No Spend Week

I have just returned from a weekend visiting my family in Cornwall. It was lovely to see everyone and spend some time away from the buses, people and street art that make up Bristol. 

I now have a busy week of Uni work and when I get busy, I get spendy! With this in mind, I decided (and persuaded The Boyfriend to agree) to have a No Spend Week this week. I get free coffee every morning, we have food in the flat, what more do I need? It's not really as exciting as Frugal Queen's Stoptober, but it's my birthday next week so I may well need to buy a couple of beers! :)

One caveat is that if I see a really good deal on a Christmas present, I will grab it when I can. After all, I need to finish by the end of the month!

Following what I learned earlier in the year about No Spend Days, I will leave my money at home, bring a packed lunch (including a chocolate biscuit for that 3pm lag in energy!), stay in and work on my presentation in the evenings and have a quiet weekend working on my Advent calendar!

Feel free to join me! :)

Frugal Evenings

Bored of sitting in watching the same old DVDs on repeat because you can't afford to have a good time? Why not try some of these cheap/free ideas to pass the time?

Next time I need some evening entertainment I'll try one of these;

Games night – Invite a few friends round, dust off the Scrabble and have a games night! My favourite game is Cranium, which you can play with 4+ people in teams. It's great to bring out everyone's competitive sides!

Go for a walk – Yes, in the evening. No, it's not that cold. It's really relaxing to go for a night-time stroll if you wrap up warm. I live in the middle of nowhere so I tend to take a handy bodyguard (in the form of The Boyfriend), but dog-walking in a well-lit, still-busy area could be an alternative. Remember to be safe.

Volunteer – Spend the early evening volunteering at a local residential home, chatting to the people there. Many are quite lonely and would appreciate your company, especially if you take the time to get to know them.

Baking – Make a friend or relative a batch of cookies for when you next visit. Blast out the radio and dance as you mix for added entertainment!

Reading – Thanks to my Uni workload I still have a small mountain of fiction from Christmas left to read! I need to keep a book by my bed to read each day!

Craft – I've begun making my Christmas presents but it's taking longer than I was expecting. Good job I'm starting early! Other things to make could include Christmas cards, a scarf for winter (if you can knit) or a new bag from scrap materials.

Then again if a film night is your thing, you could always make your own cinema snacks, dim the lights and watch with some friends for a more social experience.

Right, I'm off to do something even more productive – tidy away my crafting mess! :)