How to keep doing the things you love on a budget

Can you still cover the rent? Are there any savings to fall back on? Can you keep doing the things you love? Money touches nearly everything in our lives, and when some of that money disappears it can feel like our lives disappear with it. So how do we keep doing things we like but also on a reasonable budget?

Look for the free/cheaper option

Both in and out of lockdown, many Australians have found cheaper ways to connect with the activities and people they love — from online trivia nights and rollerskating, to signing up to the local library.

Avoid retail therapy

The brain loves novelty; it hungers for it.

Retail therapy is really a type of diversion: we’re searching for something new.

Just recognise it and see if we can do diversion in a healthy way: kicking around a ball, taking up a new hobby, jigsaw puzzles, bushwalking, researching something you’ve always been curious about.

Budget for joy

Even on significantly reduced income, spending is not the enemy. The goal is to make that spending “special” — “to hook it to something important.” Allocating 10 per cent of your pay to “play”: something that gives you pleasure.