Entertainment

Sustainability doesn't mean constant work or that you never get to have fun. There are also plenty of ways to have a blast on a tight budget. Rather than eating out, you can have some friends or family over and all cook a nice dinner together. And instead of going to the matinee, take turns hosting movie nights with friends with pizza and popcorn. There are tons of things to do if you just think a little outside the box.

Frequently take advantage of free and cheap plays, concerts, etc. hosted in your area. Many of these events are sponsored by schools, churches, parks, local theaters, etc. If you have a college campus nearby, pay attention to what's going on with their drama department. Their plays are often free and it is nice to support them. Also make sure you visit your local parks. This is especially nice if you have children; they can play with other kids, run out a lot of energy, and you can picnic as a family there as well. If you have a local art museum, those are usually free or inexpensive to visit.

A few things Stevie and I have done for entertainment in the past include attending a local Native American Pow Wow, visiting parks, touring the art museum (the children's section is particularly fun) and going to the Georgia Aquarium for our graduation trip (instead of a cruise to Central America like the rest of our class).

I actually saw the pow wow with my grandmother, who is very into Native American culture. It was my first pow wow and it was very interesting. It was also a free event put on to educate people about Native American tradition. Click the photos to enlarge.

He was a very good dancer.

I really enjoyed watching the children.

The Georgia Aquarium was really fun. I had been before, but Stevie hadn't.

Of course, we packed our own lunch and ate out at the car rather than inside because their food is ridiculously overpriced. 

We also enjoyed a really big nice park nearby while we were there with a cool fountain that randomly sprays up from out of the ground in many places. Not sure what those are called. You can run around in it though and it was really nice in the summer when we went. 

I took pictures of all sorts of cool aquatic life and we got to feed and pet some sting rays.

The shark tunnel there is really cool too. You don't even have to walk through it, they move you on a conveyer belt!

So next time you think of going out, think about what you could do for fun in your own home or neighborhood. Enjoy nature, the arts, and most of all the people you love.