What do you do for fun?

[onthebrink]

There are days when I am plain miserable about the financial situation I'm in but I try to keep things in perspective and give thanks for life's many blessings. We have understandably significantly cut down our spending on entertainment-related expenses. We have reduced our weekly grocery bill to a minimum so that we can go out for breakfast on Sundays and an occasional dinner at a "hole in the wall" on Friday or Saturday night. Beyond this we go see a movie about once a month. I'd love to go see a baseball game or attend a concert but feel guilty about spending the money. I have stopped going to the driving range because I don't want to spend $7 for a bucket of balls.

So my question is what do you do for fun and what "fun stuff" do you spend money on? I'm watching a ball game on TV and can't help but wonder how many if any of the 35,000 people at the game are in a similar financial situation to my own?

[tigergem]

For fun? I hang out with you guys on here on the forum lol.

I get Netflix, so I get a couple of movies every week for $15.00 a month.

Take my dogs on dog type adventures. State parks, the dam, the dog park.

I try as much as I can to help my elderly neighbor with her yard work and projects around her house. Last week we put up a new medicine cabinet in her bathroom. Today I put down weed barrier and mulch for her.

I guess I'm kind of lucky, because I really enjoy working on my truck. So I can spend money on my "hobby" and not feel the least bit guilty. Last month it was the plugs, plug wires and distributor cap. This month it was the front brakes. New rotors, calipers and pads. Next month I think it will be the blower motor, resistor and charging the a/c.

I also get the added entertainment value of men coming by to watch "the girl" work on her truck. And sometimes free bourbon comes with that lol.

I guess "fun" is what you make it. I try to make everything fun. Even housework. Just by turning the radio up loud, I can make that fun.

[marie]

we are walking a lot, going for bicycle rides, window shopping in the mall. no spending on non essentials at the moment.

[SMinGA]

We have Netflix also - its just over $9 a month for the plan we have, and includes many things we can watch 'instantly'. From movies to old tv shows. (Introduced my kids to the A-team this past weekend.)

I have found its easy to overlook free things near home... Are there any public parks near you? Good for hiking, getting outdoors and away from the TV. There is a small 'mountain' near me, with hiking trails and several historical battleground sites. We have hiked the mountain, have not actually spent time at the historical sites but I plan to this summer with the kids.

"Social" time with friends is generally spent at home. Hubby works nights - he has been recording baseball games & hockey playoffs lately and a friend (coworker also, so works the same shift) comes over in the mornings and they watch the games together. I'm sure there is a certain aspect about being at a game you can't reproduce at home, but then you can't pause a live game or fast forward thru commercials! "Social" time does not always include alcohol, but having alcohol at home is certainly less expensive (and no need to find a safe driver) than buying drinks out.

We also save up change here and there, it adds up quickly, for a movie out fund. There is a discount theater near where I work - $1.25 per ticket before 6pm, $1.75 per ticket after 6pm. Tuesdays its $.75...

[Jackdog]

We don't get days off together which that needs to change here soon or I'll go crazy.We have nights together rarely go out. Usually it's play some video games or rent a movie. We rented Avatar this week.

I need to get back with Netflix. It's a much better deal than renting from Direct TV. I'm an Animal Planet junkie. I watch that most of the time. Big Cat Diaries is my favorite. I think I've seen every episode at least 4 times. Dinner I'll get take out. I work in the restaurant industry and sitting in a restaurant just reminds me of being at work so I prefer to pick it up and bring it home.

We have our dogs also. They hate summer so now that it's getting hot again you let them out they want right back in.

[JEM]

I like learning to take better pictures. I have a DSLR camera and there is ALWAYS more to learn. The dog and my kids probably hate me chasing them around with the camera. LOL.

We don't do Netflix because we really don't "rent" too many movies. When there is one that we want to see, we do RedBox.

We used to go TO the movies a lot. But now we reserve it for movies we realllllly want to see in the theater. Dh and ds really wanted to see Iron Man2. Normally, we would have all gone, but I decided I could wait until it was at RedBox---it was cheaper for dh and ds to catch a matinee, and dd and I stayed home.

We do still like to g out for breakfast on Saturday's occasionally, so we go when "Kids Eat Free".

[junker]

i wonder how many of those 35000 at that baseball game put the tickets and the and beer on credit cards...and are going to be paying for that game for a few years down the road....at 15% interest or more........

[SMinGA]

About once a month we go out for a buffet style breakfast. Kid prices are minimal, I think my youngest is still only $1.99 until her next birthday and the other kids are $2.99. Though my son has a birthday in a few weeks. He may be up to the adult price after that! That includes drinks. Adults are only $4.99.

