Money Mondays

Today I am feeling a little ill qualified to talk about managing money, our rent is increased and my credit card is out of control due to a little thing called 'getting married'. I am trying to get together a portion of crafts to sell at market but that payoff will involve lots of hard hard work and will occur sometime in the future. And well, being jobless isn't exactly the best thing in the world

Let's just say meals this fortnight will largely consist of rice.

So what are we to do in times like this to amuse ourselves? Because worrying about money is not fun at all. How do we stave off the depression that comes when every time you open the refrigerator/pantry the contents are ever diminishing? shoes become worn and you envy people who can drop a $2 coin without noticing.

Well there are some things that you can do that don't cost any money *gasp*

For instance if you are lucky enough to live near the beach (or any body of water) like I am then take a walk! Admire the beauty, go for a swim, clear your head and when you return your body at least will thank you.

Another great and free place to find entertainment basically anywhere is your local library. I remember when I first moved out of home I would spend every Saturday there gathering a collection of books I could read during the week, borrowing DVDs and surfing the net for free. Once I even borrowed a book on writing HTML, I barely remember any of it and didn't finish it but they have so many cool books there. It was the best, well not the long walk back home with a ton of books in scorching heat but you get the picture.

Sometimes if you head to your local tourist information centre, you can find info about local attractions and things to do. Many 'locals' have not taken the opportunity to see the things that are offered locally, so it is a good way to see something outside of your daily drive to work/school. In Newcastle there is the Museum, located just behind Civic railway station, it has free entry and many great and interesting things to look at. Another cool place to visit is Blackbutt Reserve, you can picnic there, see Australian wildlife, play boules, take a walk and all for the low low cost of $0 yep ZERO isn't it great? Then of course there are places like the Newcastle Art Gallery which has free general admission but some special exhibitions attract a fee.

Or you can just take a good old fashioned stroll with a friend or a loved one, have a chat, see cool buildings that you wouldn't normally notice, discover new parts of your city, get some exercise!!

The most important aspect of keeping those blues away is exercise! so next time you feel down about your finances take a walk and remind yourself it's not going to last forever - sometimes it just feels that way :)