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# 2024-05-19 - 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
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tags: counterculture,money,self-help
# Tags
counterculture
money
self-help
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