Second Cup: Plan a great weekend for free

No (or very low) cost ways to create rich memories

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:03):
Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeartRadio. Good Morning,
This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. Today's
tip is about how to plan a great weekend for free.
After the holidays and with the clean slate of the
new year, brushing up against tax time, lots of people

(00:25):
pledge to be smarter about their finances. One common approach
is too drastically cut spending. Sometimes people even declare a
spending freeze. And sometimes that's wise and it can be
fun as a chalent, but if you're not careful, it
can also lead to feeling like life is no fun,
and a no fun life is not sustainable. I think

(00:48):
moderation is often wise. But the good news is that
if you spend some time thinking through options and making plans,
it is quite possible to dream up really fun free weekends.
Here's what you do. First, you need to do some research.
Many communities have free events going on that people don't

(01:09):
know about because they don't bother to think ahead or
look beyond their own TVs. Carve out some time, maybe
on a Wednesday, to pick up an arts or events newspaper,
or scroll through online Facebook groups or local news sites.
Flag a few events that look most promising, when will
they be happening. Make yourself a game plan now. Think

(01:30):
about who might like to spend time over the weekend
with you. Socializing is one of the most fun things
people do, and even introverts like myself generally like to
see one or two close friends here and there. By
proactively inviting people to your free events, you don't put
yourself in the position of having to say no when
other people invite you to more expensive things. You might

(01:52):
also take the initiative to invite people over for cheap
get togethers. A pot luck costs almost nothing if you
pull your contributions together from what already in the house,
assign food and drink options to your friends, and you'll
have a grand party with basically nothing going out the door.
As you plan ahead, you might also think of how
you can be of service. Volunteering is a great way

(02:15):
to do something purposeful and socialize, and of course, since
you're volunteering your time, you're generally not paying to do so.
Done right, this can even get you into things you
might normally pay for, such as ushering for a community
concert that you can then see for free. Exercise is
a great mood booster and running or walking tends to

(02:36):
be free. Organize people to go for a hike together
on a local trail, bring your own snacks and water
so you're not tempted to load up, or even bring
a picnic. To make it a bigger occasion, you might
also make this the weekend to cash in on any coupons,
gift certificates, or IOU's you happen to have. Use that
Starbucks gift card you got in your stocking, or the

(02:58):
coupon for a pedicure you wanted, a sign an auction,
call in a favor from the neighbor you babysat for
last week, and finally think about freeways to spend your downtime.
If you've got a library card, go to the library
and satisfy any shopping urge by selecting a huge haul
of books or DVDs. If there's no convenient time to

(03:19):
drop by, see if your local library is plugged into
the libby app so you can borrow ebooks for free.
When you've got something really interesting to fill your downtime,
you're going to be less likely to serve the web,
where those ads for online shopping opportunities can so easily
find you. Then, at the end of your free weekend,
spend some time reflecting what did you like most, what

(03:43):
didn't work out. You don't need to try a spending
freeze every weekend, but with a little bit of foresight,
you can have a ton of fun without spending a lot,
and that means more cash stocked away for fun in
the future too. What's your favorite fun weekend activity that
you can do for free. You can let me know
at Before Breakfast podcast at iHeartMedia dot com. In the meantime,

(04:07):
this is Laura. Thanks for listening and here's to making
the most of our time. Hey, everybody, I'd love to
hear from you. You can send me your tips, your questions,
or anything else. Just connect with me on Twitter, Facebook
and Instagram at Before Breakfast Pod. That's b E the

(04:31):
number four then Breakfast pod. You can also shoot me
an email at Before Breakfast podcast at iHeartMedia dot com.
That Before Breakfast is spelled out with all the letters.
Thanks so much, should I look forward to staying in touch.

(04:52):
Before Breakfast is a production of iHeartRadio. For more podcasts
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you listen to your favorite shows, M