Swimmingly Free

Righty-o. I am currently in the process of "saving money" with the hopes of leading an "adult life" fairly soon. However, I'd like it not to be a damp damp damper on my social life SO I thought we could all benefit from a funky page with a pooled list of neat things to do that are free, or very very cheap. Kind of a budgety tip-py sort o' page. So...get listing yo! ~gabrielle

• The Library Is The Best Place Ever. Get movies out of the library instead of renting. You'd be surprised at how many they carry. See if they have a booklet listing their feature films. Big libraries often have videotapes of excellent televsion shows like ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS, the Vicar Of Dibley and Lonely Planet and others too probably. Most libraries will order a specific film or book in if you ask. Raid the cookbook section. Borrow CD's and burn 'em. Spend the day soaking up your childhood favorites in the kiddie section. and Magazine!!! they quite offten have a large number of suscriptions to magazines that your are free to read, insted of haveing to get a subscription just for your self.

• Take advantage of discard books and magazines where ever you are.

• Find out if your local art gallery has a free night (many do). Grab a group of your friends, dress up all fancy and treat yourself to a gallery gala evening.

• Theaters and opera houses also offer this option, or at least a pay-what-you-can night
• Many theaters have "rush-lines." You show up prior to the show without any tickets, and they will sell any unsold or unclaimed tickets usually 10 minutes before it begins. Very cheap, like $12.50 for a normal $35.00 ticket. But not guranteed, or the best seats usually. Sometimes you can strike a good one. Best if looking for a single ticket.
• Also, alot of smaller theaters, have volentear ushers, so if you are willing to do a little work, and see a show 5 times as your payment, check it out.

• Go camping. Set up your tent on a beach, in a field, in a square, a backyard, provincial (or ahem, state) park; hope you don't get fined.

• Throw a crap-swap potluck extravaganza. Tell everyone to bring their old clothes and shite, plus a dish to share, pile everything in the middle of the floor and dive in! Donate anything not claimed to a local thrift store (and make sure it's a worthy one!).

• Dumpster Dive, with or without a friend, book stores, music store, arts and craft stores, electronics store, liberys, they are all great sorces of free, very very useable things (read the art and scince of dumpster diveing)

• have potluck meals with friends, they are a great way to get together, eat a larger verity of foods (better balinced diet) and get ideas for things to cook when you are on your own.

• when you have something you don't need, give it to someone who needs it, even if you are poor, and you never know, when they will return the faver to you, it is better to have people who owe you, then to be in debt to everyone around you, even if they are almost strangers.

• helth food stores are a welth of information (becides haveing cheap, tasty, healthy food), most of them have bulleten boards, with all kinds of notices for things that are going on, and so on, check it out, also, if you are looking for a person who knows about a topic that is not on there, ask an imploye, they usely know all the weird, cool, and odd people around.

• If you find your self needing a hobby, I sugest, tosseing rocks, at low flying airplanes.

• If you want to get into free concerts, volunteer for a local college radio and get on a guest list to "review" them!

• Want to eat at fancy restaurants? Don't do it on your bill! Do some side work for a newspaper and write up a review on the food!

well well well.

• furniture store shopping is fun.

• thrift stores

• sneaking into hotel pools

• graffiti on bathroom stalls with permanent markers

• Excuse me? do you really want to be one of "Those People"??? why not just kick puppys while your at it, and steal things from little old ladys, while you're at it, eh?

• I think that as long as it is skillful graffiti or is intelligently humorous, then it's OK. But I'd agree that I don't much like trashy scrawlings in nasty bathrooms
• gourmet night at the corporation grocery stores, which have samples. usually fridays and weekends.

• hee hee. greyhound...see how far you can get without a ticket. sneak on when the driver is gone, and sit in the back. do not be conspicuous.
• there is a good chance that they will call the police on you, if you are cought doing this, so if you enjoy being bailed out of jail, as part of you weekend, don't call me.

• actor's nights at theaters...reduced price for s poor starving actors, y'know

• borrow stuff. initiate a great stuff swap, bringing white elephant sorts of things that you want back, like guitars and bookshelves and bunnies and things.

• work at places where you can benefit from their resources. when you work at gymnastic clubs you get free gym time.

Find a hotel with a free guest landromat Find a hotel with free dinner Find a restraunt with a buffet and bring your own plates

Nick

• Go walking with friends.
• Have a picnic.
• Buy a newspaper (just 50 cents or so normally... or find free ones) and sit with a friend, reading different sections and intrupting one another to share what you're reading.
• If you rent movies, use old fashioned normal plain popcorn and not microwave popcorn.
• Choose a topic to research and spend hours and hours obsessing over it. If you and your friends have close enough interests, this can be done as a group. The more obscure places you have to go to get info, the better. Graveyards are great places to research.
• Get a group of friends together and recite Shakespeare.