How You Can Have Fun As An Adult Without Going Broke
When's the last time you enjoyed yourself?
You scroll through a few personal finance social media posts, and you’re given the typical annoying advice. Cancel your Netflix. Don’t go out with your friends anymore. Only hang out with billionaires. Save money on everything. Spend your free time growing an empire instead of enjoying yourself.
What about the fun? Are adults just supposed to accept lives void of any joy? We’re going to look at how you can have fun as an adult without going broke.
I’m here to tell you that it’s okay to live your best life while trying to reach various financial goals.
The case for play and finding hobbies
“Play expands our minds in ways that allow us to explore: to germinate new ideas or see old ideas in a new light. It makes us more inquisitive, more attuned to novelty, more engaged. ” – Greg Mckeow in “Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less.”
When did everything get so serious? When are you supposed to have fun?
I often organize group activities around something new, like salsa lessons, rock climbing, axe throwing, archery tag, or something completely random. I’ll often hear from people who don’t have time for this or don’t even want to entertain the idea of doing something so silly. Those who show up consistently have a great time, and we discuss why we don’t do this more often.
I think it’s sad that adults don’t make more time for play and fun. We’re so stressed with our jobs, following the news, and commitments that we forget to enjoy ourselves a little bit.
Why should you play and find hobbies as an adult?
You need something in your life that isn’t work.
Play is one of the best ways to fight stress and anxiety.
It’s a perfect excuse to hang out with your friends.
You need to unwind and forget about everything else that’s going on in life.
You’re not meant just to pay the bills.
Finding activities that bring you joy will inspire you to work on side hustles and different opportunities so that you can make more money.
You don’t want to look back on your life and regret not spending more time with friends.
Do you know what one of the main regrets of the dying is? Not spending enough time with friends. The author of the book (Bronnie Ware) on the top regrets from dying folks went on to say:
“There were many deep regrets about not giving friendships the time and effort that they deserved. Everyone misses their friends when they are dying."
Don’t become so busy that you forget to enjoy yourself once in a while.
How can you have fun as an adult?
What are the best ways to enjoy yourself as an adult?
Try new hobbies.
When was the last time that you tried something new? I can’t stress the importance of trying new hobbies and having something to look forward to. You can’t just come home and wait until the next workday.
What are some ideas that you can try?
Try a form of MMA training. Attending a kickboxing class or learning jiu-jitsu will leave you sweating, and you’ll bond with your new friends. I've met all my closest friends at this moment in my life through training.
Do some sort of lessons. There are lessons for everything from salsa dancing to learning how to code.
Pick up a new activity. This can range from rock climbing to cooking classes. Picking up a new activity will allow you to step out of your comfort zone and boost your confidence in the long run.
Say yes to random activities.
“I’ve never done that before. I don’t think I would be good at it.”
A friend responded with this when I invited him to come out axe-throwing with us. Well, he was right. Nobody’s good at something that they haven’t tried yet. That’s what makes it so fun.
As you get older, turning down every new activity is almost your default reaction because it feels like you have better things to do. I’m here to tell you that you don’t. Your work can wait, and you won’t fall behind in life by going axe-throwing with your friends.
In the past few years, I’ve said yes to random activities like:
Virtual reality gaming.
Escape rooms.
Various adult obstacle courses.
Soccer games.
There’s something exciting about going into an activity not knowing what to expect.
Accept that you don’t have to work all of the time.
You don’t have to be productive 24/7. You’re not a robot and can’t put pressure on yourself to always be on. It’s okay to find leisurely activities you do for the sake of doing.
“We must be disciplined about our discipline and moderate in our moderation.
Life is about balance, not about swinging from one pole to the other. Too many people alternate between working and bingeing, on television, on food, on video games, on lying around wondering why they are bored. The chaos of life leads into the chaos of planning a vacation” — Ryan Holiday in “Stillness Is the Key.”
How do you avoid going broke while having fun?
The obvious issue with play and finding hobbies as an adult is the financial realities of what it costs to enjoy yourself. Here’s what you can do to avoid going broke while having fun…
Have a YOLO Fund.
You've likely heard about an emergency fund, but what about the YOLO Fund? I firmly believe that you should set aside money from every paycheck for some personal enjoyment. This amount can be any percentage or figure you’re comfortable spending that won’t hurt your overall financial goals.
Find activities and hobbies that don’t break the bank.
We all know that going out is expensive. However, hobbies don’t have to break the bank. Many hobbies are relatively affordable, and hopefully, you’re in a position where you can set aside some funds to treat yourself.
Combine your social life with hobbies.
Joining that sports team could be the perfect opportunity to create a new social life for yourself. Many of the people I play soccer with use the outlet as their social life and hobby since we go out afterward as a team. You can easily combine your hobbies with your social life so that you always have something to look forward to.
Who’s ready to add some play to their lives?