8 Affordable Ways To Have Fun When Living On A Budget

You’ve been killing it with the budget lately, you’re savings account is growing by the minute, and you are feeling on top of the world! Until, that is, you get stir crazy staying home day after day because you’re trying to save money. Homemade dinners, home movie nights, home gym workouts, staycations, and date nights with monopoly in the living room; why does everything have to be “at-home” when saving money?! While you DO need to be more careful with your spending when living on a budget, life does not have to be limited to the home.

Today I’m going to share with you 8 entertainment ideas on a budget. These are the exact ways my husband and I can afford entertainment while living frugally. And not one single idea will keep you at home! HOORAY for that!

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Frugal Entertainment Idea #1: Groupon 

I check Groupon FIRST before going on a date with my husband, a day out with my girlfriends, a lunch date with coworkers; literally anything. I may not always find a good deal, but more often than not I do! Like half priced froyo, half off admission to a water park, and $20 off a romantic dinner for my hubs and I. These are all real deals I’ve gotten and the list could go on and on. Moral of the story, CHECK GROUPON FIRST. Sign up for Groupon for FREE here and start saving today.

Frugal Entertainment Idea #2: MyPoints

If you enjoy a tv show or two in the evenings or have a few minutes during your lunch break to spare, Mypoints is perfect for you. It’s a survey website that gives you points for completing tasks such as visiting websites, printing coupons, taking surveys, reading emails, watching videos, and more. In the evenings while I’m watching a show with my husband or checking emails on my laptop, I always hop onto Mypoints for a few minutes and earn some easy “points” in 5 minutes or less. Once you earn a certain number of points, you can redeem them for gift cards to a huge number of stores and restaurants. I’ve been using Mypoints for only 3 months now and I’ve already earned a $25 AMC gift card and a $15 dollar Amazon gift card. And I go on for 5 minutes or less every day. It’s an easy way to make a little extra “fun money” without it having to come out of your paycheck. Click here to sign up for Mypoints for FREE!

HACK: Read your “Mypoints Bonus Mail” emails in your inbox every day. You can earn 5 points per email which adds up very quickly. I usually get 3-5 emails per day which is 15-25 points per day. It only takes about 30 seconds to click on all the emails and earn easy points.

Frugal Entertainment Idea #3: Go To Lunch Instead Of Dinner

At every restaurant I’ve been to, the lunch menu is always less expensive than the dinner menu. If you’re looking to save easy money, opt for a lunch date instead of a dinner date. The food will taste just as good and you’ll save a big chunk of money.

Frugal Entertainment Idea #4: Go Out During Happy Hour

Happy hour is great for saving money because there are always great deals, like $2 Tacos and $5 Mac n Cheese. If you’re looking to do something social with friends but want to save money, happy hour is the time to go!

Frugal Entertainment Idea #5: Set A Date

Rather than flying by the seat of your pants and going out whenever, wherever, set a date! That way you won’t be making last minute decisions all the time, which can quickly add up and blow your entertainment budget in no time. Say it’s Monday and you want to go out with your man, but you have a date night planned for Friday. You’ll be able to look forward to it all week, and when Friday actually comes, it will be even more special than if you were to have gone last minute on Monday night.

Frugal Entertainment Idea #6: Limit Frequency

This goes hand in hand with set a date, but if your entertainment budget needs to be smaller in order to get out of debt or save money, limiting the frequency of fun outings is important. It’s up to you how many times per month you go out, and I LOVE to use things like MyPoints to earn gift cards towards my favorite restaurant or movie tickets and add a FREE date night to each month. But sit down and evaluate how many fun outings you can afford and the price range of each. Usually the fastest way my money goes out the door when I’m not paying attention is EATING OUT.

Frugal Entertainment Idea #7: Utilize Coupons And Discounts

Be sure to always check online for coupons or discounts before purchasing tickets for a fun event. You never know when you’ll get a great deal JUST because you checked first! I like to use RetailMeNot and CouponCabin.

Frugal Entertainment Idea #8: Learn To Love FREE

There is NOTHING wrong with a little free fun, am I right?! My husband and I picked up a lot of free and fun hobbies when we started dating because we were broke college students and couldn’t spend money all the time. We STILL prefer free activities together over paid ones. Some of our favorites include walking on the beach, hiking, biking (we bought bikes and get a ton of use out of them), working out together, swimming, and playing tennis. Find out what free activities you love and make those your go-to instead of going to a movie or out to eat for entertainment.

And That’s A Wrap!

8 frugal entertainment ideas you can afford EVEN while living on a budget. Frugal does not have to mean boring. And if you’re anything like me, it never will. I refuse to live a dull life because I make wise choices with my money, and you don’t have to either. I’d love to hear some frugal entertainment ideas YOU personally enjoy in the comments below!

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