2017-12-21 - Quit Shopping For Fun ================================== A zine with ideas to entertain yourself and others for free Created by the FrugalGamer But There's Nothing To DO! ========================== Yes there is. We entertained ourselves long before "shopping for fun" was a thing. Here in this zine you'll find a number of suggestions for things you can do to entertain yourself and others for FREE or VERY LITTLE money. Because we don't need capitalism in order to keep ourselves busy. Flip For Cheap Fun ================== Libraries have far more than just books. Yours may have music, 3D Printing, board games, movies, and even video games. Many also host community evens & book clubs. Libraries are one of the last places we can visit without being expected to pay to get in. Writing & Journaling ==================== This doesn't work for everyone, and that's fine. But if you like, you can create worlds and characters, people, and events entirely in your head, for free. Creativity is a wonderful gift, and what most people don't realize it's like a muscle. Once you practice, it gets easier! Plant & Insect Collecting ========================= Getting to know your local flora can be fascinating and grouding. You can collect physically, if you're ok with killing specimens, or with photos and drawings, if that bothers you. You can use apps like iNaturalist to identify plants, insects, birds (please don't collect physical birds!), mushrooms, etc, and then collect info like common names, biological facts, lore, and more. Learn A New Exercise ==================== With free online videos and sites. If you don't have weights, checkout body weight fitness. Other exercises that don't require equipment include yoga, pilates, Barre, Zumba, walking, and running. All can be done indoors or outdoors. If you have a group of friends and access to a court, basketball and soccer/football can be played relatively cheaply. Playing Cards ============= You can buy them cheap, but most people have an old pack lying around somewhere. They can even be thrifted. Once you have those, they can be used to play games with others, or even games by yourself. Here's a good site for card game rules: Pagat Card Game Rules Host A Potluck ============== You don't need a special occasion to throw a party. Save on costs by asking everyone to bring their favorite dish. Time spent with others is always meaningful. Make Board Games ================ Did you know there's an entire category of board games called "print and play"? Many board games can get expensive, but decades ago people would just make them from scratch. Check out boardgamegeek.com for a list of new and old DIY board games: Print And Play DIY Board Games (JS) String Games ============ These aren't that popular anymore, but they've been enjoyed by indigenous cultures all over the world for centuries. I was given a book about them as a kid and spent hours practicing them. For a good book covering a number of them, check out this book here: String Games Book (PDF) Origami ======= Many origami books insist you buy specialty paper for this hobby, but schoolchildren have been making digures out of their notebook paper for ages without any issues. All you need is to cut whatever thin paper you have to be square. There are tons of instructions online, but here is a good place to start: Origami Guide Learn A Language ================ We're all familiar with DuoLingo, thanks to their massive advertising campaign, but there are tons of other language learning services as well. Your library may have a partnership with other apps, and will have books and audiobooks on the topic. OpenCulture.com has a section just for free language courses. Check out the link below for more: Free Language Lessons Learn To Program ================ Programming books and courses are all over the place for free, and once you're comfortable with once, you can make your own sotware tools instead of having to buy them. Here are some I recommend: * Javascript All you need is a text editor and a browser to get started * C C has been around forever and there are a ton of resources * Rust Very popular and commonly used today * Python Incredibly useful for fetching and altering data Letterboxing/Geocaching ======================= These games and their variants all have a similar premise: locations and GPS coordinates are posted online, and players hunt around to find "drops" that others have hidden. Letterbox caches have a rubber stamp for players to add to their log books, while geocachers sign their name and date at the site. Some incorporate puzzles and players must solve hints before finding cache spots. Check Letterboxing.org and Geocaching.com to see if there are players in your area. Mail Art ======== If you're artistically inclined, and you like getting mail, you might join an online Mail art group. Artists online swap themes and addresses, and send each other small unique pieces of artwork via snail mail. Check Sawp-bot.com for all different kinds of swaps and more info. Volunteer ========= People are always looking for help, and spending your time helping others will usually always leave you feeling better. Here are some ideas for different places to volunteer at: * Animal shelter * Library * Food bank * Meals on Wheels * Adult literacy organizations Not all of these may be available in your local area, but with some looking you can probably find some one in need of help. Freezer Paper Stencils ====================== Ever wanted to customize your clothes, but don't know how to sew? Want to create cool painting buys you can't paint or draw well? Try stenciling! All you need is a craft knife, an iron, and some freezer paper, found in the storage section of the grocery store. You can trace and cut any image you find onto the non-waxy side of the paper, the iron the waxy side onto wahtever you'd like to customize, then paint over it. You can make more complex images using more than one stencil, layered on top of your image, if you have the time. And Finally, Some Advice ======================== Whenever you're feeling angry, depressed, frustrated etc. If there's nothing else you can do, either clean or exercise. It won't fix the issue, but you'll feel better, and you'll have something to show for it, either a cleaner space, or a slightly healthier body. Take care of yourself :) --- Licensed under CC-BY 4.0 Please share! From: tags: counterculture,money,self-help Tags ==== counterculture money self-help