5 Fulfilling Winter Activities on a Budget

The best-loved winter activities cost very little, yet feel meaningful and rouse joy. When thinking about making the most of the winter months, entertain ideas that ignite a creative spark and provide opportunities for enriching connections. Find quality in simplicity and appreciation. Some of the most worthwhile winter activities require very little monetary investment. Invest in pricey tickets, or holiday-themed events only if you love to ski or find going to the Nutcracker delightful. Otherwise, consider a few modest ways of enjoying this season. Discover that the finest memories come with a frugal price tag.

The Best Part of That Was__________…

When my daughter was much younger, I felt immense pressure to make up for absent family members. Without the support that normally comes with having an extended family, I burned myself out trying to fill the gap. She’s a Christmas Eve baby, so I spent beyond my means in December and worked to pay off the balances throughout the year. The game of catch-up proved elusive.

As an adult, she’s confirmed that her most treasured memories are when we laughed while playing a board game, or ate sauce with bread right out of the pot. Kids (and adults) frequently favor the container over the gift, the street Mime over the aquarium, or the drive to the concert more than the concert itself. When we reflect on what made an activity special, we often realize it was the detour, the mishap, and the bread. An activity becomes cherished not because of the price tag, but because of the energy conjured within it. Activities that connect you to the present moment and foster appreciation offer great rewards. Listed here are my top five fulfilling winter activities.

1. Winter Activities: What’s Cooking?

How can we balance the demands of work and family during the holidays without getting burned out? Make magic from the mundane. We all gotta eat! Most of us derive a good deal of pleasure from it, too. Whether you’re cooking or baking with kids, a partner, or solo, decide to love the process. While prime rib and other expensive cuts of meat are deliciously satisfying, a humble meal lovingly prepared offers comfort besides nutritional and vibrational nourishment.

A slowly tended crock pot fills your home with feel-good fragrances and slow baking adds extra warmth. More economical cuts of meat cooked at lower temperatures offer savory flavors without added expense. Vegetarian soups deliver much of the same. My cherished soup is a version of pasta fagioli. Add the right cheese and bread for dipping to make pasta and beans taste like perfection!

Get creative and excited about recipes! Are you tired of the same meals? Talk to your people and decide something new to try. Countless food bloggers have it going on! Check out: Once Upon A Chef or A Good Life Homestead for help with inspiration.

2. Winter Activities: Assemble Seasonal Arrangements

These fun inexpensive winter activities are a great creative outlet that produce a finished product you can enjoy until spring.

Make it interesting, collect treasure!

I love to forage pine boughs, winter berries, juniper, and other evergreens for outdoor arrangements, door swags, and to add to inside flower vases. The arrangements get grander over the season by adding to them. Considerations for collecting:

• Keep strong snips in your car
• Lay out a tarp or carry one with you for collecting
• Take small amounts from various places (wildlife relies on foliage and winterberries to get through the winter.)
• Look for ways to add contrasting colors and texture. Red or orange twigs or clippings from mountain laurel make fine complements.
• Leave soil in pots after your summer/fall plants have died back. Create arrangements by layering your foliage. Branches will stay secured in the soil (use hot water to loosen the soil if frozen).
• Give thanks and when the birds eat from your arrangements, celebrate their visits! Refresh as needed.

My yard has over a half dozen arrangements now. I admire them on my morning strolls with my cat and love how the wildlife enjoys them as snacks. Bring the leftover pieces indoors to adorn vases or make mini swags. Small clumps of Partridge Berries make attractive terrariums. They elevate the look of indoor decorations and smell nice.

3. Whatever You Celebrate, Create Your Gifts!

Holidays have become grotesquely commercialized. This drives pressured less intentional gift-giving. According to recent stats, Americans spend on average $900 a year on the holidays. It’s a stressful time for families when they’re short on funds and low on creativity.

The best homemade gifts I’ve received included jams, homemade deodorant, and vanilla extract. Last year, I gifted a version of nourishing foot cream that worked as an all-over hydrating body butter. At the summer and winter solstices, I blend organic oils, prayerfully set them with healing intention, and allow the astrological energies to amplify them. There’s a bit of an initial investment in acquiring pure ingredients in bulk, but the finished products supply many vials for gift-giving and are enough for us to enjoy throughout the year.

