1. Check out the community calendar – your town/city/region probably has lots of fun, free things happening. Visit your town's website and those of surrounding communities. Read your township newsletter, if you receive one. Many communities offer free summer concerts, for example.
2. Libraries are amazing treasure troves of books, CD's DVD's and magazines you can borrow, plus many libraries offer free events such as children's story times, film nights, book clubs and more. Find your library at: www.publiclibraries.com
3. Check out your community's sports activities. Watch a Little League or youth soccer game, or join an adult league.
4. Visit a museum for free. Yes, many of them do offer free admission on certain days or times. Find a complete list here:
www.heyitsfree.net
5. Invite your neighbors over. They don't have to become your best friends, but it's good to know your neighbors and look out for each other. Plus they may provide useful resources. Perhaps one of your neighbors is a plumber, electrician or carpenter. Maybe you can barter or trade for needed services.
6. Start a blog on a topic that interests you. You can get a free blog at many sites, such as Google's Blogger.com site
Hone your writing skills, promote your career, or have fun – and maybe even earn a little revenue from online ads.
7. Clean out your cluttered closets and have a yard sale. Not only is it free, you can actually make money on this. Advertise it for free with flyers you print yourself, plus a free Craigslist ad.
8. Bad weather? Enjoy some puzzles. USA Today offers nice free crosswords and sodoku puzzles.
9. Volunteer at a public radio station or public access TV station and see what really goes on behind the scenes. Check with your cable company to find out more about their local access channels. To find radio stations, here's a directory to search by location: www.radio-locator.com
10. Relive your childhood at a playground. Take your own child, a family member, or friend's child to a public playground, but don't just stand there and watch. Pick a time when the place is not too crowded and have fun! Swing in the swings, or climb the monkey bars.
Photo credit via Flickr