Money Matters for Millennials: Fun and Free

I’m finally at that stage in ‘adulting’ where I can pay all my bills without stressing. The funny thing is… the older you get, the more you crave out of life. The farther you dive into adulthood, the more you start to appreciate life and all that the world has to offer. So the point is, there is no limit to the ‘hobby fund’. Funds are the different buckets where your hard earned money is allocated. There are things liked the gift fund -the extra money you save for birthdays and holidays. There is the grocery fund. And we can’t forget the ‘rainy day’ fund – the place where we stash that emergency money (teehee!). Still, no amount of money will ever suffice for your love of art, nature, and expression. I think we all get stumped when we finally realize that what we want to do with our creative outlet can far outweigh the expenses needed to fund everything you want to do. BUT- there has to be a cap somewhere right? I mean we all don’t have an endless supply of money to just throw at our hobbies.

The question becomes, what is fun AND free? The good news is that there are tons of things to try, see, and do that don’t require much monetary funding, only your time. One of my hobbies is ‘Self Help’. I love to learn as much as I can in the subject that I want to learn about and there are many ways to do this that are free. Luckily I have Youtube to watch videos, Podcasts to listen, and even other blogs to read. Some people are motivated by fitness. Their hobbies revolve around exercise. Two free exercise hobbies that I thought were interesting are hiking and urban exploration. Urban exploration is like hiking, but through your city. This is a great way to become a tourist in  your own neck of the woods. Camping is also an inexpensive hobby if you are interested in the great outdoors.

You can find tons of ways to have fun individually and even socially. Find out what your local community is doing. There are many free citywide events that are free to the public. Things like ‘Date Night in the Park’ and ‘Yoga in the Park’ are two – just to name a few. People also find happiness in charity. Volunteering your time is one of the best ways to find fulfillment and give back. Hosting a game night at home requires little to no funding at all. Have your guests bring their own drinks, you provide the games, and you’re all set! I’m just learning about a thing called, ‘Urban Fruit Picking’. There are community gardens that grow so much food but there are not enough people to come and help pick the crop. In exchange for picking, you get food at a lower price or even free.

If you have trouble taking the first step just remember that when it comes to money matters, a little goes a long way.

Letterboard by Target