Hiking...an inexpensive, simple pleasure

I’m looking forward to wrapping up my second semester of my credential program. Luckily this semester, I have zero finals! It’s wonderful. Hence the ending of the semester, I’ve been much too busy to focus on writing an intelligently thought out post. Instead, I decided to quickly mention a few things I enjoy doing after a long days work (I’ve been pulling 11-12 hour days..argh!) that are inexpensive, simple pleasures:

• Bird Watching: We’ve turned our backyard into a wildlife oasis. Between our water fountain, which the birds use as a bird bath, and our huge pile of bird seed, the birds (and squirrels) go crazy. It’s amusing to say the least (especially if you add a beverage…..) Total cost: Bag of bird seed – $5.00 (add a beer: $6.25)
• Movie Night: I don’t watch television. I know, I’m missing out on all those creative commercials. But I do download Netflix movies and make pretty much every night Movie Night. For less than $1.00 a movie, it’s an inexpensive way to spend an evening. Total cost: $13.00 a month.
• Hiking with a friend: I haven’t had much time to hang out with my friends lately between work and school. However, I do make sure to spend one weekend a month hiking with a friend. We choose an easy to moderate trail (we have one favorite we like to hike) and spend an hour or so chatting and exercising at the same time. Total cost: Zero dollars.
• Camping: I’ve mentioned camping before, it’s a great low-cost weekend adventure. I’m always up for an adventure, and I adore campfires! Too bad I don’t play the guitar. We set up our tent not long ago and are planning a weekend get-away for next month. Since we own most of the gear, which we’ve accumulated over the past few years, the cost is pretty low. Total cost: $75 for groceries plus $25 for the site fee.

You’ll notice that I didn’t add in the cost of gasoline (driving to the camp site or driving to the local hike). However, even adding in that expense, it’s minimal compared to the total experience and enjoyment I receive!

What do you do for fun that is inexpensive? Have you found simple pleasures that are enjoyable anytime?

We've been Netflix users for almost as long as the company has been around.

My husband and I own a TV, yet it’s sitting in our armoire in the bedroom collecting dust. We keep it only because, well…., actually I’m not really sure why we still have it. But that’s not to say we don’t watch anything and we’re completely in the dark on television shows or movies. Well, okay, we’re clueless to any new commercials,  I haven’t seen a commercial in years. However we do keep entertained through Netflix, whether it’s on demand or DVD’s that get mailed directly to us. Our office is set up to watch DVD’s through our computer, and since our office is our living room, after a days work, we sit back, relax and watch whatever movie was shipped to us or my husband queued up.

I don’t mind going to a movie theater on occasion, however my husband has always had a severe aversion to movie theaters. Most of his reasons are valid ones: the floor is sticky, he can’t drink a beer while watching a movie, the audience is too noisy, he can’t pause the movie to use the restroom, etc. I clearly see where he’s coming from, I too don’t like a sticky floor and usually have to use the restroom half-way through the film. Yet, there is something nostalgic about going to a theater. When I was little, my father use to take me quite often. The air conditioning on a humid summer day was a great way to get relief from the sweltering heat. My dad still loves going to the theater, he goes every other day, by himself, or with a family member. When we visit each other, whether I go to New York to see him, or he comes to visit me, we usually go to the movies at least once during our visit.

Since I’m okay with not going to the theater on a daily basis or as frequently as my father, I am content with viewing movies through Netflix. Usually my husband and I find independent gems this way and often avoid the blockbuster hits of the summer. The actors in independents are usually much more talented, in our opinion. When I do go to the movie theater, I see it as a treat.

Netflix also offers many monthly plan options and for a while, when we were downloading movies frequently, we were able to spend less than $10 a month on our entertainment. This is way less than cable or going to a theater. We’ve recently upped our plan with Netflix, yet it’s still under $30. Had my husband and I been in a better financial situtation 5 years ago, we would have invested in Netflix, it was under $13 per share. We feel we’ve missed the boat on this stock, however, it’s now over $45. But for some lucky investors, they made a little bit of money on a hugely popular idea.