What to do on a no spend year!

Now that I have shifted my mindset into a no buy year, I am beginning to feel like I have more time on my hands. I thought it was time to create a list of things to do with this free time:

• Read – sounds obvious, but my to-read pile is the equivalent of a whole bookcase. Why not read these books?! When finished I can donate these to friends or the local little free library in my area for others to enjoy. This will help with the decluttering of items….leading nicely to my next job…
• Declutter – I am a regular declutterer (not sure that this word exists!). I love to have a good clear out, but this time I need to take it much further. I have done the Konmarie method already in my home, but I feel like this needs to keep happening on a regular basis. I want to go minimalist in my home – so I need to be even more ruthless than before.
• Coastal path walks/other walks – This is an absolutely favourite thing to do for me. I want to complete the South West Coastal Path over time so this seems a good enough reason to get out. During covid the routes were rather busy, but with other things opening up, it feels a good place to go to avoid the hustle and bustle.
• Catch up with friends – when household mixing is allowed, this will be a go to for me. I’m not too worried about coffee at cafe’s (although if this is in your allocated spend then you can include this), but just spending time with friends is really important for me.
• Board games – me and my son have a weekly games night. We have a nice selection of games to choose from now (I usually get a new one each Christmas or birthday to build up our collection). This is so much fun! Usually accompanied by a oven pizza – a nice chilled evening/afternoon can be spent.
• Exercise – I have such a love/hate relationship with exercise. I will go for a run or do exercise, as I know that it is good for me, but I sometimes lack the motivation to get going with it. I cannot wait for parkrun to be back up and running again (excuse the pun)!!! But I always feel better for keeping active – it is so good for my mental health!!
• Galleries and museums – find free activities in my local area. I am always a bit rubbish at this – I tend to find out about events after they happen. However, FB has been much better at showing what is coming up in my local area as so many more companies and groups use FB now to share info.
• Writing – I always find writing a good outlet. If something bugs me or excites me, I love to write about it. I find it therapeutic. Daily journalling might be a great way to finish my day. It helps me to process situations and deal with things in an appropriate way.
• Learn a language – using a free app. I think this would be a great thing to do with my son – to help support his language learning at high school.

What are your plans to keep yourself occupied during a no spend year? Let me know in the comments.

That 30 Something Life X