Ok, Ok, Ok, I know it’s not possible to actually make your life a vacation, you probably can’t travel to the tropics and drink mai tai every day on the beach (unless you have acquired enough money already, then more power to you, ENJOY!) But if your life is not exactly what you want it to be right now, it is possible to stop and take a look to figure out what you really need and enjoy, without breaking the bank.
So many people spend their days working at a job 8+ hours a day. Whether you love your job or it’s just tolerable, but you need it to pay the bills, you look forward to your days off and dream of a vacation away from it all. What if you could incorporate some of your favorite vacation activities into your regular, everyday life?
If your life consists of waking up, going to work, getting home and eating/vegging out in front of the TV most days, of course you are going to feel like you need a vacation from a tiring, lackluster schedule. Sometimes all you need is a mini adventure snuck into your regular schedule.
Get Outside
Mr. Bean enjoys playing golf but hasn’t gotten to go out to play a round in years. Working full time with 2 kids that are busy with activities and always require some sort of food or attention makes it hard to get out. 😉 We also have a small apartment we’d rather not fill up with golf equipment and private courses are big bucks around here. But golf is a fun activity that allows him to get outside and enjoy himself for a while, so we found an option.
There’s a small public golf course up the street from where we live. For just $4, he can take a kid or 2 with him and hit a bucket of balls at the driving range. Every few weeks, after work, he heads down to the driving range, uses their free borrowed clubs, and pays $4-8 for a few buckets of balls and enjoys himself for a few hours. It gives him something to look forward to (like a vacation), brings him joy (like a vacation), and lightens his mood with happy memories for a while afterwards (like a vacation.)
Somehow, it always seems like being outside gets incorporated into a good vacation.
- Go Golfing or Frisbee Golfing
- Find some hiking trails nearby
- A beach or lake
- Even a nice park if that’s all you have access to.
Make a point, every week or however often you need, to get out of your regular “go to work then watch TV at home” schedule and do something that you just plain enjoy.
Even go as far as scheduling it in your week so that you have something to regularly look forward to. Totally disconnect from work, or from home life if that’s what you need. If you’ve got kids, swap babysitting with friends or grandparents, or just your spouse if you just need some You time.
Go New Places
Think about some of your favorite parts of a vacation. I love seeing new places.
- Going to museums
- Seeing local cultural events
- Checking out local stores and shops
Unless you live in the middle of nowhere, there are probably a good amount of places in your local city that you’ve never been to. Think about the areas a tourist would check out, that as a local, you’ve probably avoided because they’re just too busy, I know we normally do. But they’re often hotspots for a reason.
A few years back, pre-covid, Mr Bean and I got season tickets to a small local theater. It was a mini splurge but became our bi-monthly pre-scheduled date night. It became something we looked forward to, enjoyed, and could reminisce about for weeks afterwards. It was a new, unique experience that was something local we had never done before. Look around your town and see what you can find.
- Cultural events like the Greek Festival often take place at local churches and community centers, these are lots of fun to see dances, games, and try new foods.
- Coffee Bars/Bars that have local bands play
- Find out different clubs who put on different events. A robotics club or astronomy club at a local college might have fun free events that you can check out. GO battle bots!
- Parks and Recreation classes in your community can be a lot of fun, and are oftentimes free or low cost. Dance classes, beginner guitar classes, ceramics, flag football teams, you name it, there’s a possibility that there’s a club or community involved in it. If not, maybe you can start one.
Eat New Foods
My favorite part of vacations is the food! Traveling to new places and trying out new restaurants is always the highlight of most vacations. What can I say, we like to eat.
Again, check out your town and surrounding areas for new restaurants. Foods from different nationalities you’ve never tried before can always be an adventure. We went to an Ethiopian restaurant where they didn’t have utensils on the table, you’re supposed to just scoop it up with the Injera flatbread they give you. It was sooo good. When you’ve never experienced chopsticks or injera, the meal is more than just food, it’s a mini adventure.
As fun as restaurant food can be, sometimes, it’s just not in the budget.
Do you have friends, neighbors, or coworkers from different parts of the country/world? Ask them if they have some favorite recipes from growing up. Maybe you could set up a potluck and everyone brings a favorite dish from home. Or offer to trade dinners (only if you’re confident you have equally good cooking skills). Or just trade recipes and try them out yourself, or of course there’s the internet. I always find it’s just more fun/tasty to try it first hand, by a pro before trying it out on my own.
Get a group of people together and have a tapas or wine night. Do chips and salsa with margaritas at someone’s house. Or just make a mini theme night for yourself. Just have fun with new and favorite foods. Make it special.
That Ethiopian restaurant we enjoyed so much, I actually found the recipes online and made pretty close mock dishes. Way cheaper but still just as yummy.
- Try new ethnic restaurants
- Have potluck nights with friends
- Learn new recipes and make them at home
The Little Things
Sometimes, I don’t need a new experience or fun outing to make my day. I try to keep our house minimalist-ish. I don’t like having a lot of extras around the house (except books). I try to buy basic healthy foods that can be used in a variety of dishes. But sometimes it’s just the small things that can make my day.
I don’t like to spend money on Starbucks or other fancy drinks, unless it’s a real treat, but I do love beverages. (My husband teases me all the time because I would totally be happy with 3 cups of different drinks on the table to sip on at all times.) And part of those beverages is the “to-go” like cup. Like I said, I don’t like a lot of extras in the house but I do have my one “fancy to me” Starbucks cup with straw and a flip top coffee mug. (easily found at most thrift stores but mine were gifted) I make a nice cup of iced tea, a yummy smoothie, flavored coffee, bubble water or whatever at home to bring with me. Just having my “fancy cup” and a yummy drink makes me feel good as I go about my day.
Maybe it’s a favorite lip gloss. Maybe it’s a full variety of gum flavors stashed in the car or desk drawer. Maybe it’s a hard rock song that you secretly play on headphones while you’re in a “quiet space” so you feel like a rebel. Whatever it is that makes you just go “ahhhh” and puts a contented smile on your face for a few seconds throughout the day, find a way to incorporate it, in a budget friendly way.
Wrap Up
If you feel like you’re stuck in a rut but just don’t have the time or funds to really get away and go on a “real” vacation right now, take a look around you and find ways to incorporate little mini vacations into your life now. It will help you continue on your path to wealth while still enjoying the ride.