for free fun, seek out the beauty around you

A few months back I spent a lovely Autumn day enjoying Falls Lake Park.  Exploring the woods in fair weather is one of my absolute favorite ways to pass the time.  In Germany I did this most days, even in the snow-- I couldn't get enough of the natural beauty around me.  I also really love the simple, natural beauty of the woods, especially in contrast with the modern idea of "landscaping," which is so contrived and artificial in appearance-- twig-like trees spaced equidistant apart, manicured shrubs, mowed lawns.  There is no beauty in that.

 

The cost for the beautiful day spent at the lake was only that of driving there and back.  I brought with me an apple for a snack, my refillable water bottle, my camera, and of course, a book.

Other ways I enjoy spending my time without spending my money: going to the library, walking in the neighborhood or, better, on a trail somewhere, browsing the little shops downtown (I just leave my wallet at home-- literally), trading my old books in at the used bookstore, writing, creating simple meals using ingredients from my garden, and-- my absolute favorite-- sitting outside on the deck with a good book on a sunny day.  Nothing is better than that.

reasons not to subscribe to cable television

Personally, I seek to avoid any recurring monthly expense that can be legally avoided, which is why for the time being I'm sticking with my prepaid cell phone.  Unfortunately, many of these monthly expenses, like car insurance, are nonnegotiable.  TV subscription services, however, increasingly are.  There are more reasons than ever to go without it.

Practical reasons:
-Hulu.com.  I've stopped using this since it's become paid-subscription in the form of Hulu Plus, but some content is still free.
-If there's a show you're really hooked on, most networks offer a certain amount of content free on the network websites these days. 
-Dramafever.com.  This is my Hulu-- if you don't know Korean drama, you should.  Start with Bad Guy, http://www.dramafever.com/drama/738/1/Bad_Guy/.
-The aforementioned Swapadvd.com
-Any DVD you do not wish to go through the swapping process for, or for which there is a long wait time, you can buy used cheaply and quickly at Amazon.com or at any comparable site.
-Get DVDs from the library.  I've chosen to pay twenty dollars a year so I can access the much larger neighboring Wake County library system (though I do this purely for book-related reasons, the DVDs are an added bonus).
-There are antenna-like devices (which I am sure is not quite the proper term) you can buy pretty cheaply that will allow your TV to receive way more stations than it would normally get.  Though there is a start-up cost for this (maybe 30 dollars?), it is not a dreaded recurring expense.
-In my family we have the lower-cost Netflix.com subscription.  It does not allow us access to all content, but I can always find some form of British crime show I haven't seen yet, which is all I ask.

Less prosaic reasons:
-Consider the time cost.  If you are paying to subscribe to cable, it will not only gobble up your money, but I can guarantee it will gobble up a good bit of your time as well-- if you are paying for it, after all, you are going to want to "get your money's worth."  But what about what your time is worth?  That's one thing that's even more valuable than your money to begin with.
-It's addictive and habit-forming.
-It induces passivity, not activity.
-It bombards you and household members with constant advertising.  I won't even get started on product placement, lest this become more a Victor Hugo novel than a blog post.  (If you are led to make purchases based on your exposure to this advertising, that will lead to associated costs.)
-Do you have children in your home?  There are generally nothing but better ways for them to pass their time.  (If you need to occupy them in this way for a while, sit them in front of a DVD from time to time.  I think the benefit of this is tri-fold: It gives you total control over the content they are exposed to, it ends within a finite period of time (whereas TV programming continues forever), and does not subject your children to advertising.)
-Read The Plug-In Drug, http://www.amazon.com/Plug-Drug-Television-Children-Revised/dp/0140076980.  Originally published in 1977, many of the specifics are naturally outdated, but the general concepts in this book are not.  Yes, this is one of my 248 books.
-Potential associated costs: you (or a family member) may well decide to upgrade your TV to get the full benefit from your cable subscription.
-Two final points to consider:  How good is it for your mental fitness?  How good is it for your physical fitness?

