WEBVTT - Make a $5 fun list

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeartRadio. Good morning.

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<v Speaker 1>This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. Today's

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<v Speaker 1>tip is that there is a lot of fun to

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<v Speaker 1>be had on even a small budget. So make a

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<v Speaker 1>list of $ 5 fun, and you will be ready to

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<v Speaker 1>enjoy cheap thrills anytime you need a little levity or

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<v Speaker 1>delight in your life. So if you have been listening

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<v Speaker 1>to this podcast for a while, you know that I

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<v Speaker 1>am a pretty frugal person. Though I do love having

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<v Speaker 1>big experiences like international travel. I am also happy to

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<v Speaker 1>splurge for a concert or tickets to one of Philadelphia's

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<v Speaker 1>sports teams. These things aren't cheap, but they are worth

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<v Speaker 1>the money to me. But fun doesn't have to be expensive.

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<v Speaker 1>And by identifying some cheap fun ahead of time, you

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<v Speaker 1>can put a little levity into your life without worrying

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<v Speaker 1>about breaking the bank. For instance, if you were an

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<v Speaker 1>artsy kid and remember these things, you'll know that a

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<v Speaker 1>package of pipe cleaners costs just a few dollars and

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<v Speaker 1>lets you make butterflies, flowers, hearts, glasses, cat ear headbands,

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<v Speaker 1>and abstract sculptures as well. An added benefit is that

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<v Speaker 1>pipe cleaners are light, so you can stick them in

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<v Speaker 1>your bag. and have them on hand for entertainment at

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<v Speaker 1>restaurants or in the car for people ages 3 to 103.

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<v Speaker 1>Because yes, pipe cleaners are fun for kids, but they're

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<v Speaker 1>fun for adults too. A new box of crayons might

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<v Speaker 1>provide a similar amount of delight. Or stickers. Same thing

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<v Speaker 1>with bouncy balls. You can get yourself a colorful rubber

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<v Speaker 1>ball and bounce it around the kitchen or sidewalk. when

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<v Speaker 1>you need a brain break. Or you and a friend

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<v Speaker 1>could throw a beach ball back and forth. Your dog

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<v Speaker 1>might enjoy a special throw toy that the two of

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<v Speaker 1>you use together. Whenever I host parties outside, I put

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<v Speaker 1>out some bubble wands. These are intended for younger guests,

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<v Speaker 1>but older guests often avail themselves of them too. Get

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<v Speaker 1>yourself some bubble wands, and you can likewise make outside

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<v Speaker 1>time a little more whimsical. If you're going to any

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<v Speaker 1>nighttime outdoor events in the near future, getting yourself some

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<v Speaker 1>glow sticks or glow-in-the-dark necklaces could be fun, even just

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<v Speaker 1>for walking around the neighborhood. That would make an evening

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<v Speaker 1>family walk a lot more memorable for very little cash.

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<v Speaker 1>Little kids don't necessarily do a lot of shopping, so

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<v Speaker 1>I've had some success giving kids a $ 5 budget and

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<v Speaker 1>going to the dollar store and seeing what fun they find.

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<v Speaker 1>but you could do this as an adult, too. You

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<v Speaker 1>and a friend could go to the dollar store together

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<v Speaker 1>on a rainy day and challenge yourselves to find some treasures,

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<v Speaker 1>which you can then compare afterwards. I'll note that plenty

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<v Speaker 1>of e-books are less than $ 5, particularly older ones, and

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<v Speaker 1>a book can provide entertainment for quite a while. Barnes &amp;

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<v Speaker 1>Noble sometimes sells fun $ 5 books in their coffee shops.

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<v Speaker 1>usually light reads that are seasonally appropriate. A magazine could

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<v Speaker 1>be less than $ 5 too, and could provide just the

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<v Speaker 1>entertainment you need while sitting on the porch some afternoon.

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<v Speaker 1>If you live somewhere with occasional garage sales near you,

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<v Speaker 1>you might be able to find an old toy or

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<v Speaker 1>puzzle for $ 5 and enjoy some whimsy for a few hours.

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<v Speaker 1>$ 5 can also buy you a spot in a lively

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<v Speaker 1>coffee shop for a while. You'd need to get a

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<v Speaker 1>simple drink, nothing too elaborate, that costs more than $ 5.

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<v Speaker 1>But the people watching could be great. Or you could read,

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<v Speaker 1>or color, or journal. Or you and a friend both

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<v Speaker 1>spend $ 5 on drinks there and enjoy a chat. Of course,

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<v Speaker 1>eventually the novelty will wear off on cheap stuff, at least.

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<v Speaker 1>You're probably not going to have fun with pipe cleaners

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<v Speaker 1>or bouncy balls every day for the rest of your life.

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<v Speaker 1>A trip to the dollar store is fun every few

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<v Speaker 1>months as an activity, not as a daily thing. But

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<v Speaker 1>a lot of fun can be had in the meantime.

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<v Speaker 1>So make a list of ways to have fun for

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<v Speaker 1>$ 5 or less. And when you are looking at some

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<v Speaker 1>open time and pondering what to do, see what you

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<v Speaker 1>can pull off your list. There may be a lot

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<v Speaker 1>of fun to be had for not much money. And

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<v Speaker 1>knowing you can add some joy to life on the

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<v Speaker 1>cheap can be empowering, whatever your budget happens to be.

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<v Speaker 1>What are your favorite forms of $ 5 fun? I'd love

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<v Speaker 1>to hear about them. You can reach me at laura

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<v Speaker 1>at lauravandercam.com. In the meantime, this is Laura. Thanks for listening.

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<v Speaker 1>And here's to making the most of our time. Thanks

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<v Speaker 1>for listening to Before Breakfast. If you've got questions, ideas,

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<v Speaker 1>or feedback, you can reach me at laura at lauravandercam.com.

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<v Speaker 1>Before Breakfast is a production of iHeartMedia. For more podcasts

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<v Speaker 1>from iHeart Media, please visit the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts,

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