10 Cheap Ways for Having Fun and Wasting Time

Posted by Jacques - March 1, 2009

money-girl Having fun on the cheap is a handy tool in the slacker methodology. Making money can be a pain, so a way of avoiding that need is to generate less demand. After all, spending less is much easier than working two jobs. If you can spend extremely little, then you may only need to work every other year and live off the savings.

1. Sign up for free sweepstakes.
Nothing is more satisfying than winning something for doing nothing. Blogs seem to be among the best odds, as little known blogs will try to generate traffic through these methods but the competition isn’t nearly as steep as the local lottery. Do enough of these and you will win something. Guaranteed.

2. Pick up a hobby that pays you back.
When I first started web design, it was a hobby. I just enjoyed making websites and little flaming graphics (HOT DEALS!). Now, it is a strong business that brings in serious dough. You don’t need to be nearly as ambitious though. Starting a garden can save money (FYI, Tomatoes have the best ROI), and buying something at garage sales, fixing it up, and selling it on craigslist also seems to be a good way to go.

3. Make a visit to mother nature.
The Great Outdoors is an excellent place to enjoy the free activities provided by mother earth. Walking trails, biking, hiking, fishing, and anything else you can think of. Not only do these activities tend to be cheap (hint: borrow the equipment from your parents), but they will pay dividends in your proverbial health account for years to come.

4. Socialize.
Visit your friends and family, talk on the phone, or email. Spending time with others is a free way to feel good and also spread some of that goodness around.

5. House/Car window shopping.
If you have a strong willpower and love big ticket items like houses and cars this can be a great source of entertainment. I enjoy touring beautiful homes that I know I’m not going to buy, and test driving cars that will never see my garage from the inside. But, I’m hesitant to recommend this one as crafty salespeople are pretty good at convincing the average Joe that they can afford these items. Only try this if you trust yourself to say No. You could also play with your own car.

6. Stumble through the internet.
If you haven’t checked out StumbleUpon then you’re missing a huge vacuum of wasted time. It’s basically a free service that feeds you random cool websites that other stumblers have found based on your preferences of what you like and dislike. It will get smarter as you teach it, and by the time you’ve seen every show on TV, you will have only seen a small percentage of what the internet has to offer through Stumble.

7. Drop cable, get Hulu.
Unfortunately, TV is not free for most people, but it’s a classic way of entertaining yourself. Hulu has taken the best of television and provided it to you free via the web. It has the same shows that are on prime time, but you don’t have to worry about recording them or not being at home to watch them from your DVR. Why do I recommend Hulu over Youtube surfing? Better quality, real tv shows, and longer episodes.

8. Read blogs or start a blog.
I know people are going to roll their eyes, but you don’t have to be the next webtrepreneur to start your own blog, you can just put your thoughts out there about your day. RSS aggregators make reading blogs a snap. Simply subscribe to this websites or others using free services like Google reader, and you can read all your favorite blogs in one place.

9. Exercise.
Jogging, cycling, weight lifting, swimming at the beach are all relatively free and make you feel good. ‘Nuff said.

10. Cooking and Baking.
Making food is always good because you can eat your fun. You can also freeze your favorite creations for later.

Bonus Idea!

11. Facebook.
Sure there’s Myspace and Linked in too, but Facebook is the most fun with all the built-in applications, games, and the amount of friends you will be able to easily network with. I really didn’t want to put this one on here because I’m an ex-facebook addict, but it really is a good way to blow time for free.

Anything you like? Please share!

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March 1, 2009 | In All Slacker Methods, Slackers and Money |

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My fiance and I enjoy car shopping. Back in college certain dealerships knew not to bother when I rolled up because I was just looking. There is an exotic car dealership in the next town over as well. I’m on a mailing list that tells me what new cars they’re getting in that week. It’s great.

Someday I might actually buy something!

Comment by the weakonomist — March 2, 2009 #
great ideas! i love the sweepstakes idea. and baking… eat your fun! haha.

Comment by lokate — March 3, 2009 #
@lokate, yum = fun!

@weakonomist, driving exotic cars is a lot more fun when it’s not yours. =)

Comment by Jacques — March 3, 2009 #
Drinking…. I have lots of fun drinking beer and other varieties of alcohol. It isn’t free, but compared to scubadiving and gambling, drinking is relatively cheap. Go ahead… get Fup Duck!

Comment by FupDuckTV — March 9, 2009 #
[...] first considered the idea when I saw it on a super clev post on the blog The Slacker Method. They suggested getting some cheap thing at a garage sale, fixing it up, and selling it on [...]

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[...] I’m extremely vocal about living cheaper and automated savings as a means of preserving slacker financial security, these are often [...]

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