Finding Cheap Fun and Free Entertainment
February 22nd, 2009 by Michael Kwan
I think we’d all agree that money has become an increasingly important issue, especially with what is going on with the economy these days. A short while ago, we discussed cutting back on the right expenses and one area that could easily sustain a few cutbacks is entertainment.
It’s important to keep yourself entertained and have some fun leisure time, but it’s also important that you keep an eye on your wallet when doing so. Attending a lot of hockey games and rock concerts can quickly leave you struggling to pay the bills. Living on mac-and-cheese alone can’t possibly be healthy. With this in mind, I thought it may be apt to bring up the topic of having fun on a budget. There are a lot of cheap thrills and inexpensive entertainment that you can enjoy. Fun doesn’t have to break the bank.
Tourist Attractions with Coupons
When you live in particular city or town, you sometimes forget about some of the tourist attractions that are available to you. It’s also very easy to forget about some of the great attractions that are only a short drive out of town. If you’re looking for an inexpensive activity that could easily take up a whole afternoon (or more), consider some of the tourist traps attractions in your local and surrounding area. In doing so, don’t forget to inquire about discounts for locals and to search for coupons. When I went to the Calgary Zoo, I used a 2-for-1 coupon. Susanne and I had about four hours of entertainment for about $16. Check out museums, galleries, and other exhibits. They’re great for the kids and adults too.
Borrow Movies from the Library
While it is easy to get excited about the latest Hollywood blockbuster, it’s far more affordable to check out some movies that are already available on DVD. Renting is certainly cheaper than going to the local multiplex, but even Blockbuster is more expensive than free. Most public libraries will have a selection of DVDs available and these come at the whopping price of zero dollars and zero cents. Some of the educational stuff can be fun, but they typically have Hollywood films available too. I’ve even heard of some public libraries offering video games!
Fun and Fancy-Free at the Park
This even applies if you happen to be buried under some unfavorable winter weather; it just means the activities are slightly different. There are a lot of great activities that you can enjoy in the park and none of these will cost you a penny. Get together with a buddy and toss that frisbee, throw that football, or shoot a few hoops. If it happens to be nicer outside, pack a picnic lunch and make a day of it. Sports like tennis and basketball can not only be a great way to spend a few hours, they’re also great for your health and overall wellbeing.
Smart Spending for the Most Fun
Even if the Monopoly Man is bankrupt, he can still have some fun on a budget. It’s easy when you’ve got the money to spend on great trips to Las Vegas and terrific Kanye West concerts, because these can be a great source of enjoyment. We all need some happiness and excitement in our lives. However, it’s not quite as easy to have so much fun when you’ve got a tighter clutch on your wallet, so you need to spend more wisely. Do you have suggestions for cheap thrills? Share them through the comment form below! And yes, commenting on this blog is both fun and free. 
Filed under Arts and Entertainment, Money, Sports and Games.
My free entertainment consists of going to the gym, playing around with my camera at the park and spending time with family and friends. I was never really one to go to concerts, or sporting events. Although I do attend the odd university game every now and then, which aren’t as much as a professional one would be to watch.
All work and no play makes Chris a cranky money making mogul.
Only sometimes. I need to keep my sanity.
How is going to the gym for free? Is it true school or work?
I ended up winning a free year at a local gym by entering a contest. I’ll have to start paying in September. haha
going to the many County parks is free here. There are some things that you pay $1 or $2 for, but overall that’s the place for a nice day with the kids. Also, living by the Gulf of Mexico we have some great beaches that are free. They have shows on the weekend downtown that are free which makes this an ideal place to do some free things.
You ever get bored of the beach? I always hear about people living right near beaches, and they hardly use it, or don’t even notice it anymore.
Yeah, you’re excited in the beginning and then you just totally forget about it or take it for granted.
I can handle the beach once a year when I usually go somewhere warm, but I think if I went too often it would spoil it for me.
Love that work “Free”. Anytime you get something for free, it just feels so much better. Free food is the best
Free food is for those working at Google.
Some movie stores have $0.88 for new rentals. If you can wait, there is always the library, which costs $0.00
The library in my town isn’t the best for renting movies. I think the newest movie they have is “The Mask.” lol
Sometimes what you think will save money really won’t. For example, we signed up for the Blockbuster Online thing thinking we’d save money as opposed to going into the store. Instead, we ended up renting in the store AND while we waited for our online stuff – especially since they rarely sent us the movies in our queue in order!
That’s similar to my experience with NetFlix. I used it for a while, but they kept messing up my order and didn’t credit my account properly. Now with on-demand movies on TV with a few clicks, I rarely rent anymore.
Public libraries offering video games? That’s news to me.
It’s been ages since I go to the cinema even though I’m a self-confessed movie buff. Nowadays I satisfy my movie fixes with DVD rentals, which is much cheaper alternative than going to the cinema.
The trade-off is the wait time for blockbuster to be released on DVDs.
I’d much rather see the movie in a theatre with other people. My local cinema is about $8.99 for admission and Blockbuster is around $6.70 for a new release rental. It’s not that much more to check it out on the big screen.
It makes a difference if there’s more than one of you. Go in a group of four to watch a movie, then it’s $8.99 x 4 = $35.96!
But it’s still $8.99 per person… unless you go with like John Chow or something, who probably would get an affiliate network to sponsor the moving outing for him. LOL
Or, if you get that $6.70 rental from Blockbuster and there’s still four of you, that’s $1.67 each.
This is where living in the middle of nowhere actually pays off, as I’m surrounded by nothing but undeveloped land to explore. The land itself isn’t too pretty, but if you go up you can usually find a pretty great view of Clear Lake.