Cheap Things That Make You Happy

[Mezzie]

Discovering a cool hidden gem of a park in the middle of a residential area.

[Fomerly known as something]

Having a refrigerator in your room when you are away on business.

Followed up with finding a reason anyone would pay money for hard boiled peeled eggs vs a box of eggs.

[OtherJen]

A snack of raw almonds, dark chocolate, and a fresh orange.

[Antonn Park]

Walking my dog a few times a day.

[lifejoy]

Discovering poems on the radio.
Trusting strangers on the internet.
Reading great books from the MMM best book ever thread.
Taking pictures of my cute kid.
The feeling of freshly-brushed hair.
Playing speed scrabble.
Pumpkin pancakes.

Life is good :)

[OtherJen]

Being caught in a torrential downpour. I didn't have to go anywhere but home, and it felt good after such a hot humid day. Plus, my skinny jeans and canvas shoes were so completely drenched that hilarity ensued.

[clarkai]

Making pesto with basil from my garden.

[mspym]

Going for a walk and discovering a whole new library I had no idea existed.

@Exflyboy Gosh yes, I really enjoy watching the Youth of Today smacking into the world- they're great and I am *so pleased* to have moved on from that stage. Bless'em.

[OtherJen]

Voting. Today was primary Election Day in my state, and my US House district will finally have representation again (we’ve been unrepresented in DC since December).

[MrFancypants]

So my toddler and I have a game we started a long time ago where I cover his face and enthusiastically ask “where’s the baby?!?!” followed by removing the cover and saying “there he is!!!”  Later we stopped saying “baby” and started using his name as a way to teach him that, anyway....  now he’s talking, and we still play the game except when he pulls the cover off his head HE says “there he is!!!” and it hits so hard in the heart that I can’t make myself correct him.

[chaskavitch]

So my toddler and I have a game we started a long time ago where I cover his face and enthusiastically ask “where’s the baby?!?!” followed by removing the cover and saying “there he is!!!”  Later we stopped saying “baby” and started using his name as a way to teach him that, anyway....  now he’s talking, and we still play the game except when he pulls the cover off his head HE says “there he is!!!” and it hits so hard in the heart that I can’t make myself correct him.

This is the cutest, and I'm going to be so sad the day our toddler doesn't want to play peekaboo like this anymore <3

[Trifele]

So my toddler and I have a game we started a long time ago where I cover his face and enthusiastically ask “where’s the baby?!?!” followed by removing the cover and saying “there he is!!!”  Later we stopped saying “baby” and started using his name as a way to teach him that, anyway....  now he’s talking, and we still play the game except when he pulls the cover off his head HE says “there he is!!!” and it hits so hard in the heart that I can’t make myself correct him.

This is the cutest, and I'm going to be so sad the day our toddler doesn't want to play peekaboo like this anymore <3

This made me smile, and remember happy times with our kids when they were younger (they're 12 and 15 now).  When I see pictures of them as toddlers my heart aches.  And yet -- I have to say that I absolutely love each successive stage, and I would not go backward for anything.  Each age really is more wonderful than the last.  Seeing a child bloom all the way from birth to adulthood, with all of life's ups and downs, is the best thing in life.

[OtherJen]

The weather has cooled off after several days of high heat and humidity. It's cool and breezy this morning and one of my neighbors apparently has a wood fire going, so the breeze blowing in my window smells like camping in Northern Michigan (i.e., my happy place).

[clarkai]

Waking up an hour earlier than I have been so far this summer; it gives me more time to get stuff done before the blazing sunshine hits. Which, in turn, makes me feel more successful and productive.

[MrFancypants]

So my toddler and I have a game we started a long time ago where I cover his face and enthusiastically ask “where’s the baby?!?!” followed by removing the cover and saying “there he is!!!”  Later we stopped saying “baby” and started using his name as a way to teach him that, anyway....  now he’s talking, and we still play the game except when he pulls the cover off his head HE says “there he is!!!” and it hits so hard in the heart that I can’t make myself correct him.

This is the cutest, and I'm going to be so sad the day our toddler doesn't want to play peekaboo like this anymore <3

This made me smile, and remember happy times with our kids when they were younger (they're 12 and 15 now).  When I see pictures of them as toddlers my heart aches.  And yet -- I have to say that I absolutely love each successive stage, and I would not go backward for anything.  Each age really is more wonderful than the last.  Seeing a child bloom all the way from birth to adulthood, with all of life's ups and downs, is the best thing in life.

It's pretty amazing.  You have one of those "how can it get better than this?" moments and then you notice your kid trying to sing 'Twinkle Twinkle Little Star' with their tiny voice and toddler enunciation and you're back to "awwwwww!!!"

[Linea_Norway]

Last week we were at our cabin. I found lots of mushrooms. Finally, after a long summer of draught. I also did a mushroom trip with a beginner who lives locally and who really appreciated it.

There were lots of Penny Buns (Boletus Edulis and Boletus pinophilus). I didn't have my food dryer there, but I used the oven to dry a lot of them. Maybe I'll sell some as a side-hustle. I have ordered nice plastic bags to sell them in.

[Just Joe]

Walking my dog a few times a day.

