eat whatever you like, watch pretty much anything you’d like and you can pause it whenever you like when you need to go to the toilet. Win. If movies aren’t really your thing, you can always spend some time with your friends at a dinner party, or something of the likes. Photographer Luisa Garcia offers her advice for those who want to spend some quality time with their friends, and even land a prize out of it. “Try a treasure hunt with a group of your friends. Break up into teams. Usually, there is a game master who writes the cryptic clues and chooses the items to hunt. He/she makes up a list of amazing things to see in the city/town that you are in. eg. a lounging lizard in the suburbs ( there is a concrete one in West End in Brisbane) As the things are found, take a photo - text it to the game master and move onto the next item. The winner gets a prize previously decided - like free dinner.” Find out more about Luisa by following her on Facebook and Instagram.
Gardening
It’s been proven that gardening can reduce levels of stress and anxiety. Getting your hands dirty is therapeutic, and making things grow is a satisfying action. It doesn’t matter if you spend the afternoon planting new herbs and flowers, or you just reach out for the retractable hose and get some weeding done. Spending time outside with nature is a great way to connect yourself with nature, relax and get some housework done all at once!
Help Others In Need
Everyone needs a helping hand at some point, so why not spend some time helping others? It’s free and it can help boost your positive karma. Amanda Fuller from Wealthy Chicks offers her advice for those who want to give back to the community. “There are some many fun ways to volunteer, where you not only get to do something, but contribute in a meaningful way and feel great. Two options are:
Helping the animals needing some love at the RSPCA, or walking the dogs at one of the many rescue centres across the country
Host a clothes donation party for charity. Invite your friends to bring clothes, in good condition of course, plus wine and nibbles. A fun afternoon with friends, free for you, and all you have to do is donate the clothes to your local charity. If you have friends with corporate attire consider donating to dressforsuccess.org.” Find out more about Wealthy Chicks by following them on Facebook.
Begin To Learn A New Language
So you’ve always wanted to learn Mandarin? You’ve been secretly wanting to learn French so you can travel without saying nice butt instead of thank you, thus embarrassing yourself? You don’t have to be young to learn a new language, you can start at any age, at any time! It also doesn’t have to cost an arm and a leg to start learning a new language. You can find online courses for really cheap, or you can even just head to YouTube and begin watching videos for free. Learning a new language is a great way to work the left side of your brain (your analytic and logic side) and it’s a great way to show off when you travel to that country.
It doesn’t have to cost you an arm and a leg to have some fun with your friends, or even by yourself. You can spend the day sleeping away or helping others less fortunate. It’s all about who you spend your time with, not how much you spend.
