THINGS TO DO FOR FREE!

It gets harder and harder to come up with things to do when you are on a budget whether you have kids or not. So, I thought I would share some suggestions you could keep handy so that when you do have some free time, you might want to check out the list and may even have an "ah ha" "that's what I want to do moment" with one of the ideas.

Sometimes it's the simplest things that matter the most.


ENJOY QUIET TIME AT THE LIBRARY - READ ABOUT A TOPIC YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT

TAKE A RIDE THROUGH SOME BACK ROADS ESPECIALLY NOW WHEN FALL IS IN THE AIR

TAKE A WALK ON THE BEACH, COLLECT SHELLS, ROCKS, ETC. - SUNSET, MY FAVORITE.

CLEAN OUT YOUR GARAGE OR ATTIC, SOUNDS LIKE WORK BUT SO THERAPUTIC TO CLEAN OUT THINGS AND GET RID OF THEM

BAKE SOME HOMEMADE BREAD OR COOKIES AND MAKE A LITTLE EXTRA FOR AN ELDERLY NEIGHBOR

WASH AND VACUUM YOUR CAR BY HAND - GRAB THE KIDS AND GIVE THEM A SPONGE TO HELP

PULL OUT THE FAMILY BOARD GAMES - DO YOU REMEMBER WHAT THOSE ARE???

VISIT YOUR NEIGHBORS - JUST FOR A QUICK STOP TO SAY HELLO, I HAVEN'T SEEN YOU IN AWHILE

WRITE DOWN YOUR FUTURE GOALS. GOALS ARE NOT WRITTEN IN STONE BUT THEY ARE ALWAYS MORE ATTAINABLE WHEN WRITTEN DOWN WHERE YOU CAN VISUALLY SEE THEM

PLANT SOME FLOWERS IN POTS OR EVEN BETTER, VEGETABLES OR BERRIES. MMMMMMMMMMM...

MAKE A “TO DO” LIST FOR THE WEEK, OK, SO, I NEED ONE EVERY DAY BUT JOT DOWN SOME OF THE THINGS YOU HAVEN'T THOUGHT ABOUT IN AWHILE THAT NEED TO GET DONE

ORGANIZE YOUR PHOTOGRAPHS, ESPECIALLY IF YOU ARE LIKE ME AND HAVE BINS OF THEM IN THE GARAGE THAT YOU HAVE HAD SINCE CHILDHOOD

GO FOR A PICNIC AT THE PARK, GRAB A BLANKET, MAYBE A BOTTLE OF WINE, SOME BREAD, CHEESE...THERE YOU GO, INSTANT ITALIAN PIAZZA PICNIC

GO ON A HISTORICAL WALKING TOUR, HAVE YOU SEEN THE FREEDOM TRAIL IN BOSTON...PRETTY COOL!

HAVE A POTLUCK BLOCK PARTY - SUCH A GREAT WAY TO KEEP A GROUP OF NEIGHBORS CLOSE

RESEARCH SOMETHING NEW - LEARN HOW TO MAKE POTTERY, TILE A FLOOR, SOMETHING YOU'VE NEVER DONE BEFORE

COOK SOME MEALS IN ADVANCE - WHAT'S BETTER THAN PULLING OUT A COMPLETELY FINISHED MEAL AFTER A LONG DAY OF WORK. TAKE A DAY AND COOK EVERYTHING UP AND FREEZE IT

ORGANIZE HOLIDAY DECORATIONS - WE ALL HAVE THEM, BROKEN BULBS, TANGLED STRINGS OF LIGHTS, ETC.

TAKE A RELAXING BUBBLE BATH.... AD SOME BEAUTIFUL SMELLING CANDLES, MUSIC, AHHHHHHHH!

WATCH AN OLD CLASSIC MOVIE - I LOVE OLD BLACK AND WHITE MOVIES. ESPECIALLY SOMETHING BETTE DAVIS...SHE MADE SOME CRAZY MOVIES

MAKE A LIST OF PEOPLE YOU SHOULD MEET, SOME LOCAL PEOPLE WHO MAY BE MORE ATTAINABLE THAN LET'S SAY, THE POPE, OR THE PRESIDENT. YOU CAN STILL ADD SOME OF THOSE TO YOUR LIST BUT TRY TO STAY A LITTLE REALISTIC FOR THE SHORT TERM

PRACTICE YOGA OR TRY IT FOR THE FIRST TIME, NOW THERE IS SOMETHING DEFINITELY ON MY "TO DO" LIST! GREAT FOR STRESS

LEARN HOW TO MEDITATE AND DO IT. TAKE AS LITTLE OR AS MUCH TIME AS YOU WANT TO DO IT.

ORGANIZE A NEIGHBORHOOD CLEAN UP - THERE IS ALWAYS A LITTLE PARK AROUND THAT COULD USE SOME TLC.

