Go Fro-Yo
What You’ll Need:
- Access to one of a billion frozen yogurt shops
- $3-7, depending on how greedy you are
How To:
If you live somewhere within walking distance of a Pinkberry, Red Mango, Yogurtland, or any other variation of the sort, it’s a fun cheap excursion to take a walk for a cup of delicious amazing yogurt. (Can you tell I like it?) These places all start with the premise of a tasty yogurt treat, then topped with your choice of fruit, candy, nuts, and other morsels. Some places include 3 toppings and charge additional for extra. Others (and this is where you have to be careful) give you free rein to pile on the goods and charge by weight. If you’re insane like me, you plan out what flavors will form your yogurty base, and determine in advance which toppings are most likely to complement the yogurt. Others who will remain nameless go completely bonkers and put everything on their yogurt. This explains the kids (or kid-like adults) who have $10 cups of yogurt that’s full of Swedish fish, chocolate chip cookies, caramel sauce, marshmallows, peanut butter cups, and pineapple. (Yogurt stores LOVE these kinds of customers.)
On the good side, most of the yogurts are low in fat, high in acidophilus, and some are dairy-free, gluten-free, and sugar-free. So happy fro-yoing!
Lounge in a Hammock
What You’ll Need:
- A hammock
- Two trees or posts
- Optional: sunshine, tropical drink, book
How To:
Anyone who knows me knows that I am obsessed with hammocks. When I was a kid, our family got one and set it up in the backyard, and I could lounge in it for hours. There’s something about a hammock that is just intrinsically relaxing. In Mexico, a lot of people still use hammocks as a bed, and they’ll also place small children into the hammock and tie it shut so the kids can’t fall out. The hardest part is setting up the hammock, which is still easy; depending on the hammock, it may come with ties to make it easy; just make it secure enough that it can’t slide down the tree/post and you wind up on the ground.
My favorite thing is to read in a hammock and just let myself drift in and out of sleep on a nice afternoon. If you’re so inclined, you can bring a pillow and light blanket to make it more comfortable. Hammocks are also great outdoors, since its a bed that can be put away and set up anywhere you have some trees close together. (They can be great for camping trips, hunting trips, etc. where you want to pack light.) You may even need to bring a couple with you, since everyone will want their own. As a kid, it was also fun to swing in them really hard, but I can’t promise you won’t fall out.
Happy hammocking!
Attend a Storage Unit Auction
What You’ll Need:
- Cash
- Balls of steel
- A cool head
How To:
I admit to being a Storage Wars addict. I really fought it, but I can’t help it. Actually, I had a friend going to these auctions years before the show ever came on, and he used to make a killing. Abandoned storage units get auctioned off, and their contents– whatever they are– are sold to the highest bidder. Notices for auctions are frequently published in the local paper, or storage companies will post dates for auctions online.
Unlike what you see on the show, a lot of the units are empty or pretty worthless, but that means that you can get them for cheap. There is more competition these days for sure, as there are a lot of people out there who are inspired by the show to go looking for a score, especially in these economic conditions. You will need cash on hand, and watch out for a bidding war. Don’t get so caught up in the excitement that you end up paying hundreds for someone else’s dirty laundry (or worse, you never know what’s in those places.)
Ideally, you have a truck and access to a public dump, because you’ll probably need them. But you never know what awesome finds you’ll dig up, either, which is all the fun.
Happy bidding!
Roll Down a Hill
What You’ll Need:
- A grassy hill
- Gravity
How To:
Rolling down a hill is ridiculously fun, and a little scary depending on the size of the hill. You want to pick your hill carefully: preferably, there is soft thick grass, no muddy spots, no sharp objects (sticks, rocks), and no animal feces. Make your way and lie down at the top perpendicular to the slope. Start off by rolling downwards just to get some momentum; then gravity should take over and you’ll roll all the way down. Note that if your shoulders or hips are much wider than the other, you’ll tend to roll at an angle, so make sure it’s clear not just straight in front of you, but also left and right.
If you’re really bony (I have really prominent hip bones), you might want to pad those sensitive spots or wear thicker clothing, because I’ve bruised myself up big time. And if you have long hair, pull it back and secure it, because you know, you don’t want to look all crazy afterwards.
K, have fun!
Ride a Roller Coaster
Roller coasters are seriously one of my top 5 favorite things. When I was a kid, I was super wimpy and really afraid of things like roller coasters, but at some point the adrenaline junkie in me took over. There’s nothing quite like the anticipation of knowing you’re about to go flying through the air and scream your head off, and it’s so fun. Since summer is coming up, I hope you’ll plan a road trip with your family or a group of friends and go check out a few amusement parks with coasters. No matter your age, you’ll feel like a kid again, which is always good. If you’re really serious about coasters, you can join American Coaster Enthusiasts and get their newsletter to keep up to date on all the latest and greatest in coaster news, or at least feel like you’re part of a special group.
A few pieces of advice:
- Exercise caution if you have a bad back or other injuries that a roller coaster could irritate
- Do NOT ride the last coaster after you pigged out for lunch at the snack bar
- Don’t force your scaredy-cat friends to ride a roller coaster with you if they really don’t want to; they just get madder and madder
- Lines can be long; bring water and good conversation to keep you entertained and hydrated
- If you know where the camera is that takes photos along the track, get ready to pose– it makes buying the picture worthwhile
Put your hands up in the air, and have fun!