We live in a world that is getting more expensive by the day. It can feel like everyone wants a piece of money, and that there is not enough to go around. I know I can definitely understand that, so today I want to provide a list of ideas of free and/or cheap activities that you can try out. I don’t expect all of these to work for everybody; feel free to use what you can and think of your own ideas!

• Utilize your local library- I’ve talked before on the importance of libraries. (Read that post here). Public libraries offer so many services, and it’s free. I have a few classes I am attending this week offered by the public library in my city to learn new things and develop new skills. In addition, my library card allows me to learn new crafts and skills offered for jobs! Definitely check out your local library for events and opportunities they may provide.
• Festivals- There is a Festival Guide specifically for things in my state (Indiana). I’m sure other states have festivals too. My partner and I sat down with the festival guide and made a large list of the ones we want to go to this year. We may not get to all of the ones we want. However, we are kept busy, and we get to experience a lot of cool new places and events. Many of the festivals are free to attend. They obviously cost to buy items and food. We have already been to a Cherry Blossom Festival, a yarn festival, and a festival celebrating a famous composer. We have many more to go!
• Watch a movie- I pride myself on my extensive movie collection. A family friend has an even larger collection! When I was in college, my college would show free movies on campus. It was such a fun experience. If you don’t have the movie you’re wanting, check your local library (if it’s an older movie). If it’s a newer movie, movie theaters often have cheaper tickets during the day.
• Visit a park- The parks in most cities are free to visit. State Parks in Indiana cost $7 per vehicle (which is nice if you have a lot of people going). Many National Parks do not require an admission fee. There’s lots of free green spaces for trails, playgrounds, or just picnic areas. On that note…
• Visit a public pool- Many public pools are cheap admission. Obviously, as the weather gets warmer around here and now that school is out, the pools will get busier. But finding time if you can during the day or on days when there are discounts can help reduce some costs as well. Speaking of discounts…
• Visit a museum on discount days- I love museums! I could spend hours among the artifacts. Do a search to see what days museums offer discounts, or what discounts you qualify for. As a teacher, I get a lot of discounts to museums. My partner gets discounts because he is a veteran. College students and high school students can get discounts with student IDs. I would recommend seeing if there are discounts you qualify for. Sometimes also, museums have cheaper admission after certain hours. I would definitely utilize those when you can as well.
• Farmer’s Markets- Farmer’s Markets, like festivals, often do not require an entrance or admission fee. Obviously, if you buy something, that will cost. Nevertheless, it is fun sometimes to see what people are selling, collect business cards, and network with small business owners. If all else fails…
• Search for free things to do in your area- The internet can be a wonderful tool. If you do a quick search of “Free things to do near me”, you can often find a list of more specific events. Even writing this, I did that search for myself and found lots of things to do in my area that I hadn’t even considered. There’s so many options!

I hope this list gives you ideas. This, like many topics I write about, are things that I am trying myself, especially this summer. I loe to hear about the new things that you try and the new experiences you have!