ORGANIZE HOME WARRANTIES AND HEALTH DOCS, INSTEAD OF BEING LIKE SOME OF US AND PUTTING EVERYTHING INTO ONE FILE BOX UNLABLED AND UNCATEGORIZED

REARRANGE FURNITURE IN YOUR HOME OR OFFICE, YOU WOULD BE SURPRISED HOW REFRESHED IT MAKES YOU FEEL. DO A LITTLE HOMEWORK ON FENG SHUI AND YOU WILL BE AMAZED AT HOW MOVING FURNITURE AROUND CAN MAKE YOU FEEL

ORGANIZE FOR A FUTURE YARD SALE - LABEL AND TAG EVERYTHING IN ADVANCE SO ON THAT NICE SATURDAY OR SUNDAY MORNING YOU CAN JUST TAKE EVERYTHING OUT AT ONCE...EASILY

CREATE YOUR OWN VISION BOARD(S) - I HAVE ONE ON MY COMPUTER SCREEN, IN MY APPOINTMENT BOOK, FRAMED ON A WALL IN MY HOME, AND A COPY OF A SMALLER ONE IN MY PURSE. REMINDS ME OF THE THINGS I AM WORKING TOWARDS AND THE ARE ALL DIFFERENT.

WATCH EDUCATIONAL YOUTUBE VIDEOS - DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW MUCH YOU CAN LEARN FROM YOUTUBE? I'M TALKING ABOUT THE "REAL" EDUCATIONAL STUFF. NOT THE THINGS YOU WOULDN'T WANT YOUR KIDS TO SEE. CHECK OUT VIDEO'S ABOUT "THE SECRET" OR TOPICS LIKE "HOME ORGANIZING" OR "WHAT PAINT COLORS YOU SHOULD CHOOSE FOR YOUR HOME". LOOK UP SOME OF YOUR FAVORITE MOTIVATIONAL SPEAKERS. THEY SHOULD ALL BE THERE

CREATE SOME HOMEMADE GREETING CARDS EVEN IF THEY ARE IN ADVANCE OF A HOLIDAY OR BIRTHDAY. SHOW SOMEONE YOU REALLY CARE BY THINKING ABOUT THE THINGS THEY LIKE BEST AND INCORPORATE THEM INTO THE CARD

RESEARCH YOUR FAMILY TREE, I DON'T THINK I HAVE EVER EVEN STARTED THIS ONE BUT IT'S A GREAT IDEA, ESPECIALLY TO GIVE TO YOUR KIDS WHEN THEY ARE GROWN

DO A PUZZLE WITH KIDS OR SIGNIFICANT OTHER, IT'S VERY ADDICTING

LEARN SOME CARD TRICKS, A LITTLE SOMETHING YOU CAN SHOW OFF AT THE NEXT PARTY

START A WORKOUT ROUTINE. I HAVE THE HARDEST TIME WITH THIS ONE BUT I DO TRY TO WALK A BIT EACH DAY WHEN I CAN. FOR YOUR HEALTH EVERYONE SHOULD AT LEAST WALK.

GO THROUGH OLD MAGAZINES THEN TOSS, I TEAR OUT ARTICLES HERE AND THERE TO SAVE OR RECIPES BUT FOR THE MOST PART, I DON'T NEED THEM COLLECTING DUST ANYWHERE

START A JOURNAL (IT'S NEVER TOO LATE), I THINK THIS IS THE BEST THING I HAVE EVER DONE FOR MYSELF...EVER. I NEVER REALIZED WHAT IT WOULD DO FOR ME MENTALLY TO WRITE IN A JOURNAL, YOU DON'T HAVE TO DO IT EVERY DAY BUT WHEN YOU HAVE TIME, WRITE YOUR FEELINGS AWAY. LATER, YOU CAN CHECK BACK ON SOME THINGS YOU WROTE IN THE PAST AND SEE IF YOU ARE STILL ON COURSE IN YOUR LIFE OR IF THINGS ARE GETTING BETTER THAN THEY WERE WHEN YOU FIRST WROTE IN IT.

WRITE A LETTER TO YOUR PARENTS OR CHILDREN. AN UNEXPECTED LETTER TELLING THEM HOW MUCH YOU CARE FOR THEM. GIVE IT TO THEM WHILE THEY ARE STILL WITH YOU. IT WILL MEAN SO MUCH MORE

SCAVENGER HUNT WITH FRIENDS AND FAMILY. MY KIDS DO THIS IN THE HOUSE SOMETIMES ON RAINY DAYS, THEY HAVE A BLAST

PLAN A CAMPING TRIP (YES, IN A TENT)TAKE IT FROM EXPERIENCE, CAMPFIRE, MARSHMALLOWS AND SMORES. THE BEST!

TAKE YOUR PET TO THE PARK OR TO THE BEACH AND RUN WITH HIM. EXERCISE FOR "TWO"

WATCH KITE FLYERS AND MAYBE FLY YOUR OWN, THEY HAVE SOME OF THE GREATEST SPOTS LOCALLY, ESPECIALLY IN NEWPORT.

