Free, or low cost, activities to try this summer!

Yes, you really can still have fun, if you’re trying to save some money. I love spending time with family and friends, whether it’s eating out, site seeing, watching movies, quiz nights or participating in outdoor activities. I was often shocked at how much I’d spent by the end of the month though! After a bit of research, I was surprised to discover how much money I could save, without having to compromise too much! You don’t have to spend a lot to have a good time, in fact, you can do a lot of these things for free! Remember to check Lockdown restrictions on some of these suggestions. Hopefully, we can all get back to normal life soon!

Check out some, cost saving, ideas here:

Free Walking Tours

There are some great free Walking Tours all round the world. Yes, they are free but you have the option to donate, any amount you like, to the tour guide. Last year, my friend, Martine and I had a short break in Valencia and decided to do a free walking tour on our first day there. It was the best decision as we actually felt like locals as we knew how to find our way around the city and after our first day there! We used a company called Free Tour Valencia – I would highly recommend them

Wonders of London work in a similar way i.e. the tours are free but you can donate an amount, you would like to, after the tour is complete. Their free tours include the City of London, Harry Potter , Jack the Ripper and Street Art and Grafiti tours. You find details of these, and all their other tours, on their website. As well as the free tours, they also offer special, low cost, tours for just £8pp

Remember to wear comfy shoes as you will be walking a lot!

Picnic in the park

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There are many lovely U.K. parks offering free entry. The Royal Parks, such as Hyde Park, Kensington Gardens, Richmond Park, Bushy Park and St James Park are free to access and welcome picnicking. As the parks are home to a rich variety of wildlife, they ask you to follow these simple guidelines for picnicking in the Royal Parks

I had a lovely picnic with friends, on Richmond Green, last summer. There happened to be a cricket game on that day so that was an added bonus!

Bring your food drink, and a picnic blanket, then chill out and enjoy!

Picnics are a lovely way to have fun, whilst spending very little! Need some more ideas on where to have your picnic? Here’s a guide from https://inews.co.uk/ to the 50 best picnic spots in the UK: from the rugged borders of Scotland to the pristine gardens of south west London

Have a Date Night In

A date night at home can be as special and romantic as a night out and what could be better during lockdown?

You can cook your own meal or perhaps get a meal deal for £12 from M&S & Morrisons or £10 from Tesco

Make it feel special by setting the table as if you were in a restaurant. Play some romantic music whilst you eat

Follow your meal with a romantic movie, with some chocolates or popcorn. Check out my Have a Movie Night In section below for some romantic movie ideas

Play Outdoor or Indoor Games

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TV and social media can be enjoyable but I believe that it’s great for families and friends to interact and bond in real life! My family loves a bit of competition and nearly every get-together we have, includes a game. Sometimes it’s a game of Swing Ball outside or Charades, Scrabble, Trivial Pursuit or Monopoly indoors. A lot of these games are now available in special themes such as Game of Thrones, Friends, Rohals Dahl Monopoly or Harry Potter Trivial Pursuit.

As well as being great fun, the outdoor games are good for your fitness and co-ordination whilst the indoor games can be great for exercising your brain and improving your general knowledge

If you can’t meet up in real life, you can play games on Zoom or on the Housparty apps

Have a Movie Night In

Grab some popcorn, crisps, dips and a drink or two and watch a film with your partner, family or friends or on your own! You can watch something from your DVD collection or there’s a lot of choice on TV movie channels, or on Netflix. Really does feel like a night out at the cinema, but at a fraction of the cost! For some great Movie Night snacks @ great prices, check out Iceland store here or click on the photo above!

Glamour Magazine’s list of The best Netflix movies to watch on date night

Here’s Time Out’s List of the 50 best family movies to watch together

Have Afternoon Tea in the Garden

Why not invite some friends round for afternoon tea? Ask all attendees can bring along a plate of food or a bottle of bubbly. That way, you could all enjoy a marvelous tea, at a fraction of the cost of something similar, in a posh London hotel, where they can charge up to £85pp for afternoon tea with a glass of fizz!

You can make it as casual or posh as you would like but it would be fun to all dress up so it feels like a special event. It’s nice to serve the food on 3 tiered plates, with savory snacks at the bottom, scones in the middle and sweet treats on the top. Start eating from the bottom plate and work your way up. Depending on your taste, you could choose a traditional plate style, or something more modern:

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You can buy ready made snacks but if you’d like to try baking your own, you can find some great recipes on Mary Berry’s website

How about decorating the garden with some bunting? Again, you can find both traditional and modern styles on Amazon:

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Have a Street Party

Street parties are a great way to know your neighbours and build community spirit. Last summer, I was invited to a street party by my great friends, Lisa & Ian. It was held in their cul-de-sac and all their lovely neighbours (most of whom I had previously met) participated in the event. They set up a marquee to serve the food and drink. Music was provided by one of the residents, who also happens to be a DJ. The atmosphere was fabulous and everybody had a very short walk home!

Street parties are ideally held in a cul-de-sac or quiet road. If you are thinking of planning an event, here is a great guide to organising a street party

Read a Book

Whether you’re on your sofa, in your bed, sitting in the garden or lounging by a pool, on holiday, reading a book is good for you for so many reasons.

Why reading is good for you:

• It reduces stress and helps you to chill out and relax as you can lose yourself in a good story
• It can help prevent Alzheimer’s and Dementia as it keeps your brain active
• It expands your knowledge
• It can inspire you to achieve greater things. This is particularly true of self-help books
• It can expand your vocabulary
• It can improve your concentration

Whether you like to read novels, non-fiction or self help books, you can find some great free e-books on our Free Books page

According to the Independent, these are the 40 best books to read during lockdown Many of these are on my personal list of favourites!

Visit a Museum or Art Gallery

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There are many UK museums and art galleries offering free entry, while charges may apply for special exhibitions. These include the British Museum, National Gallery, Museum of London, Royal Academy of Arts, National History Museum, National Portrait Gallery, Victoria and Albert Museum and the Tate Modern. If you fancy a bit of culture, check out the Top 27 free museums in London

*Due to Coronavirus lockdown, many, if not all of these, will currently be closed. Hopefully, they will be able to open again soon!

Do a Free Home Workout

No excuse to not work out now the gyms are closed! There are, currently, plenty of free workout videos on YouTube to help you stay fit and healthy during Lockdown

These are some of my favourites:

Denise Austin,

Joe Wicks

Gunnar Peterson

Fitness Blender Workouts

Zumba Dance Workouts

Body Project Workouts

You can find plenty of other free workouts, to suit your taste and fitness level on YouTube

Stay safe and enjoy your summer everyone! xx

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