We don't splurge on birthday parties and such. My son has a summer birthday, we always go swimming in my in-laws neighborhood pool. No cost. My daughters like having sleepovers with their friends for a birthday 'party' and then its just a minimal cost for food. (Since my part time job is delivering pizzas, I get 1/2 price on pickup orders.)

We do still like to g out for breakfast on Saturday's occasionally, so we go when "Kids Eat Free".

[cwillie]

We have my folks and/or friends over on Friday nights for a game of dominoes, which takes a few hours to play! Everyone brings drinks and snacks, doesn't cost much and it's really a lot of fun. DH and I look forward to it and will continue the "tradition" long after our discharge I'm sure.

[NoMoreCards]

Typically on weekends we call up friends and have a "pot luck" BBQ. People bring what they want, we share and enjoy spending time together. Perhaps playing cards, just talking, having a few drinks, sitting by the bomfire, or even just working on someones vehicle that needs repair.

We go camping, relatively inexpensive to do, cook hot dogs on a stick and all.
Bike riding, walking through the park, playing with the dog, visit family.

We use REDBOX for movies, at 1.00 for 24 hours.

Another thing we have learned is to go out to eat but always order water to drink. Sodas and drinks are way over prices at restaurants and it makes big difference in the bill. If you are going out to eat with 5 adults, the bill can easily be 15.00 cheaper just by drinking water and you can always stop for a 2-liter on the way home for .99. Lol!

It is amazing the things you can find to do that are not expensive.

[NHC]

I crochet blankets....read books (Libraries are great)....watch movies (I get mine used for about 4 to 6 bucks each at D'Angelos)...and ride my motorcycle...at 45 miles to the gallon you can lose yourself on many a back road for about 5 bucks....or I just go hang out in my girlfriend's house...its only a matter of minutes before her boyfriend has got me doing projects for beer!!!

[DeadManCrawling]

Gardening, reading books, tinkering about the house, the beach is cheap, we sail occasionally, typical Florida stuff.

Cheap in-home entertainment: For the money, Netflix has to be the best value on the planet right now. We get a movie on disc any time we want, no late fees. We can watch instantly tens of thousands of shows. I rarely watch movies, but Netflix has an astounding array of documentaries. Normally, I wouldn't rent or purchase as much as I watch now. If you like movies and are tired of late fees-you should check it out. No, I don't have any incentive to say those things, except that they are true.

Other in-home stuff: Subscription to Lord Of The Rings Online, a MMO. For ten bucks a month, I get dozens of hours of entertainment and interaction with other people all over the world. Not everyone's cup of tea, but I enjoy it sometimes.

And I write a lot. Novels. That is a fun and interesting way to learn new things and gain satisfaction on another level.

Staying entertained and amused doesn't have to cost a lot either. If not for other members of the family, I could easily cancel our cable and save a couple hundred bucks.

[ForumReader]

I crochet blankets....read books (Libraries are great)....watch movies (I get mine used for about 4 to 6 bucks each at D'Angelos)...and ride my motorcycle...at 45 miles to the gallon you can lose yourself on many a back road for about 5 bucks....or I just go hang out in my girlfriend's house...its only a matter of minutes before her boyfriend has got me doing projects for beer!!!

Sounds like my Navy brother would do, he enjoys crocheting and has crocheted at least 6 aghans to family members for Christmas over the years. As for me doing fun, I play board games with my kids, rent Netflix dvds, sometimes Redbox dvds, if there is a particular dvd in stock, go for long walks, cross stitch, watch movies with a cat on my lap, very relaxing and on occasions, my SO and I would take our kids out to a day of fun, for example, we will make a day trip to Hershey, PA sometimes this summer. And oh, I am putting in a portable inflatable pool big enough in the backyard this summer for the kids to have fun and cool off..as well as I do!

[LadyInTheRed]

People who are in or near Boston, Chicago, Wash DC, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Minneapolis-St. Paul, New York, Orange County (CA), Portland, San Diego, San Francisco, San Jose or Seattle should check out Goldstar.com for discounts on all kinds of events, including sports, theater, symphony, comedy, city tours, museums, recreational activities, salon and spa services. Venues list discount tickets for events that don't sell out. Some things are still pretty pricey for someone on a tight budget, but there are a lot opportunities for a very inexpensive night (or day) out.

[ohiogal]

Netflix is teh bomb!!! Any time I'm bored I go see what's new in Watch Instantly - Ken Burns' The Civil War!! Julie & Julia!! ALL the seasons of Buffy the Vampire Slayer! For $9.60 a month I can watch all of them, some of them, one of the over and over, any time I want. They have obscure stuff too, like Fritz Langs' Metropolis and other silent movies. Every day there's something new. Last week I watched the original "Clash of the Titans". Ah, reliving the 80s...