Passing The hours

lainz

Bake cakes? Me and my sister used to love going to my nans in the holidays as we'd make cakes or sausage rolls and then of course there's the tasting! Loads of recipes on here for bakes etc.

I'm guessing kids are involved, looking through a book called '50 rainy day projects for kids' by Petra Boase, some of the ideas that are cheap to do are:air football, you can get the kids to draw the pitch on paper or an old sheet, make some goals, straws and ping pong ball or use rolled up paper.

Make stuff from salt dough:
300g/11 oz plain flour
300g/11 oz salt + 2tbsp
30ml/ 2 tbsp veg oil
200ml / 8 fl oz water

put flour & 300g salt into large bowl
add oil to mixture and remaining 2 tbsp salt, mix together with wooden spoon.
pour in water and mix, making sure there are no lumps, kneed dough until firm, either use straight away or store in airtight container.

Salt dough is used like clay and can be baked in the oven until hard. When it is baked you can paint and glaze. You can make, badges, plaques, paperweights, 'african beads'....

Decorating a stone to make a paperweight

sew squares of fabric together to make a cube, leave one side open and stuff full of paper and then sew together to make juggling squares.

paper plate tennis

2 paper plates per 'bat' decorate as wish. Stick together with sellotape (around the outside) leaving space to fit hand inside, use ping pong ball or rolled up paper as ball.

Hope are some help!

pinkangelnic

No just a couple in their mid 20's everone else our age seams to "have such a great weekend" getting drunk 1 its a waste of money and 2 is it really so great as you feel awful after a heavy night

gunsandbanjos

Go to your local charity shop and get some board games, sounds geeky but i dont care:D

mark55man

My kids found this

http://www.urban75.org/useless/bored.html

I am not sure its quite what you want but you might get a laugh out of it. Some of these are really tasteless as well

However the wider site might contain some useful stuff

angie_loves_veg

Library is a good start - don't forget that you can hire films, read magazines and pick up loads of leaflets for local things to do.

Go to your local tourist information. pretend you are a tourist (or explain you have family coming) and ask the same question to them 'what is there to do around here for cheap or free?' they will often have a TON of suggestions, (at least some will appeal!). On one occasion, I went in and was given a stack of vouchers for local things, including 2 for 1 swimming, free entry into local beauty spots etc...

Are you 'sporty'? rather than a walk, go for a run, bike ride, make a circuit etc.. race each other

A friend of mine has a 'challenge' with her boyfriend each week (they take it in turns to decide the challenge) - it really can be anything - last week (so she tells me) they had to pick up a bag from the floor using their mouth, hands behind back .... apparently they had stupid amounts of fun with that one she trained (yes, trained!!) for days and won easily!

Make Friday or Saturday night a 'date' at home - take it in turns to cook a really nice meal for each other, lay the table, get dressed up, light a candle, spend the evening together wihout the telly on

Do something *really* silly - bake a cake, but with one of you blindfolded relying on the other for 'help'

Make something - a new bookshelf for example

Drawing, painting - practice at home, then make a picture whilst out - draw your house, draw a view.

Take up photography - learn to use whatever camera you have - if its digital, you can take thousands of pics for free and few people use all the features on a camera - people, places, arty - you can photoshop them afterwards (silly or serious)

Learn something new - For example - fancy going to Greece? Learn Greek together - you get the idea - you can get tapes from the library, and the money you aren't spending on beer will get you there maybe next summer...

Learn to knit / mosaic / bake / swim. Evening classes have reduced rates for lower incomes/students if that is relevant.

If you are really bored, get a job! A saturday night job in a pub or club will get you a night out (for no cash) and I always thought was great fun - meeting new people etc


..... I wonder, if money were no object, what would you *want* to be doing - chances are, if you are really creative, you can probably do some of them anyway, or adapt them to suit your finances....

Fen1

Go through your recipe books ( or library) and open at random a couple of times. Just cook something totally different at the weekend. I have loads of recipe books, but how often do I use them?:rolleyes: I just tend to make the same thing over and over again, so it's an interesting challenge that the 2 of us can make something different together .
You have to eat anyway, so it's a win-win situation.

I like board games, too:j

pinkangelnic

thanks for all of the suggestions guys just goes to show that i'm not very imaginative

angie_loves_veg

pinkangelnic wrote: »

thanks for all of the suggestions guys just goes to show that i'm not very imaginative

Sometimes it is really easy to get stuck in a rut . I find that the best thing to do is to plan for the weekend ahead - that way, you are more likely to do 'something' rather than nothing at all.

Maybe you could make a wet weather and dry weather plan for this weekend? Does anything appeal?

Lesley_Gaye

Hi

I have decided that I need more fun in my life, but it needs to be free as I have no money spare at all.

I use the library to borrow books
Our local shop has an informal library outside that people drop things off in and pick things up from
I walk with friends each week
I do pot luck suppers where we each provide a course, so costing no more than we would have spent anyway
I grow as many edibles as I can in the garden which I enjoy
I dance with friends
I splash out on a Nat Trust subscription, which admittedly we could use more often, as it doesn't cost anything per visit
We do picnics
I listen to music and the radio, watch far too much telly (am currently enjoying Wimbledon and the football)

That's all that springs to mind, but I'm sure we must do other things

I could do with a few more laughs, any other ideas gratefully received

Penelope_Penguin

We have an older thread - things to do when you're bored.

I'll see if there are any more, and merge your thread later

Penny. x

Edit - there's also this one for children - how to have OS school holidays.