Posted: December 8th, 2010 | Author: Joe | Filed under: spending | Tags: dining, entertainment, Farnoosh Torabi, grocery costs, Insurance, insurance costs, Saving Money, spending | 3 Comments »
Yahoo! Finance’s Farnoosh Torabi gives a quick (3:48) run down on 5 simple ways to cut your expenses by up to $2,000 per year. Here’s the list:
1. Trim your grocery bill – Save up to $520 per year.
2. Lower insurance costs (car & home owner’s ) – Save up to $120 per year.
3. Prescription drugs – Save up to $204 per year.
4. Cable bill – Save up to $480 per year.
5. Entertainment -Save up to $600 per year.
There isn’t anything unheard of on this list, and there aren’t any ground breaking new ideas for saving here, but you may pick up some tips you hadn’t thought of. I for one got a few from the entertainment section, where Farnoosh talks about how to “live it up for less”. Besides, Farnoosh is easy on the eyes ! 
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Posted: May 27th, 2008 | Author: Joe | Filed under: Saving, Tips | Tags: Cheap, entertainment, Hobbies, How To, Lifestyle, Saving Money | 35 Comments »
There was a time when my wife and I would go out to the movies every weekend to catch the latest “must see” release from Hollywood. That’s about the same time I would buy the latest upgrade for my PC to run the latest game that was fetching rave reviews. Yes, I’m a former Unreal and Quake addict.
But the times, as the saying goes, have changed.
Flash forward 8 years and I’m writing this on my old gaming PC, circa 1999. The last movie my wife and I saw in a theater was The Return of the King in 2003.
Why the lifestyle change? We now have two small children that take up most of our time (and money). Don’t get me wrong, we wouldn’t have it any other way, but scaling back to live on a single income has meant making tough decisions about what is important enough to spend our limited financial resources on. Hence, the foregone computer upgrade, and lack of an entertainment budget.
That doesn’t mean we don’t have fun. It just means we’ve had to find inexpensive hobbies to amuse us in what we jokingly call our spare time. Here are some of the ways we entertain ourselves on the cheap:
1. Playing Music.
This can be costly if you are buying an instrument, but teaching yourself to play is relatively cheap. Also, the various equipment and maintenance (reeds, strings, picks, piano tuning, etc..) are re-occurring expenses, but relatively infrequent. Upright pianos can often be found for free (“if only someone will take it away!”), and other instruments can be found likewise through want ads or freecycle .
Even if you don’t go the hand me down route, many new instruments can be purchased for a one time cost of a couple hundred dollars. My wife bought me an acoustic guitar somewhere in the $400-600 range for my birthday a few years back, and I’ve only ever spent money on new strings every couple of months or so. Any serious guitarist will tell you that this is not often enough, but hey- it’s only a hobby. This type of hobby is not to be ignored especially if you have children. Children love music, even if you’re not a trained musician. Trust me, I know. I have been playing guitar for 6 years now and I’m no Eric Clapton but my kids love it. Most of the time. 
Great, cheap guitars for beginners can be found for under $200.
2. Writing.
You’ll be amazed at what you can learn about yourself through regular writing, whether it is in a journal or a blog. Plus, there’s no better escape from the drudgery of life. If you really like to write and find that you’re not half bad it, you can even make a few extra dollars doing it. Check out content development sites like AssociatedContent and HubPages or start your own blog.
3. Reading.
Reading is the single best way to increase your knowledge, or escape from the dull realities of your everyday life. The best part is – it’s absolutely free through your public library. With the Internet and inter-library exchanges, you can find most any book at your local library. You’re already paying for it with your tax dollars, so why not use it?
4. Knitting and Crocheting.
My wife loves to knit. It’s pretty rare in our generation, but it is a soothing hobby for her and she’s even made some hats, scarves, and the obligatory sweater for the kids. Having a relaxing hobby to unwind after a day of chaos AND making your own clothes for mere pennies – that’s a good thing in my book.
5. Astronomy.
OK,I know what you’re thinking: “Astronomy is a cheap hobby? No way!” The problem here is that any hobby can get expensive if you get carried away, it’s just that getting carried away with astronomy entails dropping a couple grand on delicate equipment like telescopes and lens. But it doesn’t have to be that way. You can get quite a bit out of a pair of binoculars (much less expensive than a telescope), and a star map.
6. Photography.
Photography was once a keen interest of mine, but after I left college I dropped it like a bad habit. The problem was that I no longer had access to a photo lab and I was horrible at remembering to get my film developed. Plus the cost of film and the development of that film was not exactly cheap. But digital cameras have changed that. You can get a decent digital camera for less than $200 and if you get really good at photography, development is dirt cheap now as well.
7. Walking, Hiking and Running.
These are excellent hobbies because they’re cheap AND healthy, and who doesn’t like that? It’ll only set you back the cost of a good pair of shoes and maybe some appropriate clothing.
8. Painting and Drawing.
Paints and paper are relatively inexpensive, and you may have a budding Rembrandt or Picasso inside you. Hey, you never know!
9. Meditation and Yoga.
Two more healthful hobbies that cost little to nothing. You may want to sign up for some classes to get a proper introduction to the techniques, but there are also many how to books for the DIY enthusiasts. I bought a couple such books back when I was still in high school. The techniques I learned from them have helped me get through some pretty tough times over the years. I’ve haven’t practiced either for quite a while, but writing this post makes me want to get back into the habit again. What can I say, after having two small children I long for the peacefulness these hobbies can bring.
10. Baking and Cooking.
If you love to cook, or bake, then this is a win-win hobby! You get the pleasure of making your own meals and desserts, while saving money on groceries. And again, this one can be loads of fun with young children involved.
If you have an inexpensive hobby that’s not on the list, please leave a comment – I’m always on the lookout for something new!
Photos:
Camera and Books © Zsuzsanna Kilián
Yarn © Ben Earwicker
Guitar © Ana Paola Oliveira Loeblein
Yoga © My Yoga Online
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