21 Fun Things You Can Do This Summer Even When You’re Totally Broke

By Maya Kachroo-Levine

Summer activities are a great time, but they’re also a blatant reminder that warm weather would be more fun if you had an endless cash supply. Patio drinks, rooftop brunches, and vacations all require sufficient funds in your bank account. But if you don’t necessarily have the ability to fund a European trek this summer, it doesn’t mean you’re limited in the amount of ~**good tymes**~ you can have. Recently, I found a Reddit post from someone living in Toronto asking about cheap stuff to do this summer, and the commenters threw out tons of great suggestions. Here are 21 people on the fun things you can do this summer without breaking the bank:

1. “We are obsessed with the game Spikeball (along with Kan Jam, Cornhole, etc.). Pool together money for a set, find a park, play.” — BigSexyTolo

2. “Drink at someone’s home. A couple of six packs is far cheaper. Put on a movie or some music or play board games or something. If you do go out, drink less alcohol. Try happy hour specials, swap out alcohol for a soft drink (or water). See if there are any free/cheap outdoor festivals.” — kayoss_

3. “Your public library. Books, movies, music, sometimes exhibits and concerts, also volunteer opportunities.” — tu_che_le_vanita

4. “Get a nice $200-300 roadbike and go to fun places with your friends on a group ride. No need to buy any fancy gear, just a bagpack with some snacks, water and any type of comfortable shorts with t-shirt.” — Tannedsailor

5. “Hike. Run. Explore. Play video games you own. Reddit. Work out (bodyweight, preferably). Learn a language online. Learn programming online. Play a sport. Drink beer at home. Invite friends over. Read a book. Go to the library and read a book there. Learn to cook. Make meals for the week. You live in a major city. If you can’t find something else, you’re not trying.” — ChiantiAndFavaBeans

6. “Get on Groupon and other sites/apps like it. Often you’ll find great deals you and a few friends can pitch in on like Paintball for 6 for $40. Buy some balls from a big chain store like Walmart so you don’t pay the mark up on the field. But with 6 people balls and all, you’re looking at under $120, so $20 per person for more fun than drinking on a patio.” — The_Stoner_Diaries

7. “Go hiking, go to a dog park, see if your city has a ‘movies in the park’ (usually free), mini golf is usually cheap, have a byob/pot luck style bbq with friends, the local zoo (if it’s free or cheap). You can also Google “cheap things to do in _____” and see what pops up.” — HPLover0130

8. “Having fun isn’t hard when you’ve got a library card.” — growling_owl

9. “Get a scooter and go explore the city and the country side. Scooters get 60-100 mpg. A couple of gallons of gas and $10-$15 for food is much less than $50 at a bar.” — iConoClast04

10. “Is there a park with some trees near you? Buy a hammock. Bring a book and a drink. Summer of relaxing.” — fastpassriverandgas

11. “Learn a language, take up hiking if you’re in an area where you can. Free online courses are available for a variety of subjects – get immersed! Gaming (non-constructive time-waster) if it’s the right game for you; you’ll get your value back 1000 fold. D3 is that game for me. I come back to it whenever I wanna save money, those quiet fun nights in with a few mates really saves the dosh.” — twosidestoeverycoin

12. “Picnics on picnics on picnics. Same cute girls. Same good food. Grocery store prices.” — magicroot75

13. “Buy stuff with good ROI in terms of entertainment. A kayak, camping gear, whatever… I bought a tandem kayak on craigslist for $400 and it is a load of cheap and healthy fun.” — ubmt1861

14. “Go for a jog. Lookup free summer series.. Have a picnic. You can do that for all of 5 or 6 dollars..” — Phoenix-Jones

15. “Try Disc golf. There are tons of free courses across North America. It will cost you the cost of a disc ($20-30 each). Fun game, good exercise. For those who have no idea what this is, think golf with Frisbee rather than balls, and you don’t need $1000’s of clubs.” — J_Unidude

16. “Look into golfing, get used clubs for like $30… A whole round of golf can be found as cheap as $10 through certain apps. The good part is it’s fun and takes 3-4 hours. Bring your own cooler with cheap beer and for around $17, you have a blast for 4 hours.
Night Time ranges are fun to hang at too while also throwing back some home bought beer hidden in your bag.Go to park and work on chipping etc… Some other suggestions are beaches, lakes, parks , etc… Nature trails etc… There are many hobbies that require small investments but pay for themselves over time. I found this true with kayaking, $200 for a used one and you get to hang out on the river or bay for free exploring trails and acting like you can fish.
Lastly, if you need to drink, then trying pre gaming hard and taking $20 cash only and ID with you to limit what you spend.” — MeowMeow806

17. “Maybe a dinner club would be fun. Find a few other people who like to save money, and take turns hosting. You get a nice night out (at their place), good booze, usually good food. once a month you have to host, but you could probably host 3 other couples for under two patio tabs.” — twistedlimb

18. “Don’t order anything alcoholic, this will save a ton of money. If your friends start shaming you for being smart drop them, they’re not really your friends.
Events at a house are a lot cheaper than a bar. Or, almost anywhere else really. Game nights, potlucks, parks, free or cheap classes – there’s tons of stuff to do, just don’t do it in a bar.” — Annemi

19. “LIFE HACK! Did you know with one card you can check out tens of thousands of books, ebooks, recent movie releases, DVD/Blurays, and CDs? It’s this wonderful old school tech with a new school spin called – a library card!” — JoeTony6

20. “Bring a flask to the patio.” — WoodyTwigs

21. “I started fly fishing for this exact reason. I know that fly fishing is considered expensive by modern perception, but I found that not to be the case. I got a rod and reel for 50 bucks, another 50 in stuff like flies, line, split shot, etc.. but now I just restock about once a month for less than you’re spending on one trip to the bar. I learned from youtube and local classes a fly shop was giving nearby for free and now I’ve got this great new hobby that I can do anytime by myself or with friends, where I meet all kinds of new people.” — DEDmeat