Things That Cost Little That Bring Joy To Your Life

[jeffrey]

What things cost little money that bring great joy to your life?

[cschin4]

Bird watching

I buy black sunflower seed and mixed feed and just toss a couple cupfuls scattered on the deck and rail. I got a huge variety of birds and when you scatter the seed lke that instead of feeders, the birds and other critters will all feed together and in harmony as long as there is a bit of space. With feeders, they will compete so you only see one at a time. Also, with scattered seed, it is absolutely endearing to see the male cardinal or other male bird actually feed the female.

[cschin4]

It is like having a lot of pets for very little cost or inconvenience.

[cschin4]

Playing an instrument

I play the guitar, organ and dulcimer. I am not good at any of them. But, i really enjoy teaching myself new songs and teaching myself about music. There are tons of free lessons all over the internet. The only real cost is the initial start up costs of getting the instrument and you can buy used instruments very cheaply.

[disneysteve]

How long of a list would you like?

My family, of course.
Being outdoors on a beautiful day - walking, hiking, biking, whatever.
Having a leadership role in my synagogue.
Cooking a great meal at home from scratch.

[kork13]

Oh yea, long list...

My photography
Just walking around, whether in big cities, parks, beaches, woods, wherever
Reading
Cooking/enjoying it afterward
Spending time with my friends and family
it goes on... Some of the nicest and most enjoyable things in life can be free/inexpensive

[cschin4]

People watching

It is fun to sit in the mall or out somewhere and just observe people, seeing what they do and hearing snippets of their conversation.

[cantretire]

Hugs!

[Ima saver]

playing ball with my puppy!

[sandrark]

Game nights. We used to do this much more frequently...

- Buy or make pizza dough. Provide sauce and cheese, drinks.
- Invite friends. Ask them to bring one topping for pizza, and one game.
- Games and people. Mix and match.

Total cost was typically ~$25 for the night, and we'd have 15-25 people spread around the house, playing, laughing, talking, or in the kitchen making pizzas. Lots of fun.

Sandi

[PrincessPerky]

First time I heard someone else mention non family Game nights

My number one personal (inexpensive) indulgence..a hot shower ALONE, I have 4 kids, youngest is one, so getting 15-20 minutes all alone is a slice of heaven.

My newfound indulgence is an afternoon at co-op, half the kids are in music or art, the other two are usually quiet, and there are adults to talk to!

So this is not sounding much like an advertisement for parenthood....honest I like my kids too. Last night was a fun kid night, some blueberries and/or strawberries topped with ice cream(yes you say it that way, main ingredient is the fruit), followed by a game of flinch (like skipbo) and then a quiet reading of the advent book.

[FrugalTexan75]

First time I heard someone else mention non family Game nights

followed by a game of flinch (like skipbo) and then a quiet reading of the advent book.

Princess Perky,

Several of the churches I've attended in the past have held game nights. Partly as a fundraiser for the church school, and partly as a social gathering. I LOVED those! I'm trying to get my current church family to do something similar.

Flinch is an awesome game! I have my grandma's set of cards #1-15. She and I would play for hours together whenever my family or I visited. When she died, I inherited the Flinch cards and the Singer Treadle sewing machine.

---
My simple pleasures include:

reading
listening to the rain
the first snow of the season
hearing a great new song
getting a call from a friend who I don't see or talk to often
walking the dogs
having the cat greet me in the morning and purr away happily
a warm bed on a cold morning
a cup of hot cocoa made with real milk, whip cream and marshmallows
a bowl of oatmeal on a cold morning
going to a musical concert - either of a favorite artist, or a free church concert, or program put on by children
having money to put into savings --- that *stays* there
spending time with family
phone calls and email from my brother

Many, many more.

[segmond]

condoms.