Frugal entertainment/luxuries?

**peanut** · 10-24-2009, 06:58 PM

What are your plans for frugal entertainment/luxuries this winter? I have some entertainment planned, but it's not very frugal. I'm taking a spinning class...which is expensive. BUT...

When DD#2 asked me what I wanted for my birthday, we went to a Christian bookstore and picked out a couple of DVDs for DH and I to watch on cold winter nights.

I'm also going to free groups to knit, stitch and quilt. Plus I have 3 church groups to go to that are free.

Plus I'm planning on making heavy use of the library and internet for free information. I'm thinking it might be time to listen to some of Mom's opera CDs I inherited and read up on opera from her books.

I have some home exercise programs/DVDs I can workout to...if that's considered entertainment!

Hmm...what's everyone up to?

**Inkstain82** · 10-24-2009, 07:12 PM

With the new baby, Mrs. Stain and I are not going to be able to play in our casual curling league this season.

Probably just try to expand my cooking repertoire.

**Libby** · 10-24-2009, 08:57 PM

My frugal luxury - self pedicures and facials. I take a bath (shower girl here) and then use my special lotions and then paint my toes and enjoy a cup of tea or hot choc and watch a chick flick

Or I read after and just relax without a care to the world...this is MY hour of QT with myself

**pollypurebred39** · 10-24-2009, 09:08 PM

Being creative. I'll work on my crafts I've begun and start a few more.

Maybe start attending Friday night Bible study again.

I'd like to start having more family nights with videos at home if work schedules mesh.

**Contrary Housewife** · 10-24-2009, 09:37 PM

Food is one of the cheapest luxuries out there. A great steak, perfect baked potato and a luscious chocolate cake dessert can be had at home for about $10 per person.

For the winter I am planning warm bubble baths, hot chocolate, and good books under a blanket while it snows.

**OOwl** · 10-24-2009, 09:46 PM

My frugal luxury is dog-training classes for my three dogs (usually only one at a time). The dogs enjoy the one-on-one time, we both enjoy the exercise, and it makes the dogs better pets. Some home insurance companies get nervious about certain breeds (and I have one that usually makes their list) so it helps to have obedience class completion and temperament certificates to show them if they express concern about the dog's risk to others. With my new budget, the dog classes that I have taken for granted for so many years became that frugal luxury item.

**Maine Girl** · 10-25-2009, 08:44 AM

Special meals, books, netflix movies, tv movies and maybe some loom knitting or sewing.

**Maine Girl** · 10-25-2009, 08:58 AM

Also last year through netflix i picked a tv show i wanted to watch and watched a dvd a week and made a special meal and i looked forward to it. The netflix plan i picked is $9.44 a month, i have been known to watch 8 dvds a month.

**savvy_sniper** · 10-25-2009, 09:29 AM

I have a counted cross stitch that I am going to try to complete this winter. I also have a bunch of Christmas ornaments and wreath kits that I got a great deal on several years ago. I pull out the box about this time every year and make a few.

The new library that is being built VERY close to my house will have it's grand opening in December. I will start going to the library on a regular basis again.

**ladytoysdream** · 10-25-2009, 09:33 AM

Hubby has his tv, and I have the computer.
He works more hours in the winters.

My cheap enterntainment is hand / machine knitting, crocheting, and reading online. I do have some videos piled up that I can watch in the other room, while I am working on knitting projects.
I also have plenty of books and magazines in the house.
Plan is to hibernate.

**Monner 1** · 10-25-2009, 09:42 AM

I think my entertainment will be more reading and getting started with my scrapbooking once again. I think I am going to try several new recipes. I know I would like to lose 20lbs. but that won't happen if I start eating the new recipes.

Monner

**ravenmaniac** · 10-25-2009, 10:11 AM

Good thread. This one has really got me thinking.

I love the seasons, the least of my favorites is summer, I don't like the heat.

I plan on reading, I love to read. Fiction or non-fiction and different genres.

I enjoy watching movies, football (nfl and college), and college basketball.

I enjoy playing the Wii so the Wii fit will be part of my exercise.

Sitting in my family room near my wood stove crocheting, knitting, reading, and hopefully organizing photos will be part of my entertainment.

I give myself pedicures and manicures. I feel I do just as good of job as the salon without the price.

As for luxuries, just enjoying every day I consider a luxury.

**peanut** · 10-25-2009, 10:15 AM

Thanks everyone! It's nice to know what other people plan to do. I hadn't thought about buying a TV series DVD to watch...hmmm...DH often borrows them from the library. But then because of loan policies, we have to watch them as fast as we can to get it all in before we have to return them. A real bummer. Maybe a Christmas present is due...

**McD** · 10-25-2009, 10:35 AM

Originally Posted by peanut

Thanks everyone! It's nice to know what other people plan to do. I hadn't thought about buying a TV series DVD to watch...hmmm...DH often borrows them from the library. But then because of loan policies, we have to watch them as fast as we can to get it all in before we have to return them. A real bummer. Maybe a Christmas present is due...

Peanut, something I am looking into buying hubby for Christmas may be of interest to you for this situation. I have seen it set-up at a techie wizard's house and it's amazing. The initial invesment is about $200 (usd) but I think it will be quite beneficial to us. With as much as you guys borrow movies from the library you guys would like it to, I think.

It's called the Western Digital movie player ([ame="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001JZFQU4/ref=s9_wishf_gw_t?ie=UTF8&coliid=I3HQVDL1293YXJ&colid=27M8X5US8CKB4&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=right-csm-1&pf_rd_r=11J33NF4F0JAT1F2Q2GN&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=494010391&pf_rd_i=507846"]Amazon.com: Western Digital WD TV HD Media Player: Electronics[/ame]). You can basically 'dump' all sorts of movies, music, etc onto it via an external harddrive. The techie wizard hasn't bought an actual movie in about 3 years, he just has a netflix subscription that he gets the movie, dumps it on his harddrive, sends it back, and keeps going. He literally had thousands of movies and complete t.v. series available at his fingertips to watch as his leisure. He also had home videos, pictures, and stuff stored on there.

Anyways, winter time will be similar for me, I'll be on maternity leave for the first few months of winter and while i will have access to a car, I am not going to want to schlep newborn and Wesley all over creation. Luckily, I have a few good friends who live close by, so we are gonna have little get-togethers a couple times a week where the kiddos play and we craft. I'll be interested to see all the suggestions in this thread as well!

**MaryCarney** · 10-25-2009, 11:29 AM

I am wanting to start writing again. I was at a conference this weekend, and was asked about re-printing my books. So maybe I'll get my editor's hat out and work on that.

The thing I'm really looking forward to is that DS will be getting his drivers' license by Christmas, and I will no longer have to drive the teens to swim and baseball practice, unless the weather's bad.

I joined a gym, and plan to get going on that, too. My 'splurge' is hiring a trainer maybe twice a month to keep me pointed in the right direction.