Introduction
I always felt that those who lived a good life had a lot of money. I have come to the belief that anyone can live a good life, as long as they use their mind. Being open minded and enthusiastic, you can find anything in the universe to provide you with living a good life. Here are eight things you can do to live a good life for cheap or FREE:
1. Mindfulness therapy
This involves simply focusing on your breathing and body. Do you have a chair or something to seat yourself in an upright position? Do you have a floor? If so, you are all set. It’s all about deep inhales and exhales. Breathe in and out as much as your lungs can. Progressive muscle relaxation is about tensing the muscles so your body and mind can be relaxed. If you are unaware how to correctly conduct these exercises, you can go here and here, among other places, where you can do guided meditation and progressive relaxation for free.
2. Educate yourself
Your town or city library gives a free welcome to all. A warm place to stay, where you can get three hots (of library books) and a cot (a seat and desk for yourself to rest and read). You can even attend a local university (community or state college) and hibernate there during library hours.
With free Wi-Fi, an endless supply of books and databases, desktop computers, and depending on the library they sell food and coffee, this can be a man’s second home. No need to pay tuition or fees, unless you forget to bring a book back on time. I was not a student, I was not part of a fraternity, not part of a secret society or affiliation. I have been to all types of libraries, and they all provided me free access to feed my mind.
3. Food
Shop for food
Stop ordering out and shop for your food. Compare the receipts of food spent on take-out versus spent in the supermarket, and you will see a difference. If you want to save money, I would say buy supermarket brand first. If you’re trying to eat clean, you can still find oatmeal, nuts, chicken breast and eggs from supermarket grade. Most restaurants do not use free range or organic products.
You are better off getting supermarket brand macronutrients through meat, eggs, and produce. If you don’t care how you eat, then the world is yours at a supermarket. You will be shaving at least $15 to $25 from your expenditures. Think about where that $15 to $25 can go to – condoms? More beer? For yourself? That is more money for you!
Join Yelp
Joining Yelp is great for anyone who wants to go out, meet people, eat and drink alcohol for FREE. Yelp is a website where people can review businesses. It’s a social medium, like Facebook, where you can add friends and fans/followers and network with them. If you can consistently write a detailed review, meaning 20 sentences from 15 to 20 businesses and participate on the talk boards, you can ask your Yelp peers and community manager from your area to nominate you for “elite” status.
The catch is, you have to review these 20 businesses on your own, meaning, you have to write and pay for the food at your local mom and pop spot, the mechanic who fixed your car, or the jazz club who served you drinks. Either way it is all worth it if you want to be entitled to monthly events of free food (appetizers, entrees, desserts) and liquor.
4. Clothing
Marshall’s, TJ Maxx and Nordstrom Rack are a few places I shop for brand name clothing for cheap. I believe that depending on what brands you research, a brand name can mean everything for quality. Take for instance Magnani, which is a shoe company from Spain. They hand make and hand paint their shoes, having a pair retail anywhere from $300 to $500, but you can find them at Nordstrom Rack anywhere from $75 to $200. Their shoes feel amazing, and don’t need resoling until 10 to 15 years after purchase. Purchasing quality shoes from the above places, you can walk in style and comfort with money saved.
Magnanni – Handmade in Spain.
5. Fitness
You can work out at home without having to pay for a gym membership. Pushups, high and low plank holds, mountain climbers, burpees, prisoner squats or squats of all kinds can be done inside the comforts of your home. Go out for a jog, do a few sprints up and down the street, maybe purchase a TRX, do pull ups at a place with poles and bars.
If you and your friends are cool, you can use them as resistance and put them over your shoulders to do squats and pushups. Go work out in a playground. Whether it’s from a New York Sports Club or the garage of your drunken uncle’s house, muscles see no difference.
Man using the TRX
6. Meetup events
Meetup is a great way to socialize and network. There are thousands of events where you can eat, drink, socialize, and have fun from cheap to free. I have attended events where they may have asked for $5 up front, events where they have asked for a $3 donation, to events where they wanted nothing, just your time and presence.
From meditation, laughter yoga, hiking, cooking workshops, learning or improving your Spanish or Japanese, to a singles meet up, I have had a great time during all of these events. It’s even a great time to pick up women.
7. Acupuncture and Massage Therapy
I always thought that acupuncture was for the elderly, until I tried it. What motivated me was through a meetup event. I wanted to do this for shits and jiggles. I was surprised to find that I was able to sleep better, think better, and live more calmly. Check your local listings for a community acupuncture center. Since it’s done for the community, you do not undergo the traditional session where you get naked and they put pins all over your back.
You share a room sometimes with 2 or more people, so you’re limited to pins placed only from your elbows to hands, knees to feet, and maybe a few on your head. For as low as $15 an hour, I believe it is well worth it.
There are great massage therapists who charge a lot as well. Since I like deep tissue massage, which usually costs $60 to $90 for one hour to an hour and a half sessions, I found those who could charge me way less. I have been attending student massage centers, and pay a flat rate of $32 for about an hour.
Since the school operates from that fee, and the students work for school credit, you can request anything you want. Your back has been hurting and you need some tension relief? Tell them that! Your neck and shoulders hurt? Tell them that! You want them to go easy on the pressure? These students are there to serve you (Note: Happy endings could occur if good game is used).
8. Dating
If it’s cold out, you can go to a coffee shop or a wine tasting. You say that alcohol is a great way to get down a girl’s pants? I know of breweries that are as low as $10 for entry, and you both can leave there pretty buzzed or drunk, depending who is pouring. I can’t count how many times I have attended these things where the attendants would give me three and sometimes five samples because they had to waste a bottle, said they were “in a good mood” (probably because they were drinking from the tap, too!), or because the tasting time frame was coming to an end.
If it’s warm, go tubing down the river. Take a walk in a nice metropolitan area, go sightseeing or to a museum. If you’re a musician, show her music you just composed at your pad. Play that awesome chorus on your saxophone or guitar. Play a hip hop instrumental from Youtube or Spotify and rap a verse or two. These all seemed to work for myself and many men who had no other means.
Conclusion
People think it takes a lot of money to live a good life. I disagree with that notion. I believe it takes a person who is savvy and willing to explore the many opportunities in life. Don’t ever say “you can’t live a good life unless you have money.” You have the power to live however you expand your mind.
Read More: 8 Signs You Should Break Up With A Girl
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