Getting control of your finances is empowering!  Once you start budgeting effectively and begin to pay off debt, you won’t want to waste any more money on non-essentials.  When you are completely focused on debt payoff, it turns into an intense time of sacrifice, and what people assume is less “fun having.”  There are quite a few things I have come up with to still have fun on a budget.

If your debt payoff time is only going to take you one year, then you can probably cut out all “fun” for that time period.  You can do anything for a year, right?  If it will take you longer than one year, you are going to have to find joy somewhere.  If you don’t, you will be miserable and give up on the process.

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My husband and I really buckled down on debt payoff for a very restrictive 18-22 months (only 98 months to go!) before we both cracked.  We were miserable and needed to have some fun!  The problem was, we didn’t have money for the fun we were used to having.  Knowing we were stuck between a rock and a hard place, made us get a little bit creative and lower our standards for “fun” to a level we could meet with our current budget.

Tip #1:  The first thing you need to do is adjust your mindset.

When you are paying off debt you have to know life isn’t always fun on a budget.  It is up to you if you will let that get you down, or if you will start finding joy in the little things.  I used to want to go to dinner and a movie for fun, but that $80 isn’t in our budget anymore.  Instead, we go to the local custard stand and buy $1 ice cream cones, and take a walk in the park.  I have found I love doing that more than sitting in a crowded restaurant, or in a movie theater not speaking to one another.

You are in complete control of how you feel on a daily basis.  Choose to be happy.  Choose to find joy in the small things in your life.  This time of living below your means will be temporary, I promise.  Just keep reminding yourself this isn’t forever, and focus on the little things.  A $1 RedBox on the weekend, a splurge purchase of day-old discounted donuts at the store (my favorite!!), a quiet walk outside with your husband – all of these things can bring such fulfillment if you allow them to.

Once your perspective of what constitutes fun has been adjusted, then you can move on to figuring out how to do stuff that won’t break the bank!

Tip #2:  Ask for gift cards for your favorite fun hobby.

If you love going out to eat, going to the movies, shopping, golf, etc. ask for gift cards to support that habit.  This is a way to continue to have fun on a budget, with the expenses covered by someone else.  If it is something you really want to continue to do, try to find another way to pay for it that won’t take away from your debt payoff plan.

Again, adjust your expectations.  If you are used to going to any movie anytime, you may only be able to go to a movie every 3-6 months.  When you know you are going to a movie and it isn’t hurting your budget or derailing your debt payoff plans, you will enjoy the movie that much more.  Less really will become more.

I am a total foodie, and so is my husband.  Before we started paying off debt, going out to eat is what we did for fun.  We ate out for dinner once a week and had our favorite diner for brunch every Saturday.  It was really hard for us to stop eating out cold turkey. We asked everyone to get us gift cards to restaurants for Christmas or cash to go out to eat at our favorite diner.  This allowed us to continue to eat out (much less frequently), and not feel guilty about it.

Tip #3:  Plan inexpensive monthly dates. (you CAN have fun on a budget!)

When you are in the middle of paying off debt, it can get really monotonous.  You may end up feeling bored and trapped by your budget.  This is a totally normal feeling!  The good news is, you can find things to do that cost less money, you just have to get a little creative with it.  It is definitely possible to have fun on a budget!

For our anniversary one year, I planned out an entire year of inexpensive dates (one per month) for us that would already be budgeted for.  I gave them to my husband in 12 little envelopes, and he would open up the envelope at the beginning of the month.  We would decide what day to do the date on, and I had written at the bottom how much money was needed for it (which was already saved).

• Frisbee golf with a picnic lunch
• Swimming at the lake for an afternoon
• Bowling on their $1 Bowling Night
• Drive-In Movie
• Baseball game for the local AAA Baseball Team on their $1 Hotdogs and Pop night
• Ice Skating
• Hiking at the Park with a picnic lunch
• Going to a free museum with a picnic lunch
• Making a breakfast date out of a Pancake Breakfast Fundraiser
• Going to a Corn Maze/Pumpkin Patch
• Getting a Christmas Tree
• Having a dinner out for our Anniversary

Most of these activities would cost us $5-10, but things like getting a Christmas Tree and our Anniversary dinner were definitely budgeted for as part of our Christmas/gifts budget (our Anniversary is on New Year’s Eve).

Have fun with this and try to think outside the box.  You may end up doing things you haven’t done before, and pick up a new hobby!  No matter how little money you have, there is always something to do within your budget (even if it is $0!).

Tip #4:  Have “Dream Dates” with your spouse.

A “Dream Date” is spending time with your spouse talking about what your future will look like when you are debt free.  This doesn’t have to be done over an elaborate dinner out.  You could be sharing a basket of fries at Arby’s, or just having dinner at home.  The point is to take time to talk about your dreams.

It is extremely motivating to talk about your hopes and dreams together.  Every time you re-focus on what the end goal is, it will get you excited about what you are doing now.   It makes the sacrifices seem not so hard because you become re-energized.

I do this with my husband at least once every 3 months.  During challenging times for us, we may end up doing this once a week (for real).  We both have weak moments at different times, but when we do, we have a “dream date.”  Sometimes you just need to keep the dream in perspective and remind yourself why you are doing this.

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Instead of letting your budget dictate how much fun you have, work on finding joy in the small things.  Get creative with planning outings that are inexpensive, ask family and friends for gifts that would help in this area of your life, and when you need to remember why you are doing this, have a “dream date.”

Paying off debt will not be an easy process, but you can start having fun with it today by implementing these 4 tips.

Do you have any creative ideas for finding joy while paying off debt?

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