Fresh deals, fun volunteering, and free hobby apps🌱🧶🔨🐦

Author

Maryke Louw
February 12, 2026

There’s plenty to get excited about in this edition – from saving money on hobbies you love, to discovering fun ways to stay active and connected, to free apps that make your favourite pastimes even easier to enjoy. Whether you’re looking to try something new or simply get more out of what you already love doing, we’ve found great deals to help you do just that.

👉 If you haven’t already, let us know what content you’re most interested in by filling out this short form – or simply reply to this email to share your thoughts, suggestions, or comments on any topic.

In this edition:

  1. Enjoy your hobbies for less

  2. Fun volunteer opportunities for over-60s

  3. Hot picks this week: Free apps for your favourite hobbies

Make the most of your hobbies with these pensioner discounts

If you’ve got a hobby you love – or one you’ve always wanted to try – this article shows how you can enjoy it for less. From gardening 🌱 and wool crafts 🧶 to DIY projects 🔨, you’ll find pensioner discounts across South Africa that help stretch your budget while doing the things you enjoy most.

Fun and impactful volunteering opportunities for pensioners in South Africa

If you’re looking for something meaningful (and genuinely enjoyable) to do in 2026, this article shares volunteering ideas suited to pensioners across South Africa. From helping rescue seabirds 🐧 with SANCCOB to finding local opportunities through ForGood 🤝 – plus conservation options for those who love the outdoors 🏔️.

Free apps to make your favorite hobbies even more fun

Whether you love bird watching 🐦, gardening 🌱, hiking 🏔️, or exploring the night sky ✨, the right app can turn a good hobby into a great one. These free apps put expert knowledge, smart tools, and helpful tracking right in your pocket – helping you identify what you see, plan better outings, and learn more about the things you enjoy. Best of all, they’re easy to use and won’t cost you a cent to download.

👉 Simply search for the app’s name (highlighted in black) in your app store.

Merlin is a free bird-identification app that helps you quickly figure out which bird you’re seeing or hearing. Search for “Merlin Bird ID by Cornell Lab” in your app store, or read more here.

Plantora helps you identify plants and diagnose diseases by simply taking a photo. You can read more about it here.

Stellarium Mobile is known for its realism and accuracy. Read more about it here.

Specifically designed for South African trails, the Trailblaze app provides high-quality, geo-referenced maps for hikers and cyclists. Read more about it here.

The Birds of Africa app provides photos, sounds, and distribution maps specifically for birds across the continent. Read more about it here.

The Gardroid app helps you manage a vegetable garden by providing cultivation tips, planting calendars, and harvest trackers.

SkyView Lite is a popular free app that uses your camera to identify stars and even works without a data signal, which is great for remote South African spots.

The AllTrails app is a global favorite that includes thousands of South African routes with user reviews, photos, and difficulty ratings. Read more about it here.

Let me know what you think of this week’s newsletter. And feel free to hit reply to any of these emails – we love hearing from our readers! Oh, and you can now follow us on Facebook too.

All the best

Lirette
Co-founder, PensionersPayLess!

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