Four Hobbies That Don’t Require Your Debit Card

Hey hey, this is a post to bookmark if you have got to that point where you need to put your debit card in the freezer after one too many Zara hauls. Just me?

Podcasts –  My new favourite thing is listening to podcasts based on my favourite books. And I don’t mean the cool books you read now, I mean the slightly cringey books you were obsessed with when you were little. My weekends when I was little revolved around Bettys trips followed by a good half an hour wandering around W H Smith searching for a new book. Every Saturday I’d add a new one to my collection and some of them are still my all-time faves. I recently found a Podcast about the Forbidden Game trilogy which I was obsessed with. They’re two hours long and there’s one for each book. Point Horror fans will absolutely love this, look up Teen Creeps Podcast by Kelly and Katai. This book is the reason I still want to visit the Black Forest in Germany, Pittsburgh in the USA and why I know who Magritte is. Read the books first because if not, these podcasts are just like listening to friends gush over a box set you’ve never seen which is just plain annoying. I’m saving the last 2 for the flight to Boston.

Manifesting – Another thing I do all the time is find a quiet moment to focus on gratitude, attracting positive energy into my life,  and visualise my goals. I do this at every opportunity during my day. It could be when you are getting a massage, enjoying a long soak in the bath, waiting for your highlights to take in the hairdressers or before you go to sleep at night. There are various degrees of interest you can take in this, beginners can start with being aware of the good things you already have in your life and being thankful for the people and things in it that bring you happiness. You can read the Secret to get familiar with the concept and then once you’ve covered the basics, you can time your manifesting practices with phases of the moon to make it more effective and use crystals to make your intentions more powerful.

Learn a new skill – When was the last time you learnt something new? You can learn so much online for free with sites like YouTube and blogs on all kinds of subjects. I recently took some time to learn about the different crystals and how they can be used for healing but you can learn anything from how to change a tyre to how to create a capsule wardrobe.

Kindness Rituals – When was the last time you did something nice for someone you love? Write your Auntie a note or send that friend you haven’t seen for ages a text. Put something cute in the post for your friend, a book you think they’ll love or a piece of clothing you no longer wear that you know they love, a dinner invite. Read your favourite blogger’s latest post and leave a lovely comment. Make an appointment to give blood or do some odd jobs for a family member. Help your bestie list her old clothes on eBay or do a car boot sale for your Grandma. Make some homemade goodies for your neighbour or offer to walk their dog.