Activity #3-Karaoke

The many pros and cons of singing karaoke at the Maple Room:

Pros:

• amazing music selection
• spending time with great company
• meeting new people with cool nicknames
• drunks singing karaoke off-key makes it a lot easier to get up and sing in front of everyone
• no cover

Cons:

• metal bars on the windows on the outside
  
• peeling paint on the inside
  
• there is a sprinkling of sketchy patrons
  
• the bartender wags his finger at you when you yawn
• clouds of tobacco smoke

My conclusions? Who wants to attend a cookie cutter bar and spend $5-$10 on a cover? Not me, which is why I'll be visiting the Maple Room again someday. :)

Free Activity #2-Zombie Walk

Yesterday was the 10th Annual Trash Film Orgy in Sacramento. To celebrate, hundreds of zombies marched through the streets of city. After packing a picnic dinner, we biked downtown to watch the eerie procession. It was wonderful!

Saved:

$25-$35 by packing our own lunch
$3-5 by biking instead of driving

Another biking perk was not searching for parking!

Free Activity #1-Archery

We borrowed a bow and long arrows from my brother; I already had short arrows. Since it was only my second time this year, we were only able to shoot a few rounds. It takes a lot of strength to pull back the bow. The disadvantage of shooting for free is that we can only use the arrows that we have. Bryce used the 3 arrows that my brother had and I used the 6 that I had. Custom arrows are expensive; they are about $40 a dozen. Also, my shots were really inconsistent. I could definitely use some lessons! Maybe I'll look into them in a year from now. :)

Saved:

$120 by borrowing a bow
$40 by using the arrows that we had instead of buying more
$5 by shooting at a free range

1 Year of Free Fun

After evaluating our living expenses, we have determined that we can live on $1600 a month. Our rent is $885, we share a car that we have paid off, and we shop at a discount grocery store. We have also decided to stop paying for fun.

My goal over the next year is to find 101 free activities.

Goodbye restaurants, hotels and theaters.

Hello possibilities! Hello swimming at the river, biking, attending street fairs, finally finishing that book that I started, drawing in the park...

Our Dream

I just married the love of my life on June 12, 2010. Every moment since that day, I think about starting a family. It may be because I'm turning 30 this year or because I have finally found the father of my children. Either way, we have determined to change our lifestyles so that can afford our dream: raising our kids with a full-time mom.

We have a lot stacked against us. My 8% pay cut at work begins next month. My sweet husband is a Navy vet and is working on a degree in computer science. We are so fortunate that he has the GI Bill. Still, 3 years until his graduation means that we are living and planning our future on my salary and his school allowance.

It's going to take a lot of sacrifice to realize our dream, but I know that it will be worth it.