Affordable Wildness

30 Days Wild Is a FREE challenge set every June by The Wildlife Trusts. They challenge you to complete a ‘random act of wildness’ everyday for the 30 days of June. This could be anything from watching wildlife on a live webcam to visiting gardens, counting bees, planting flowers. Anything you can think of no matter how small. Sadly in this day and age finances are something a lot of us have to consider. But 30 days wild is one of those activities that does not have to be strenuous on the old bank account.

So here are some money-saving ideas for you and your family or group to enjoy the challenge without felling the strain.

1. Plant your seeds.  With your 30 Days Wild Pack this year you get a free packet of seeds to plant your own meadow. This is a great idea and one that can be used for 2018 challenge as you can count butterflies and bees in your own 30 Day Wild Meadow.
2. Photo challenge. Set yourself a photo challenge & post your photos online. Ask your friends for suggestion of things to take and go searching, it really does make you notice things you hadn’t before. It could be a macro challenge, or black and white challenge anything you like and it can be totally free. If you don’t have a camera see if a friend can lend you one for the day.
3. Free Nature Reserves. Take a look on The Wildlife Trusts website for local nature reserves. Their reserves are often free or around £5 entry.
4. Seaside Adventure. There is so much fun to be had at the seaside, with sandcastles, rock pools, shell gathering traditional family fun. Take a picnic and ice cream money (You know you’ll need it!) It really doesn’t need to be an expensive day.
5. Summer Gathering. Find a local public beauty spot & message your friends about meeting up for picnics, games, dog walks. I am organising this for the summer solstice and have chosen a local park with play facilities and a pond that is dog friendly and right next to town (toilet facilities). I am keeping it very casual, just saying to people to pop a long when they can.  I can’t wait.
6. 2 for 1 Gardens card. Visiting gardens or houses can get really expensive but i have come across something that may mean more families can enjoy these sort of attractions. There is a 2 for 1 Gardens Card free with the latest addition of Gardeners World Magazine. The link above will give you a list of participating venues but even though you are buying the magazine if you are going to go to 1 of these attractions you’ll have your money back. I think this is an amazing idea, also with this issue you get seeds for herbs and flowers & a pair of gardening gloves. The magazine itself isn’t too bad either!
7. Live Webcams. Be careful when searching this, as googling ‘live webcams’ may bring up a whole host of things.  Organisations such as The Wildlife Trust, RSPB, The woodland trust will have live streams of different animals. Last year i watched a nest of blue tit chicks, a live badger set and some fox cubs. It was great for me last year as i picked up a stomach virus and so couldn’t go out. It was also oddly addictive to watch them.
8. Organise a scavenger hunt. Write down a number of things for people to gather. the first one back with all the objects is the winner. A good way to get kids and big kids out in nature and looking out for certain items.
9. Be Artistic. Write poetry, Paint, draw, leaf printing, natural mobiles and dream catches, stone paining. The possibilities are limitless.
10. Walking. Walking in the early morning or at sunset, in the woods or along the beach. Even walking through the town or city can be surprising when you aer looking out for wildlife and nature. I am a big fan of walking, great excercise and exploration.

There are so many possibilities so i’ll keep posting ideas for inspiration. Especially as the challenge draws to a close and the ideas are running dry. Happy 30DaysWild. x