How do you put the breaks on boredom?
Do you keep an arsenal of no-cost activities at the ready?
Or do you rely on your wallet to snap you out of a funk?
Clever marketers have duped us into believing life is a snore unless we spend money.
But there are countless healthy and fun ways to pass the time that don’t cost a dime.
Let’s go over a few of them, shall we? (Feel free to extend the list in the comments section below.)
1. Rewatch episodes of your favorite television series. Arrested Development, Sex and the City, anyone?
2. Pull one of those brand new novels off your bookshelf and do something you previously only dreamed of–read a book.
3. Strap on a pair of running shoes and hit the trails (being extra careful not to get run down by an overzealous cyclist).
4. Invite over a bunch of friends for a friendly, smack talking game of Poker, Spades, or Bridge.
5. Revive an abandoned farm on Farmville. Morph into that annoying Facebook friend who litters your wall with requests for virtual fertilizer and wild berries.
6. Browse the Humor category on Pinterest for hilarious captions.
This happened to me with Prison Break, Breaking Bad, and Pretty Little Liars.
7. Check your local visitor’s center website for area street festivals, movie screenings, and other awesome events.
8. Catch a tech workshop, investment group discussion, or crafting class at your local library. (Note: The options available at your library may differ greatly from the examples given.)
9. Find a group of like minded people to hang out with on Meetup.com
10. Teach your kids how to play a few vintage games you engaged in as a child: Hide-and-Seek, Hopscotch, Simon Says, Freeze Tag, or Red Light/Green Light.
11. Go for a hike . . . if you’re the adventurous type who isn’t tortured by outdoor allergens.
12. Show your offspring how to erect a proper blanket or pillow fort. Then sleep in the fort and dream about the days when your life was uncluttered by the worries of work and weight gain.
13. Crack open that Spanish language software you bought two years ago. Five minutes into your lesson, brag about what you learned on your social networks.
14. Call a friend, and gossip about the stars of trashy reality shows.
15. Volunteer for a cause you’re deeply passionate about. It doesn’t have to be noble. Your primary objective here is to enrich your life. If you help someone in the process, swell. If not, so?
16. Practice origami. The only materials you need are paper and, uh, yeah, paper. That’s it.
17. Ignore the warning signs–go ahead and feed the bears. Well, maybe you shouldn’t get too chummy with wild life that may claw you to death, but pigeons, ducks, and squirrels will appreciate your generosity.
18. And last but not least . . . sex.
Although many fun and free activities can be labeled as time wasters, if you’re going to waste time, there’s no point in wasting money too.
How do you keep yourself entertained without spending money?
Shawanda Greene is a free thinking, frugal gal whose only vices are boxed wine, lip balm and money grubbing. You can find more of Shawanda's musings at 
Good list. I recently tried making my own specialty coffee (homemade pumpkin spice latte, to be exact:) Not free, but sure beats spending the $4+ at Starbucks for a drink that’s usually too sugary for human consumption anyway! I try keeping busy with walking, hiking, etc. as you’ve mentioned so that I don’t end up wandering to the mall & spending $$.
You know how to make a pumpkin spice latte?! Please share the link to the recipe. The level of joy I experience when Starbucks offers their pumpkin spice latte is (how should I put this?) shameful.
Absolutely! Here you go: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/organic-authoritycom/organic-pumpkin-spice-latte_b_995017.html
If you don’t have organic sugar, milk or pumpkin, you can just use the regular kind. Also, if you like it more sweet add more sugar, obviously 🙂