Freebies for the Financially Challenged

You don't need money in your pocket to have a nice time.  I think sometimes we forget that we don't always have to pay for stuff.  Here are some things I enjoy that cost nothing, or next-to-nothing:

• The library - You can read anything you want!  Learn something or escape through your imagination!  Bruce is a big fan of checking out CDs.  They have all the most recent music.  And if they don't have it, they can get it for you.

• Fireworks - Not just on the 4th of July.  There's a Single A baseball team near where I live and you can see the show for miles.  Oohing and ahhing never gets old!

Navy Pier in Chicago has fireworks every Wednesday and Saturday night throughout the summer.

• The radio - Haha, yes, the radio; it still exists.  I am especially fond of bad 80's love songs.  Think Richard Marx, Michael McDonald, etc.  Those songs are kind of hilarious and remind me of being a kid in the backseat of my parents' car.  Also college rock stations, baseball, NPR.

• Board games - I read somewhere that the sales of board games has gone way up since the economy tanked.  My friends and family love to sit around and play trivia, strategy games, cards, whatever.  There's a game for everyone.

• "Recession Friday" - My friends came up with this some years back, when we all lived within walking distance of each other in the city.  We were tired of the bar scene and couldn't afford it, either.  So at the end of another work week we'd gather at someone's apartment and share a case of beer or some cheap wine, and watch YouTube videos.  We didn't miss going out at all.

• Museums - Check your local newspaper, or go directly to the museum's website to see if there are free days.  In Chicago, the tax-funded Museums in the Park are required to have 52 free days a year to give back to the community.  Plus, lots of local museums don't charge admission.  There's all kinds  of culture out there, for all ages.

• Spirituality - A few of my friends are actively involved in their church and they derive great satisfaction from that.  I have another friend who practices meditation, which brings calm to many facets of her life.

• Drawing/Art - You have a pencil and some scratch paper.  Or you could get fancy with crayons, watercolors, pastels, oil.  Even if you don't have the talent, attempting to create something visual requires a focus that we are often lacking in our daily routines.



Emmie (crawling, though she'll probably be walking by then), Bruce, and me in our own yard someday.  Clearly I'm never getting my own art exhibition!

• Fairs & Festivals - Every town has got something going on.  I really delight in live outdoor music, parades, and people watching.

What do you like to do that's free?  I'd love to hear.  Leave a comment and share your ideas!