If you (or someone you live with) is truly insistent on going with the expense of cable television services, at least sit down and add up the total yearly cost-- then, looking at that big number, is it really worth it? How else could you direct that large amount of money-- towards a vacation, paying down debt, saving for a replacement car?  It's your money, so decide if this is how it is truly best used.

As an aside, I think so much of what used to be valuable content on TV-- such as the news and weather bulletins-- is now more accessible and up-to-date online, which is the way I choose to access such information.  Is this information completely obsolete in TV format?  Not for people who enjoy watching news shows-- I'm just not one of those people.

In this day of potentially constant "entertainment," there is a nearly infinite amount to be said on the subject.  Contribute any thoughts you have about it below.

what to do with superfluous books

It would not be hyperbolic to say there is nothing I love more than a good book-- Nothing.  So if you are anything like me, you will routinely find yourself swimming in an overabundance of books.  It is my goal to keep as few things as possible (for example, at present, I have a mere 248 books deemed worth keeping.)  What to do with those books you've finished and feel that you can carry on without?  The obvious answer is to return them to the library-- but for books you have purchased or otherwise acquired, what are your options for putting them back into circulation?  These are my strategies for releasing a book back into the wild.

1.  Send to a friend or family member you think might enjoy it.  I did this recently for a friend who was sick and certainly in need of a good diversion, and I knew the book was something she would enjoy even more than I did.  Your best bet is probably to ship it "media mail" at the post office; this normally amounts to 2-3 dollars.  No need to buy a fancy padded envelope, which would up your cost by more than a dollar; just wrap it up with thick paper and tape. 

2.  Trade it online.  Two of my favorite swapping sites are paperbackswap.com and swapadvd.com.  These are fantastic sites that are simple and free to join (two of my favorite things), and I have swapped many a book/DVD using this method.  You list the books you are willing to part with, another member requests it, and when they acknowledge receipt, you get a credit-- and simply pick what you want to be sent to you in return.  Again, inquire at the post office whether media mail or regular post would be cheaper.  

3.  Sell it online.  Before trading a book, I will always quickly check the book's going rate on Amazon.com (simply type in the ISBN), where it is super-simple to sell your books-- I've been doing it for years for extra cash, and to pare down my collection-- and the only downside is that most books do not command a price worth selling for.  Recent bestsellers are your best bet-- for example, I just searched about 20 excess books on Amazon yesterday, and found the only one worth selling (I'd get about $8, which to me is a worthy amount) is Amy Chua's much-discussed Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother, but I love it too much to part with it-- even for eight whole dollars!

4.  Trade it in person.  I have two fantastic used book shops locally where I habitually bring in books to trade.  Establishments like this usually give you two options: trade credit-- which generally gives you more value-- or cash, which will usually amount to approximately two dollars and thirty-seven cents, and which I have chosen at times when I have been driving my car on below-empty for two days.  So either can be a good option.  Search for places like this near you!

5.  Donate it.  Donate it to two of my other favorite establishments, Goodwill or Salvation Army (or any thrift store/charity shop.)  If it's more than a few books, get a receipt for your donation, and you can later claim your estimated value of the donation as a tax deduction.

6.  Leave it for another traveler.  Many hostels/bed and breakfasts have libraries made up of books left behind by previous visitors.  They'll probably let you swap books, and you could certainly leave a book you are ready to part with behind for the enjoyment of a traveler to come. I did this recently while traveling in Iceland.  My hostel had a superb and truly eclectic and multilingual "library," spread out over four floors on each stairwell, and I left behind a few books I finished during my trip, along with my new handy Iceland guide book (which I noticed someone immediately adopted), and in return picked up a few swell Agatha Christies I hadn't seen in about ten years (see me enjoying A Caribbean Mystery at Cafe Paris in Reykjavik, above). It doesn't get more win-win than that.

Any ideas I've left out?