22 Low-Cost Ways and Free Places to Go Out and About on a Budget

On the financial life area section of this website, I talk about the importance of being able to save money for important things and events in your and your family’s life, such as a car, a house, vacations, college education, and retirement.

One of the ways people spend too much excess money is by enjoying themselves when they go out on the town. It’s easy to splurge at restaurants, movies, bars, clubs, and for expensive coffees, to name a few excursions.

In order to help you spend less money in this way, here are lists of low-cost activities and free places in which you can partake.  In this way, you can put more money into savings, and investing, for more important future items and events in your and your family’s life.

How to enjoy yourself, and who you’re with, while out and about, on a budget:

14 Low-Cost Ways to Go Out and About on a Budget:

1.     Iced tea or coffee at a bookstore: sip and browse books and CD’s

Buy a drink at the coffee bar, and spend some leisure time perusing books, CD’s, magazines, gifts, and other items. A popular bookstore with a coffee bar is Barnes & Noble.

2.     Regular or iced coffee (both are cheaper) at Starbucks: sip and surf

Go to a coffee shop, and bring your smartphone or laptop to browse the internet, work on your blog, or shop online.

3.     Chips and soda at a restaurant: snack and view sports shows

Go to a nearby bistro, and order tortilla chips and salsa and a soda. Snack and watch sports or sports shows while there.

4.     Or, a healthier way to dine cheaply at a restaurant: rice and beans and iced tea

If you’re watching calories or trying to lose weight, try ordering a side of rice and black beans, and iced tea, at a restaurant.

Popular restaurants to go to with chips and salsa, and rice and black beans, are Chili’s or On the Border. You don’t even have to pay a tip at a place like Fuzzy’s Taco Shop.

5.     Grab bottled water and hike at a nearby park or hiking trail

Go to a grocery store, and buy a bottled water to take with you on a hike.

6.     Take bottled water and walk around your nearest college campus

Just like at a park, you can walk at a scenic college campus.

7.     Buy a drink at and walk at the mall

Purchase a drink at the food court, and walk around the mall. It’s good exercise, and fun window shopping.

8.     Picnic at a nearby state park. A list of state parks can be found at https://stateparks.com

Bring drinks and snacks (ex. yogurt and veggies and dip) for a picnic at a state park, and you can go for a walk there, afterwards.

9.     Buy make-it-yourself frozen yogurt and hang out, or walk at the adjacent mall or strip mall.

Fill your own small frozen yogurt cup with your favorite toppings, and stay at the shop, or go for a stroll at the indoor mall, or strip mall. A couple of popular frozen yogurt shops are TCBY and Yogurtland.

10. Buy ice cream and hang out at an ice cream shop

Have a small cup or cone of ice cream while hanging out at the ice cream shop. A couple of popular ice cream shops are Baskin Robbins and Braum’s

11. Buy a small meal and drink, and hang out at a fast food joint

Grab a bite and a drink and spend time at a fast food restaurant.

12. Go to the city recreation center. You can usually find your local recreation centers online under your city’s main website.

Go for a workout, a fitness class, or sports at your local recreation center (you may have to pay for center membership and program fees, if applicable)

13. Visit a golf driving range

Go to the driving range - you can usually borrow clubs, but you have to pay for a bucket of golf balls

14.  Go to the dollar movies

Catch an inexpensive movie at your nearby dollar movie cinema.

8 Free Places to Go Out and About on a Budget:

 (to locate these places, you can find most of them easily with an online search)

1.     Libraries

You can spend hours at a library, which has a treasure trove of information you can access, in books, articles, or online on one of their computers.

2.     Museums

Many museums have free admission to their main sections, which are open to the public. It’s a great way to submit yourself to art and culture.

3.     Downtown squares

A lot of suburbs have downtown squares with shops, restaurants, theatres, and a historic courthouse. You can simply stroll the square and window shop, if you’d like.

4.     Historical sites

Most cities and towns have historic sites that you can go to, and learn about local history.

5.     Free concerts

Some places have seasonal free concerts that you can go to. Look online for upcoming local free concerts.

6.     Tennis at nearby open tennis courts

Play tennis at no cost – just bring your own racquets and balls.

7.     Outdoor basketball courts

Play basketball also at no cost – just bring your own basketball

8.     Frisbee golf course

Play free Frisbee golf - at nearby open Frisbee golf course, just bring your own Frisbees.

I hope these ways to go out about on a budget are helpful to you. Hopefully, you can put them in your schedule to save money for important items and events in your and your family’s life.  For ways to save and invest your money, as well as pay off debts, in an overall financial plan, please go to the financial life area of this website.  Enjoy!