Poverty Is Boring

I'll be doing a series of things to do that don't cost.  This is the first piece in the pool.

So you can't go to the movies because there is no extra money.  HBO and Showtime are no longer cable options.  Or even cable maybe.  It is too cold out to go take a long walk.   You already looked for jobs on the internet.   Made your phone calls.  Forget shopping.  Poverty is really really boring.  Here are some things that you can do to tap into some more creative interests and give you a chance to exercise those parts of your brain that are feeling stagnant.

The internet is a miracle. Even if your electricity is turned off, you can find it at the library waiting to show you the world.  The only problem is there is so damned many options.  Right now my favorite choice in the road to creative stimulation is hitREcord.org.  This is really neat site created by actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt.  You can contribute graphics, words, sound bytes, video to or grab a few that other people contributed to it and produce your own mash up of creativity.  It costs nothing but time. And you feel like a working genius even if you aren't getting paid.  Screw poverty!  Bring on the starving arteests!

My next favorite somewhat free thing is mine the library for treasure. Oh, sure all of those books and dvds and magazines that normally would cost you the electric bill (or 2-4 lattes) are there.  We all know that.  But our library also has classes, knitting circles, reading groups and....bless them to pieces....museum passes.  Nothing is a better healer of poverty woe than appreciating what probably other at one time poor people created.  Sometimes the passes offer a discount but its still better than full price.  And it gives you a place to go that actually requires you to move.  A definite downside to the internet.

And if those don't kill the doldrums, find yourself a reminder that there are worse things in the world than no cable.  Volunteer to help someone else. Seniors, shelters, whatever appeals to your sense of virtue.  It makes you feel better about yourself.  It reminds you that you still have things when others don't. You are contributing even if it isn't in a monterary sense. And if you don't have a library with museum passes and you don't want to sit in front of the computer for an exhorbatant amount of time, this will fill that poverty boredum hole in a big bad way. volunteermatch.org