Having Fun on a Budget

Previous tips for a frugal lifestyle: rent, food, utilities, clothes, books and supplies.

College campuses are great places to find frugal entertainment. There are always cheap/free art gallery showings, concerts, shows, and cultural events. Also campus museum exhibitions are usually free, although a donation is usually suggested.

The most obvious answer to cheap movies on a budget are to use your student ID or going to matinees instead of evening showings. For further savings, look to see if there are small independent movie theaters nearby. There will often be free/discounted showings sponsored by local organizations. Look for dollar movie theaters in your area, most often the movies shown are only one or two months old. Libraries also have a wide video/dvd selection available for free, just check one out like you check out books. Have a movie night with a bunch of friends and share the cost of renting a movie. Better yet, have a movie night at your cinephile friend's place. How about just watching movies that are shown on tv!

It's even easier to find cheap books than cheap movies. It's completely free to check books out from your library. See if there are used book shops or book traders near campus, these shops sometimes have sidewalk sales to get of older books that aren't worth very much. Look for books for sale at libraries and charity book collections. If you have access to a large bookstore, then just grab a good book and relax in one of the many comfy chairs they have there. Make sure not to crease the pages or damage the spine and put everything back when you're finished.

Look through your departments' seminar and presentation postings for events that are free and open to the public, they may even offer free food. You can learn something, have some fun, and get fed at the same time.

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