VISIT AND HELP OUT AT A NURSING HOME, YOU CAN'T IMAGINE THE FACE OF AN APPRECIATIVE ELDERLY MAN OR WOMAN THAT YOU JUST READ A BIT OF A BOOK TO. ITS PRICELESS

HAVE A NEIGHBORHOOD MOVIE (DVD) SWAP, I'M READY FOR THAT ONE. TONS AND TONS OF THEM.

CLEAR YOUR CLOSET OF UNUSED CLOTHES. GET RID OF IT... YOU KNOW IF YOU HAVEN'T WORN IT IN A YEAR OR SO, YOU PROBABLY NEVER WILL AGAIN. AND IF YOU GO UP AND DOWN WITH WEIGHT YOU MIGHT WANT TO KEEP SMALLER AND LARGER SIZES BUT STYLES COME AND GO... TOSS IT!

GET UP EARLY AND GO FISHING ON A POND, I USED TO DO THIS ALL THE TIME WITH MY DAD WHEN I WAS YOUNGER, HE WAS ALWAYS TELLING ME BE QUIET OR YOU'LL SCARE THE FISH AWAY. I COULDN'T HELP MYSELF. I WAS A CHATTERBOX, CAN YOU IMAGINE THAT???

ATTEND A FREE COMMUNITY BUSINESS CLASS, SCHOOL PLAY, ACTIVITY AT THE COMMUNITY CENTER, OUTSIDE MOVIE THAT THEY NOW HAVE IN SEVERAL LOCATIONS OR AN INTRODUCTORY ZOOMBA CLASS...

I'M SURE YOU HAVE TONS OF YOUR OWN THINGS YOU LIKE TO DO AND WE WOULD LOVE TO HAVE YOU SHARE THEM HERE SO THAT OTHERS CAN HAVE MORE GREAT THINGS TO DO AS WELL.

SHARE AWAY....

WHAT ARE "YOUR" PRIORITIES??

Do you ever think about how you prioritize things every day? It seems as if those priorities can change from day to day, hour to hour, minute to minute. For instance, plan a meeting, school calls, your child got hurt at recess. Meeting changes, drive to school, drive home or in an extreme case the hospital which you know will take up the remainder of your day so you had better cancel all of the other appointments you thought were a priority today because this takes true "priority".

How we prioritize things in our life is determined by a number of factors. It's not just about what we "want" to do. It’s not just about something having a high or low priority, It’s not just about how urgent or how much time something requires. Yet we don’t just randomly decide to do one task over another, Even as we grow older and our situations change (we become richer, older, healthier, etc.) so do our priorities.

Consider how the following effects your life and the choices you make.

Single parent vs two parent home
Small children vs grown children vs no children
Healthy parents vs older in need of assistance parents
Living close to family vs family in another state
Single vs married
Going to college vs starting work for financial stability
Job vs career
Self employed vs. punching a clock
High pressure job vs relaxing no stress job
Great salary vs just getting by with your paycheck
Having to work to pay the bills vs having enough to pay the bills and enjoy life
Choosing to pay your electric bill vs taking your kids to dinner
Lifestyle of being 25 vs being 45 vs being 65
Staying home to enjoy some quiet time vs visiting friends or a big night out
Doing laundry vs watching television and some down time
Planning for college vs planning for retirement
Planning grocery shopping vs drive through at McDonalds
Hour to exercise vs hour to read a great book in your spare time
Taking a ride to visit older grandparents vs taking a ride to an amusement park
Creating a savings account vs spending money and enjoying life everyday
Working from a home office vs working at your business office
Answering emails, phone calls, etc. vs getting to work that is demanded first
Planning your day vs the day making the plans for you
Making decisions yourself vs having others make decisions for you

Emotions also play a major role in decisions of choosing your priorities and should not be taken lightly. The more important a priority, the more it can become a highlight or casualty of the emotions of others. Not everyone will agree with what you believe your priorites are. Sometimes parents or employers will voice their opinion and/or decide for you what your priorities need to be depending on your age and work status.

It's just amazing to me how many outside factors come into play when you are planning what to do with your "own" time. Sometimes it's just impossible to keep up with everything that has to be done in the course of the day. However, if you think about the things that are most important to you at the time they are important, that will help you get by.

I was reading a post on someones' blog and it was just "real" so thought I would share it with you;

My priorities are to have fun and enjoy myself and my new apartment. But somehow I find myself sitting at this desk, working from 9 to 3 pm each day, bored out of my mind, and still sleeping near boxes that I haven’t been able to unpack. I hate desk jobs. I really need to reconsider this. How are we supposed to survive the office world? I think I’m really depressed. Plus my hair is falling.
(Read more: http://self-help.thehappyguy.com/2009/06/18/misplaced-priorities/#ixzz0zz8gT9Bu)

To me, there seemed to be one decision I have recently made that affects the way I plan my day and choose which things will take priority over others...

Enjoy every minute of where you are right now because you will never be at this exact moment again. Know your priorities are and have the courage; pleasantly, smilingly, nonapologetically, to say “no” to other things that are not as important to "you". You know what they are because you have a bigger "yes" burning inside.

Pat