We had abundant peppers this year, so pickled peppers are part of this year’s gifting. Think of the kinds of things you appreciate homemade. Bath salts? Candles? Sweets! Do a little research and make a plan. There’s usually a trial-and-error period to reach your optimal product or recipe, so it’s good to make what you like. It’s always satisfying when you get it just right. These winter activities have the potential to become seasonal traditions that you and the lucky recipients of your gifts look forward to and enjoy.

4. Winter Activities: Birdwatching and Tracking Adventures

Many refer to winter as cold and flu season. It’s also the season of greater sugar consumption, lower levels of natural vitamin D, and much less time moving about in the fresh air. It’s cold in winter! For many people without kids demanding to go sledding or a dog that needs regular walks, there’s a marked slowdown of outside adventures. You miss more than the health benefits when you’re not getting outside for movement.

Birdwatching and tracking animal prints are winter activities that pull me outdoors even on a chilly day. I’m fortunate to do both simply by walking outside my back door. As anyone who feeds birds knows, they increasingly get comfortable with your presence, so the opportunities to see them up close increase. There are many hungry mouths, and I must confess that I obsess about everyone having enough to eat.

When my daughter was in elementary school, we had an animal print guide on our fridge, but now phone apps identify birds by song and animals by photos of tracks. This information tells us who ripped apart our compost or used the deer path behind our house. Communing with nature offers far more than just fresh air. These outdoor activities are grounding and soul-nourishing, helping you to connect to your higher self.

5. Winter Activities: DIY Seasonal Crafts

There’s a lot of crafty people out there and they’re making lots of videos to show you how they do it! I’m not one of those crafters, but I can take an idea and enjoy making it my own. This Halloween, I constructed a chicken wire ghost. One. My initial plan was a ghost fleet; the task, however, took longer. This left me with a ridiculous amount of leftover chicken wire. It turns out that chicken wire trees are so much easier. We made five!

The chicken wire ghost AKA the Christmas Angel is still in prototype mode, but well on its way to being a DIY success. Perhaps chicken wire isn’t your desired medium. You’ll need bandaids. Search DIY projects with a medium you may like for ideas. You can tweak as you go! A master crafter with an instructional video may guide you so, there’s no need to invent your crafting projects.

A creative outlet during the colder months when motivation and spirits wane is helpful. Take into consideration time, materials, and space as you explore options. You may have materials on hand or be able to upcycle. An untested creative project is a worthwhile activity to energize and rekindle inspiration regardless of the finished product.

These are my top five winter activities that bring fulfillment with minimal cost. The following runners-up are future considerations with the potential to bring unexpected rewards.

Fulfilling Winter Activities The Runners-Up

First runner-up: The Polar Plunge

Proponents of this cold water therapy claim it’s good for muscle soreness, brain health, fat loss, and boosts immunity. Part of me has always wanted to try it, but I’d like a hot tub plunge after I get out.

Second runner-up: Tracking Alien Drones

This is a hot off-the-press new winter activity claimed by some not to exist. If the opportunity presents itself and it proves to be fulfilling, it may make next year’s list.

Fulfilling Winter Activities: Honorable Mention

Honorable Mention goes to: Chopping and Stacking Wood

If you want a warm cozy fire someone has to do it. It offers cardio, muscle strengthening, and a cathartic release. Vermonters urge you to do this long before winter!

Winter Activity Highlight

My daughter’s snowman! I’m thrilled she still makes time for this (discovered after our first snowfall).

Be sure that your budget-mindful activities promote feelings of abundance. Your bottom line is not the gauge of true prosperity. Appreciate what’s before you; the birds on the trees or the home-cooked meal. Awaken to the truth that what is most fulfilling is free.

Please visit my Coaching Services page for more information or contact me to book an appointment. May this article spark ideas, helping you discover fulfilling winter activities that fit your budget and offer more than just something to do.