Freebies
They say the best things in life are free, so obviously “they” have never worn Gucci. Regardless, there are a lot of fun ways to keep occupied that don’t cost money.
What I do—because Frontiers doesn’t pay me to live in the lifestyle to which I’d like to become accustomed—is write down every free activity I find on my online calendar. I put the recurring events there too, so that every day of the week is packed with options. Then I also keep a running list of other free stuff I can do anytime, like going for a hike or cleaning my filthy apartment. That way when some friend calls me up to invite me to join them for dinner at Chez FooFoo or to see a $60 concert, I can decline and not sit around at home feeling bad about passing it up.
Events to Put on Your Calendar:
• In-store concerts. Both national record stores like Virgin Records and local shops like Amoeba host in-store promotional concerts. Check their Web sites or get on their mailing lists to hear about upcoming concerts. You’ll likely only hear a few songs rather than a full set, but you also can scam on the cute indie-rocker boys to make it more worth the trip.
• Street fairs, festivals, and parades. Most alternative weekly newspapers have an annual summer guide issue that lists all the big outdoor public events for the summer. Sit down with it and mark up your calendar. You wouldn’t want to miss Romanian Heritage Day or the Kumquat Festival!
• Museum free days. Most museums have one day each month on which the admission is free, though some let people in gratis for a few hours at the end of one day each week. To find a list of them, simply go to your search engine and type “free museum days” and the name of your city into the box, and you’ll likely find a nice list of all the freebies in town.
• Art openings. Many cities have a “First Thursdays” event, during which many galleries have their new exhibit openings on the same night of the month. You can hop between galleries that way and catch a lot of art—and some free wine to boot. You can also join the mailing list for galleries to hear about other opening events.
• Literary events. The books section of most newspapers will list weekly author readings and other literary events, most of which are free and open to the public.
• Group sports, clubs, and games. There are always amateur sports leagues, board-game nights at coffeehouses, chess clubs, bridge clubs, language discussion clubs, book clubs, swingers clubs, support groups, etc., meeting every day of the week. Check www.craigslist.org or any local newspaper to find them, or search the Yahoo! or Google Groups directories.
• Volunteer. Yes, I wrote about volunteering in my last column, but keep in mind it’s not just doing good, it’s something to do.
Free Stuff to Do Anytime
• Take a hike. California is a big state, jam-packed full of nature. It’s usually only a short drive to a park or forest somewhere, in which you can experience nature without getting too dirty. For added motivation, take your dog and tell yourself you’re doing it for him.
• Read a book (or a magazine). Both the public library and private bookstores have lots and lots of books and magazines with pretty pictures to look at. Also, hot nerds looking at them too.
• Buy a house. Or rather, shop for a house. Put on your best rock-star sunglasses and drive around to open houses on weekends. It’s always nice to see how the other half lives.
• Laugh at strangers. Open-mike nights and karaoke bars are good entertainment, and most of them cost nothing to get in. On the other hand, you may need to buy a drink to tolerate the bad singing.
• Whip something up. Cooking something new and complicated is a good way to kill several hours—and have a treat at the end. No, the ingredients aren’t free, but nearly anything you make at home is cheaper than getting it out.
• Come over and clean my filthy apartment. (It never hurts to ask.)
Here is the original article on Frontiers Magazine
What I do—because Frontiers doesn’t pay me to live in the lifestyle to which I’d like to become accustomed—is write down every free activity I find on my online calendar. I put the recurring events there too, so that every day of the week is packed with options. Then I also keep a running list of other free stuff I can do anytime, like going for a hike or cleaning my filthy apartment. That way when some friend calls me up to invite me to join them for dinner at Chez FooFoo or to see a $60 concert, I can decline and not sit around at home feeling bad about passing it up.
Events to Put on Your Calendar:
• In-store concerts. Both national record stores like Virgin Records and local shops like Amoeba host in-store promotional concerts. Check their Web sites or get on their mailing lists to hear about upcoming concerts. You’ll likely only hear a few songs rather than a full set, but you also can scam on the cute indie-rocker boys to make it more worth the trip.
• Street fairs, festivals, and parades. Most alternative weekly newspapers have an annual summer guide issue that lists all the big outdoor public events for the summer. Sit down with it and mark up your calendar. You wouldn’t want to miss Romanian Heritage Day or the Kumquat Festival!
• Museum free days. Most museums have one day each month on which the admission is free, though some let people in gratis for a few hours at the end of one day each week. To find a list of them, simply go to your search engine and type “free museum days” and the name of your city into the box, and you’ll likely find a nice list of all the freebies in town.
• Art openings. Many cities have a “First Thursdays” event, during which many galleries have their new exhibit openings on the same night of the month. You can hop between galleries that way and catch a lot of art—and some free wine to boot. You can also join the mailing list for galleries to hear about other opening events.
• Literary events. The books section of most newspapers will list weekly author readings and other literary events, most of which are free and open to the public.
• Group sports, clubs, and games. There are always amateur sports leagues, board-game nights at coffeehouses, chess clubs, bridge clubs, language discussion clubs, book clubs, swingers clubs, support groups, etc., meeting every day of the week. Check www.craigslist.org or any local newspaper to find them, or search the Yahoo! or Google Groups directories.
• Volunteer. Yes, I wrote about volunteering in my last column, but keep in mind it’s not just doing good, it’s something to do.
Free Stuff to Do Anytime
• Take a hike. California is a big state, jam-packed full of nature. It’s usually only a short drive to a park or forest somewhere, in which you can experience nature without getting too dirty. For added motivation, take your dog and tell yourself you’re doing it for him.
• Read a book (or a magazine). Both the public library and private bookstores have lots and lots of books and magazines with pretty pictures to look at. Also, hot nerds looking at them too.
• Buy a house. Or rather, shop for a house. Put on your best rock-star sunglasses and drive around to open houses on weekends. It’s always nice to see how the other half lives.
• Laugh at strangers. Open-mike nights and karaoke bars are good entertainment, and most of them cost nothing to get in. On the other hand, you may need to buy a drink to tolerate the bad singing.
• Whip something up. Cooking something new and complicated is a good way to kill several hours—and have a treat at the end. No, the ingredients aren’t free, but nearly anything you make at home is cheaper than getting it out.
• Come over and clean my filthy apartment. (It never hurts to ask.)
Here is the original article on Frontiers Magazine
