Saving money on entertainment

Hello my lovely chocolate buttons!

Today I thought I would talk about saving money on entertainment. I have already posted about saving money on hobbies, which you can visit by clicking here. This time, however, I am going to talk about one of the areas which will either cost you a fortune, or cost you nothing. Entertainment.

I have friends who seem unable to find something to do within their own home. Without fail, once a week, I will get a call from atleast one of these friends asking me to "go to the movies" or "go out for a drink". This may sound harmless enough, but for someone trying to live simply and cheaply, getting into the habit of finding external sources for your entertainment is going to be extremely costly.

What I challenge you to do is find a method of entertaining yourself that does not involve spending money with other people. The problem with having a social life, from personal experience, is that it burns deep holes in your pockets. You're always encouraged to buy lunch, or buy that pair of shoes your friend recommends, and this is why I urge you to find ways to entertain yourself without needing to be with other people.

Read books online, watch movies online, find a hobby such as craft or gardening which has the potential to return profits, or save you money in other ways, start exercising (at home of course, gym memberships are extremely expensive). Why not try your hand at baking or cooking? What about learning music, or writing a book? Hell, why not even try blogging? It's cheap, entertaining, has the potential to earn you money, and it's very satisfying.

Now, I'm not telling you to lock yourself in your house and alienate yourself from society. Go out with your friends sometimes, spend a little bit of money, but you shouldn't have to rely on that weekend shopping spree, or the thursday night movie and pizza session.

One of the easiest ways to prevent yourself from spending money when out with your friends, is simply to just not carry any. Keep your pockets empty, don't carry cash, or alternatively, leave your cards at home and only carry a $20 note. Budgetting while shopping is going to save you a fortune. I posted about this technique in January here.

Happy saving!