63 Things to Do With Friends That Cost Almost Nothing
For every group chat stuck on "idk, what do you want to do?" 63 free or almost-free ideas for home, outside, around town and late at night.
In this guide
“What do you want to do?” “I don’t know, what do you want to do?” If your friend group has this conversation every weekend, this list is for you.
All 63 ideas are free or close to it, and most work with whatever you already have at home. Screenshot it, send it to the group chat and pick one.
Things to do with friends at home
- Have a themed movie marathon: every movie from one actor, one decade or one franchise.
- Build a blanket fort and watch something inside it. You’re never too old.
- Bake something nobody has made before, using only what’s in the kitchen.
- Do a blind taste test of snacks, sodas or chip flavors and rank them.
- Give each other makeovers with your eyes closed.
- Learn a TikTok dance and film it until you get it right (or don’t).
- Play a board game you haven’t touched since you were 10.
- Have a “PowerPoint night”: everyone makes a 5-minute slideshow on a random topic they love.
- Paint each other’s nails, then rate the designs. In December, try these Christmas nail ideas.
- Rearrange someone’s room together.
- Have a karaoke night with lyric videos on the TV.
- Do a puzzle with at least 500 pieces.
- Make a group playlist where everyone adds five songs and explains one.
- Write and film a fake movie trailer.
- Have a “cook-off” with one shared ingredient everyone has to use.
- Go through old photos and recreate one.
- Take a free online quiz together and argue about the results. Start with what’s your aesthetic, then compare aura colors and what type of friend you each are.
- Play This or That and see who agrees the most.
Things to do with friends outside
- Have a picnic in a park with whatever snacks everyone brings.
- Watch the sunset from the highest spot in your town.
- Go on a “photo walk” and each take pictures of the same 10 things.
- Find the best swings in your town and test them all.
- Lie on a blanket and stargaze. Use a free stargazing app to find planets.
- Play frisbee, kickball or capture the flag at the park.
- Go for a bike ride somewhere none of you have been.
- Have a chalk art contest on the driveway.
- Do a scavenger hunt around the neighborhood with a list you make up.
- Have a water balloon fight (summer only, obviously).
- Build a snowman or have a snowball fight (winter only, obviously).
- Walk to the nearest ice cream or coffee place and split something.
- Go hiking on a local trail.
- Have a backyard campout in a tent or just sleeping bags.
- Pick up trash at a park for an hour. It counts for volunteer hours, too.
Free things to do with friends around town
- Get library cards and check out a stack of random books.
- Go to a free museum day. Many museums have one.
- Check out a free outdoor concert or movie in the park.
- Walk around a thrift store and put together the worst outfit possible for each other.
- Go to a farmers market and try every free sample.
- Cheer at a school game for a sport you never watch.
- Plan matching outfits for spirit week.
- Go to an open mic night as the audience. Or sign up.
- Visit a pet store or animal shelter and see the animals.
- Explore a part of your town you’ve never walked through.
- Have a “$5 challenge” at a dollar store: best gift for each other wins.
- Go window shopping and pick your dream apartment’s furniture.
- Take silly photo booth pictures (or make your own with a phone timer).
- Check your library or rec center for free classes and workshops.
Creative things to do with friends
- Make friendship bracelets.
- Start a group journal you pass around every week.
- Paint rocks and hide them around town.
- Make a vision board for the year from old magazines.
- Write a song together. It doesn’t have to be good.
- Draw each other in 2 minutes, then reveal.
- Start a mini book club with one short book a month.
- Make a stop-motion video with toys or snacks.
- Write letters to your future selves and seal them for a year.
- Make matching profile pictures.
Late-night and sleepover ideas
- Ask each other deep questions. Here are 120 questions to ask your best friend.
- Have a pancake breakfast at midnight.
- Tell scary stories with a flashlight.
- Watch the worst-rated movie you can find and narrate it.
- Do face masks and a full “spa night.”
- Make a time capsule of this year.
- Stay up to watch the sunrise. Then sleep until noon.
How to actually make plans happen
The hardest part of hanging out is usually the group chat that goes “we should do something!” and then nothing happens. A few things that help:
- Suggest something specific. “Picnic at the park Saturday at 2?” gets more yeses than “wanna hang?”
- Pick a time and keep it. If half the group can come, that’s still a hangout.
- Take turns planning. If you’re always the planner, it’s okay to ask someone else to pick next time.
- Check with your parents early. Need a yes for something bigger? Here’s how to convince your parents.
Questions people ask
What are fun things to do with friends?
Movie marathons, baking, blind taste tests, picnics, photo walks, karaoke, scavenger hunts, thrift store outfit challenges, friendship bracelets and stargazing are all fun, and most cost almost nothing.
What can you do with friends at home?
Have a themed movie marathon, build a blanket fort, bake something new, do a snack taste test, have a karaoke or PowerPoint night, play old board games, do a puzzle or make a group playlist.
What are free things to do with friends?
Picnics, park games, stargazing, hiking, library visits, free museum days, outdoor concerts, farmers markets and school games are all free or close to it.
What do teens do with friends when bored?
Pick something specific from a list and commit to it: a photo walk, a cook-off, a sunset spot, a thrift store challenge or a deep-questions night. Having a plan beats scrolling in the same room.
