Sometimes, when you've just made that giant tuition deposit, all your weekend plans go down the drain. When you're broke and tired of Netflix being the extent of your social life, grab a friend or two, and just go DO something. These are the favorites around here.
(P.S. Don't be afraid to try something new! You might miss out on so many of the good things in life. I'm not a huge frisbee person, but there have been some great memories made during late night, glow-in-the-dark games of Ultimate. It's up to you. With a good group of people, almost anything can be a great time. Mom was right - it's all about having the right attitude.)
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2. Open houses: Who knows? Bring a friend along and do a walk-through of a house you can only afford to drool over. Maybe there's a local art show. Google it. Read your city's news publication. It throws people off when a bunch of college hooligans are house shopping.
3. Open Mic nights: Even if you don't play music, open mics are a great way to get to know the community around you. Of course, it's ALWAYS more fun if you get up there at some point, if only to do a silly cover with a willing friend. Cameras out; this could be legendary.
4. Coffee shop concerts: Only slightly different from the open mic, this is the place to go is you just want to sit back with a drink (Water is free, tea is cheap, coffee is, well... Do what you must. But a frappe? Really? Budget suicide, friend. They add up quick.)
5. Make YouTube videos: There is really no limit to this. You can make short films, do a stupid how-to, start a vlog channel, anything. Do I have to spell it out? Use your imagination; you're a smart kid.
6. The local park:
- Frisbee
- Soccer
- Sports in general
- Borrow a dog
- Play on the kid toys (swings are the best)
- Picnic (with your parent's food and plasticware, preferably)
- Stargaze at night
- Have a good backyard? Set up an outdoor movie for your friends.
7. If you live on a lake:
- Boats, canoes, kyaks, paddle boats
- The blob
- Swimming
- Floating dock adventures
- Have a lakeside jam sesh
8. Conversations: Ummm... Talk to people. We know a lot less about our friends these days. We take Facebook posts at, well, face value. Are you sitting across from a friend right now? What would happen if you put away the iPad, closed the laptop, hid the smartphone? What would happen? Maybe you've meaning to catch up with an old friend. Call them up, message them, whatever, and just do it.
9. Be artsy-fartsy: Paint rocks. Doodle. Make art. Write stories or poems or blogs or songs. Start wood carving.
10. Learn a new skill: Things are often much simpler than we anticipate. Don't get stuck just because you think you will fail. Chances are, you'll be great, and if not, hopefully you had a good time. Some examples:
- Computer skills. Whether that be figuring out how to defrag your hard drive, mastering a 3D animation program like Blender (open-source and free) or an image editing tool like GIMP (open-source and free), enhancing your WPM, or getting down to it and building your own computer.
- Musical instruments. Granted, this is not always free, but surely you know someone with a guitar. Maybe you have an instrument of your own, but haven't sat down to master it.
- Be creative. What do you find yourself admiring in other people? Find that and go for it!
11. Window shopping: Leave your wallet at home, and commit an hour or so to hopeless coveting and materialism. Okay, that may not be the wisest thing. Perhaps if you go into it with a purpose - like finding the most ridiculous outfits at a clothing shop, and making your friends model them. All in the name of cheap entertainment, my friends.
WARNING: Imgur is a time eater! So is Vine, and Facebook, and YouTube, and you know your poison. Don't let technology get the best of your youth. Used responsibly, it is the greatest asset of our day and age; it can also be our biggest reason for missed opportunity. Think about how you use your time. Go better yourself.
That was a free tip. You're welcome ;)
I love this!
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