Improving Life
6 Ways to Have Cheap Fun
1 - Walking Tour
Whether you live in the city or out in the country, there must be places within a 15-30 minute drive where you can park your car and go walking. When I visited Las Vegas a few years ago I found myself walking down the street, admiring the street art. That's not something I had heard you could do in Las Vegas.
My family loves visiting a nearby state park. They have so many trails there we haven't explored them all. Walking through the woodlands in spring may bring on allergies but it's fun to see nature in an untouched part of the world.
If the people in your neighborhood put up holiday decorations, then a walking tour to see all the houses is time well spent with the family.
2 - Take a Free Cooking Class
If you love to watch cooking shows then you can follow along with some of the recipes. I recommend you record the shows so you can buy the ingredients. Prep your kitchen so you have everything ready. Then put on the show and follow along as the chef makes a delightful recipe.
Short, fast dishes are better than those that require long baking times. Thats because you'll have to stop the video in the middle of your class and wait for the oven.
It's more fun if you invite a friend over to share the class with you. You can even take free cooking classes online if you wish.
3 - Remodel Your Home
I don't mean tear down walls and build additions. You don't even have to buy new furniture.
You can remodel your home by moving furniture around the room, moving furniture to different rooms, and by painting the walls.
I like to buy space saving gadgets that hold things. My family has freed up a lot of space by adding door hangings to bedroom closets, investing in a couple of collapsible furniture pieces, and some other innovative shelving ideas.
Remodeling your home isn't fun for everyone but if you enjoy watching home renovation shows this is definitely an idea for you.
4 - Play A Game
Gaming is as old as humanity. I'll bet people were skipping rocks over lakes a million years ago. Why not?
We have more games to choose from nowadays. You could get the family together for a fun game of Scrabble. Scrabble is a great way to teach your kids new words and ideas. It helps their minds develop, too.
Online gaming is a way to keep yourself entertained for hours. It does become a time suck. I had to stop gaming a few years ago because I spent too many hours fighting villains and conquering empires.
A friend of mine plays an interesting game by himself. He has an old cookie jar. Every week he drops a dollar bill into it. Sometimes he throws in change. When he sees a rare collector's car anywhere but at a car show, he takes the money and buys something fun with it. He calls this game Jackpot!.
5 - Watch a Free Movie Online
There are so many free online streaming services now it's hard to recommend just one. I like IMDB TV but Vudu is another great free streaming service. I've even found movies on YouTube.
Free streaming services run advertisements during their movies. You're not getting the full cinematic experience. But there are a lot of old and low-budget movies online. You may fall in love with a service if you've never tried it before.
Hey, we all want to watch Harry Potter and Avengers but if you're not buying DvDs or paying for them online, you'll have a long wait in-between showings.
6 - Set Up a Video Call with Family
It's tough to get some of my relatives to talk to me online, but I've managed to do it. Everyone has heard about Zoom and Skype. There are other video streaming services.
If you have an HDMI cable and a laptop computer you can run your call over your large screen TV. Some smart TVs also have built-in cameras. They come with video chat apps.
If you live a thousand miles away from Mom and Dad, and you can't afford to fly out to see them several times a year, video chats are a good way to catch up with the family. If both of you have smart TVs with cameras, you'll feel like you're talking on a Star Trek video channel.