Kick the Amp Over

This weekend, from 7/11 until 7/13, I did something I haven’t done since I was roughly 12 years old.

I did not spend a single cent.

I spent money in the sense that I drove my car which used gas which is outrageously expensive these days, but what I mean is that my bank account did not change one bit for the entirity of the weekend.

Many people would consider this to be lame, and to a certain extent I agree with them.  But there’s a good reason for it– I simply can’t afford it.  I make enough money, I live with my parents so I don’t pay rent or utilities, but with the state of the economy there is absolutely no telling when I’ll have any chance to start making decent money on my own.  With 62,000 jobs lost in June 2008 alone, I’m lucky to even be underemployed.

This, my friends, is a fucked statement.

In fact, I know plenty of people who had internships recently, and whereas their companies usually hire (hypothetically) 25% of interns, the company ends up hiring 0% because they needed the free labor.

As a result of gas prices going up, the price of everything else has gone up.  A typical trip to the grocery store is more expensive than in recent years.  Milk is $6 a gallon.  Even beer prices are going up. So, it costs more money to travel to a store where it costs more money to purchase products.  We’re surrounded by increasing prices, diminishing wages and increased unemployment.

Therefore, I don’t feel like I can pour my money back into this fucked system, even though I know that lack of consumer confidence is hurting the system to begin with.

But, if I must look on the bright side, here are some things I’ve been doing recently to keep myself entertained for free:

1.)  Reading.  I’ll re-read books I already have, I’ll borrow books from friends, I’ll read articles on the internet (I do realize the internet isn’t always free, but I happen to have free access to it).  It’s a great way to pass the time.

2.)  Jogging.  Yes, Geroge W. Bush has fucked this country so hard that for recreation I do physical activity in the 101 degree DFW heat.  I guess I can thank George for getting me back in shape.  No, I won’t go that far.

3.)  Playing my old Nintendo 64.  You can’t get enough Goldeneye.  Even if you think you can, you simply can’t.

4.)  Netflix.  Okay, so this breaks the rule given that it costs money, but the cheapest unlimited plan is about $8 and with a shipping rate of 2 days, you can get in at least 10 movies a month if you try, which is completely worth it.

5.)  Playing the game Apples to Apples.  Again, this usually requires 2+ people and often those 2+ people have to travel to get to the playing venue, but might I recommend asking your neighbors.

6.)  Recording music.  I’ve taken on a musical project with a friend as a way for us to both entertain ourselves without spending money.  There are limitless free resources on the internet for the independent musician, and I recommend you check them out.

These are just a few examples.  Needless to say, this is a fucked period of time.