A narrow escape

Nearly every week I take time to visit the iTunes Store and download the newest free songs and music video (a money-saving strategy for adding to my music library, broadening my musical horizons, and finding new artists).

A few months ago I noticed something new: free eBooks. Since several of the free eBooks on offer appealed to me, I downloaded those as well, thinking I could use iTunes to read them. That did not turn out to be the case. After downloading the free Kindle app and having no success reading the free eBooks that way, I did some research and discovered that one can only read them on an Apple mobile device: the iPhone or an iPad.

When the iPad first came out I could not think of anything more senseless. It was somewhere between a smart phone and a laptop, but did not have the full capabilities of either. Who would possibly use this, I thought, and for what? But now a few of my co-workers and friends have iPads, and I've begun to see the possibilities.

So when I realized I'd need an iPad or iPhone to read the free eBooks, I started to think about it more seriously. I still viewed an iPad as a non-essential, luxury item, but since I could think of several ways I could use it, including using it to read these free books, I could start to justify a purchase. Even if it was (gasp!) $500. I had a tax refund coming my way--surely I deserved to be able to spend some of it on non-essentials?

What saved me was to think more seriously about that $500. What else could I spend $500 on?
a) New clothes--I hadn't bought many new clothes in the last couple of years; I lost weight last year and most of my clothes didn't fit me well anymore.
b) Ten nice dinners with friends--one of my favorite ways to spend "extra" cash is to treat my friends to a good meal and treat myself to their company.
c) An inexpensive, week-long trip--a priority in my life is to travel and experience new places and cultures, both in the U.S. and abroad.
d) A car tune up--my car is overdue for its next major service.

This kind of thinking helped me realize that if I do have an "extra" $500, I have other, more important spending priorities. I was on the verge of making an expensive impulse buy, and I'm glad I took the time to think about it differently. In the future I plan to use this reasoning more often to help me live in better alignment with my long-term goals.

Free Time

When you’re on a budget your free time can be a mixed bag of emotions. On the one hand, “woohoo, it’s the weekend!” on the other hand, “agh, my friends will all want to meet out at a favorite restaurant or bar and my choices are ordering water and gnawing on free breadsticks or feeling guilty about spending too much money and wishing that I had just ordered water and gnawed on free breadsticks.” It’s frustrating to have the desire to engage, enjoy your city, connect with friends, and explore new places when your salary doesn’t seem to support your cravings.

But, what if you didn’t have to choose between breadsticks and guilt?

Sometimes there’s no substitution to ordering a delicious sounding meal and having the server bring out some perfectly presented entrée that meets or exceeds all of your expectations. But, there may be something more interesting and certainly more creative about skipping the bars, cafes, and restaurants and making your own free or nearly free fun. In fact, making your own fun allows you to get more acquainted with your friends and especially your city.

I worked as an unpaid intern in New York City the summer before I graduated college and in that summer became an expert at free fun….people and bird watching in Central Park, walking the Brooklyn Bridge, a free ride or two on the Staten Island Ferry to catch an up close glimpse of the Statue of Liberty, sitting on park benches in Riverside Park, exploring China Town, free museum evenings, and spotting stars in the East Village (I saw Ralph Fiennes and Matthew Broderick on one beautiful afternoon – hubba hubba). Doing it on the free or for the cost of a subway ticket has an almost romantic feel to it and the discoveries are worth far more than the adventures you can read in a brochure.

Have you explored all of the parks and secret gardens in your city? I recently moved back to the Twin Cities and I’m rediscovering the parks from an adult perspective. My friends and I go for hikes along the Mississippi instead of going for Sunday brunch. Last Saturday was unseasonably warm and I hung out with a really cute boy on a soft, sandy Mississippi beach with the sun on our faces, watching icebergs float down the river.

On your next day off, try something new....break out your town’s map or pull it up on Google Maps and resolve to visit the green spaces. Grab a friend and snacks…heck, if you’re in Portland bring a six pack of beer, a blanket, your sketch book, and a camera to Laurelhurst Park and chill for an afternoon. Another fun idea -- and this really works -- is to visit your chamber of commerce website as if you’re a tourist. There will be plenty of free or nearly free ideas there. Check them out, see your city from a new perspective and perhaps fall in love all over again.