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We’re often told to keep things simple, right? But when it comes to our life bucket lists, they’re often filled with expensive and ‘one day I’ll do this’ ideas.
What about now? Why can’t we live our best life starting today? That’s why I’ve put together a simple bucket list. It’s full of easier, less overwhelming things you can do with little money or for free. The goal is to appreciate the joy, laughs, and love simple things can bring to your life. With this list, you can start living a fun life today, not in some distant future!
Want to challenge yourself to fill your life with as much fun and joy as possible? Scroll to the end of this article to download this ultimate list as a printable PDF, and get checking off all those cool ideas!
Okay, let’s jump in!
I’ve grouped them into categories, so you can jump to the section you want: fun // solo // friends // couples // family // at-home // fall // winter // spring // summer or scroll through the article for a big list of ideas.
Fun Ideas
Get inspired with these fun things to do. You can start doing them today, and bring some joy and laughs to your day.
Wake up to watch the sunrise once a month for a year
Break the rules and have breakfast for dinner
Go to open mic night and confront your stage fright
Learn how to start a fire without matches
Feed the ducks at the lake near you
Become an expert at something very niche and random
Jump in a pool fully clothed
Make a sand mural at the beach and photograph it
Host a free walking tour in your local area
Try DIY YouTube science experiments
Solo/On Your Own
There are plenty of goals and things to strive for by yourself, and these ideas are a great place to start.
Read a book from the New York Times Best Seller list
Have dinner at a restaurant by yourself
Write a poem inspired by your life
Go to a museum on the free day of the month
Volunteer at a pet shelter or animal sanctuary
Adopt an eco-friendly lifestyle
Watch every movie that has won an Academy Award for Best Picture in the last two decades
Start a YouTube channel on a hobby you enjoy
Go for a run every morning for 30 days
Try a new hairstyle
Ideas with Friends
Keep things simple and memorable with your closest friends. Try as many of these experiences as you can in your free time, in the evenings, and over weekends.
Host a onesie game night
Play a game of ultimate frisbee
Try geocaching
Have a 10-dollar thrift store challenge
Host a potluck picnic
Start a book club
Have a dance battle with glowsticks
Have a Karaoke party at home
Go skinny dipping at the beach
Beach car park surf and turf
For Couples
Take your couple’s goals to new heights without having to make grand and lavish gestures with these simple ideas that can bring you closer together.
Dance and kiss in the rain
Cook dinner together
Create your couple playlist
Movie night & popcorn
Try a new food
Dance by candlelight
Have drinks while watching the sunset
Create your own cocktail
Create a vision board for your future
Backyard camping and movie marathon
Families with Kids
Family fun doesn’t have to cost lots of time and money. As these cool ideas show, there’s plenty you can do with your other half and kids if you simply use your imagination and get creative.
Teach your kids how to make a family recipe
Take a family photo every month for a year
Have a paper airplane contest
Make your own kites and have a family competition flying them
Play ‘the floor is lava’ with couches and cushions
Go fruit picking
Host a backyard Olympics
Make a giant hand painting
Make frozen popsicles with your favorite juices
Neighborhood flashlight tag
When You’re at Home
Your home is a playground of potential fun and memories. All you need is a little inspiration and planning. These ideas can bring about some truly memorable moments.
Have an indoor picnic
Build a blanket fort and have a movie night in it
Make a sourdough starter and learn to bake sourdough bread
Make a giant dreams and vision board
Host a virtual quiz night
Make a duvet slide on the stairs* (* with caution)
Declutter and donate to a charity
Make a calligraphy family tree print
Make a unique recipe with fridge leftovers
Furniture flipping from Facebook Marketplace
Ideas for Fall
Why not embrace the season of color and landmark holidays without expensive trips and luxurious events? These ideas you can do on your own, with loved ones, and the whole family.
Make a pumpkin-themed 3-course meal
Host a ‘tallest leaf mound’ competition
Enter a fall photography competition with your smartphone
Ride a bicycle through a woodland
Thrift shop Halloween costume/fancy dress challenge
Carve and name a family of pumpkins
Play ‘hide and seek’ in a field of hay bails
Make Halloween-themed snacks for trick or treaters
Road trip to a ghost town
Run through a maize field
Through Winter
It might be cold, but you can still have fun! Embrace the weather and magic of winter, and see how many of these things you can do before the warm weather comes around once more.
Volunteer at a soup kitchen for Halloween
Have a snowball fight
Build a snowman
Have a Christmas movie marathon while sipping hot chocolate
DIY Christmas gifts for family & friends
Walk around at a Christmas market
Rank the Christmas lights in your neighborhood
5-dollar friends Secret Santa
Host an iced cocktails evening
Dress pets in reindeer antlers and take photos
Great for Spring
Spring is a time of new starts and new ideas. These super simple and fun ideas are perfect to get you and your loved ones into a new state of mind.
Walk barefoot on freshly cut grass
Plant your own herbs in jars
Go on a bug hunt
Indoor spring clean in your underwear
Host an Easter egg scavenger hunt
Host a bread baking contest
Picnic under a tree
Make 2 DIY bird feeders and film which one the birds choose
Dance in the rain to ‘It’s Raining Men’
Have a spring break staycation
Summer Lovin’ Ideas
Vacations are always lovely. But, if you need some simple fun closer to home, summer is the best time to do it! Enjoy the sun and these fun things to do.
Make iced tea in 10+ different flavors
Do yoga on the beach
Have a sandwich tea party while wearing sundresses
Win a sandcastle-building competition
Go Kart racing in costumes
Sleep outside and stargaze
Go tubing with friends
Roll in the sand as the waves break
Host a beach potluck
Backyard paddling pool party
Host a sangria and sandwiches evening
Don’t wait for tomorrow to fill your life with joy and memories. Start today, and get inspired to do fun, exciting, and memorable things in your free time, all the time.
Life is meant for living, so start living it to the fullest today!
Feel free to download my free simple bucket list ideas PDF and check off as many as you can!
You Might Also Like to Read
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- 100+ Amazing Best Friends Bucket List Ideas
Looking for fun, easy, and affordable ways to bring joy and happiness into your life? Get inspired by my simple bucket list ideas, and keep this article for safekeeping by saving it to one of your Pinterest boards.
