15 Fun Things to Do with Friends That Don’t Cost Any Money

Hanging around with friends is crucial to maintaining connections and improving mental health. But what fun activities do you do when you get in touch with your friends?

Should you go to an expensive restaurant, explore an exhibit, go bowling, play at the amusement parks, swim at the beach, see an art museum, or see a movie? What about free things to do? When you are looking for something to do with friends, you want it to be fun without breaking anyone's wallet. You want to avoid splurging or making big purchases with inflation and recession.

Whether you want to be creative or do a traditional activity, there are many fun things to do with your friends without wasting your money or assets. You want to hit two birds with one stone by saving some money to reach your financial goals while having a fabulous time with your friends. Get ready to make a list of things to do with your friends.

List of Activities to do with Friends

With everything being costly, you want to limit your spending. You don't need to spend money going to petting zoos, planetariums, beaches, exhibits, aquariums, arcades, skiing, vacations, malls, art galleries, Legoland, laser tag, Uptown, and more.

You can continue having fun when you have many things you can do for free or with little money. When you only have one life to live, you want to create fun and lifelong memories with your friends. Not everything in life is expensive. Some activities don't require spending a penny.

Picnic in the Park

It might be cliché and simple, but eating at a park is great for your mental health and well-being. Everyone loves to be out in nature since it is a source of relaxation and regaining strength and energy. You can also bring a book, board games, and sports activities to add to your picnic adventure.

Picnics don't have to be about eating because you can do many things at the park. Whether the park is small or big, it is still a mini getaway from your house without ruining your mental health. When you have a picnic once, you'll love to do it more frequently since it'll become a habit to do more in the future.

DIY Dinner Party

If your friends are in town and don't want to spend money on fast food or restaurant, you can host a small dinner party at your place. To make it more exciting, you can call your friends to bring a recipe so you can make dinner together. It's better to make a hot meal together even if you don't know how to cook.

Cooking is not many people's forte, but it is a fun memory for years to come. If you do have culinary skills, you can show them off to your friends or teach them how to cook since there are many easy things to make these days.

Outdoor Activities

Depending on where you live, you can do many fun outdoor activities for free – hiking, biking, kayaking, strolling, boardwalk, skating, sightseeing, stargazing, and more. These outdoor adventures can be done in the summer or winter. It is one of the best fun things to do with friends since you are out in nature while strengthening your relationship.

Nature can help you reflect on life, relax, and forget all your worries for a moment. When you are out in nature with no one but your friends, you'll see how peaceful it is to escape the world. You never know what breathtaking sights you will see when you go on a stroll, take a walk, or go on a bike ride.

Karaoke

You can de-stress when you sing to your heart's content. You don't need to go to a karaoke place when you can set one up at home. You only need a mic or a fake one if you don't have a mic and a TV to go on Youtube.

When everything is set up, you can call your friends to come over, and you can snack on food while singing. It is a great activity to do on a Friday night when you get off work.

Yard Sale

If you and your friends are looking for side hustles to make extra money or exciting things to do, you can set up a yard sale to sell things you don't need or want anymore. Finding and organizing items in your home might take some time and work, but making the extra money will be worth it.

If you feel broke, consider setting up a yard sale to make money and declutter your space. Even better, setting up a yard sale is all free!

Learn a New Language

Whether you are learning a language for fun or to travel, studying it with your friends makes it more motivating than learning a language by yourself. You can quiz each other and use language-learning apps to help you.

You can look online for many resources, like Youtube, Duolingo, Open Culture, and more.

Board Games

You or your friends might be bored and want to find stuff to do, and one of you should have board games lying around somewhere. When it's a rainy day, board games are a fantastic way to pass the time and build stronger relationships.

You can hold a contest or bet with money to make it more entertaining and thrilling. It makes the game more challenging when everyone becomes more competitive because no one likes to lose.

Video Games

You can try video games if you are not interested in board games or card games. Video games like Mario Kart, Animal Crossing, or Minecraft are what many people love to play in their spare time. If you and your friends are low on dopamine levels, video games can help.

You can never go wrong with spending time with your friends by playing video games. It's one of the best fun things to do with friends on weekends or holidays.

Farmer Market

Everyone should have a nearby farmer's market to go to. Farmer's markets tend to have a variety of vendors, and you can go look to see if there is anything you want to buy or not.

Everyone knows that the produce sold at the market is grown by local farmers, meaning it's organic and healthy for you. If you are all about being healthy, you should start buying at the farmer's market.

Read a Book at the Library

If you and your friends are book enthusiasts, the library might be one of your favorite places to go. You can read any book or borrow books and movies to bring home. The best part about the library is there are many free giveaways – books, music, or games.

Often, libraries have maker spaces, labs, kid areas, and STEM spaces to further your creativity without spending money. It's a peaceful and relaxing place that doesn't require money.

Volunteer Work

You and your friends might be advocates to help other people or your community. You can do volunteer work with kids, teens, or the elders. You can sign up to volunteer for many nonprofit organizations or charities. Whether it's the food bank, charity event, community kitchen, or church, you can participate in any event that interest you.

When you do volunteer work, you get to connect with amazing people and build relationships with others. You may never know who you are going to meet in the future.

Movie Marathon

If you and your friends have nothing to do on the weekend, you can have a movie marathon where you binge a movie series. You don't have to go to the theaters to watch a movie when you can set up one at home. You can see what's new or old on Netflix or Hulu and start on Friday night.

Doesn't a sleepover with drinks, food, and movies sound pleasant to do on the weekend?

Arts & Crafts Night

You may want to do something more creative by doing art projects. One of the best indoor activities is staying inside and doing arts and crafts. You can crochet, tie-dye a shirt, make a sculpture, make jewelry, create pottery, and more. Everyone has an artistic side to them.

If you are not creative, you don't have to be one. You can enjoy trying and experimenting with things. Everything in life doesn't have to be perfect.

Start a Club

Don't you remember your childhood when you have after-school activities? What was your favorite club that you joined back in the day? More than that, the people you connected with probably had the same interests as you. Clubs still exist when you turn into an adult.

You can start one with your friends who share the same interest as you. There are plenty of clubs you can create, and you don't have to focus on just one. Some ideas include sewing, cooking, fishing, book, golfing, and more.

Local Events

Hello, free events! If you want to find fun places to go, you need to start with your town. It doesn't matter what city or country you live in because there are always free events or festivals throughout the year. Every city has fun activities to do and free concerts, events, or festivals to celebrate a specific holiday or offer local activities for the community.

These events are perfect for hanging out since there are free activities and fun attractions, and you get to know your town a bit more. It's better than spending money at the botanical garden or museums. You and your friends can search online to see what events are coming up and plan to hang out together.

You never know what cool things to do in town if you don't try to search for them.

The No Money Party

When you are broke and have no money, you can still have fun without spending a penny. If you don't know what fun activities you should do with your friends, you can start by looking at your place or your friends' neighborhoods and start thinking outside the box.

If you don't want to provide everything for your guests, you can ask your friends for help by bringing games or their ideas to make the day more entertaining. You can do so many things these days without using your money. You just need to be creative about the activities you want to do.

This article originally appeared on Hello Sensible.