Your canine friend would prob say that this is their favorite cheap activity too. ;)

[Just Joe]

So my toddler and I have a game we started a long time ago where I cover his face and enthusiastically ask “where’s the baby?!?!” followed by removing the cover and saying “there he is!!!”  Later we stopped saying “baby” and started using his name as a way to teach him that, anyway....  now he’s talking, and we still play the game except when he pulls the cover off his head HE says “there he is!!!” and it hits so hard in the heart that I can’t make myself correct him.

This is the cutest, and I'm going to be so sad the day our toddler doesn't want to play peekaboo like this anymore <3

This made me smile, and remember happy times with our kids when they were younger (they're 12 and 15 now).  When I see pictures of them as toddlers my heart aches.  And yet -- I have to say that I absolutely love each successive stage, and I would not go backward for anything.  Each age really is more wonderful than the last.  Seeing a child bloom all the way from birth to adulthood, with all of life's ups and downs, is the best thing in life.

Hear! Hear! Child rearing is not however a cheap thing... ;)

We're at the stage where the eldest teen is hardly home anymore. On the cusp of moving out.

We'd gladly time travel to get an evening of little kid time again. Nothing permanent b/c we too have enjoyed each stage. Now has been fun too.

[Freedomin5]

The view of the lake through the trees from our cottage.

Picking wild raspberries.

Hot running water for a shower (this one made me very happy after spending a week in a rural village in China with no running water)

[Trifele]

Long trail run yesterday with my kids.

Listening to a screech owl singing in the pre-dawn hours.

[lemanfan]

Sorting my tools.  Also found a decent toolbox for sale at a heavily discounted price.  :)

[Linea_Norway]

Apple cake. I made one from leftover apples in the office. Spent approx. 1,5 $ on the cake.

[Sun Hat]

A fragrant, crispy apple from my little tree. I haven't had such a good apple in ages. The tree only produced 10 or so, but I'll spend the day giving them to friends and family, as they're too good to keep to myself. Well, maybe one more for breakfast...

[Goodidea]

A handwritten note from my wife. Even if it's a few words scribbled on the back of an envelope, it makes me smile.

[middo]

A lunchtime walk, that meant I could meet with my wife who works nearby and chat for a while.

[Linea_Norway]

The daily page in the cartoon calendar that we have on the dining table. BIL gave that to my DH as a Christmas present. It has office-jokes.

[Gyosho]

PERFECTLY peeled and hard-cooked eggs from Trader Joe's.

$2.99 for 6.

[Linea_Norway]

I'm going to a free festival in the city tomorrow, using DH's train ticket. DH will drive as a passenger in someone else's car. I will meet a friend who lives in the city and who has been trying to meet me.

[Trifele]

So I am 100 work days from FIRE now.  I borrowed an idea from forum member Okcisok, and printed off a free coloring page showing a lovely beach scene.  I numbered the sections from 1 to 100, and each day I color in a section.  So much fun.  I'm taking a picture each day too, so at the end we can combine them into a happy little fill-in-the-color video.  :)

[Linea_Norway]

So I am 100 work days from FIRE now.  I borrowed an idea from forum member Okcisok, and printed off a free coloring page showing a lovely beach scene.  I numbered the sections from 1 to 100, and each day I color in a section.  So much fun.  I'm taking a picture each day too, so at the end we can combine them into a happy little fill-in-the-color video.  :)

Congrats. A 100 days, that is just a little over 3 months!

[Dicey]

Having a refrigerator in your room when you are away on business.
Followed up with finding a reason anyone would pay money for hard boiled peeled eggs vs a box of eggs.

PERFECTLY peeled and hard-cooked eggs from Trader Joe's.
$2.99 for 6.

Hmmm...

[Trifele]

So I am 100 work days from FIRE now.  I borrowed an idea from forum member Okcisok, and printed off a free coloring page showing a lovely beach scene.  I numbered the sections from 1 to 100, and each day I color in a section.  So much fun.  I'm taking a picture each day too, so at the end we can combine them into a happy little fill-in-the-color video.  :)

Congrats. A 100 days, that is just a little over 3 months!

Thanks Linda!  Well, it's 100 work days . . . so a bit longer.  But yes getting closer!

[Gyosho]

Having a refrigerator in your room when you are away on business.
Followed up with finding a reason anyone would pay money for hard boiled peeled eggs vs a box of eggs.

PERFECTLY peeled and hard-cooked eggs from Trader Joe's.
$2.99 for 6.

Hmmm...

I was hungry. I didn't have time to cook the eggs myself. They were $2.99 for 6, which, at 2 eggs per meal, equals 50 cents a meal, ALREADY COOKED AND PREPARED.

Those eggs made me really happy.

[ElleFiji]

Rest days
Kitten snores
Baked beans

[Stachey]

Sitting in the park on a beautiful summer day.
Listening to the birds. Petting the cat that wandered by.
Nowhere I had to be ... just sitting and relaxing.
Bliss.

[Linea_Norway]

Taking a short hike in the forest close to my house. It is extremely dry, but I went to the narrow crevasse that is a bit humid and found a few edible mushrooms that we had for dinner. Also found a new species compared to last weekend.

During dinner we saw an amazing rainbow.

[sequoia]

I bought one of those basketball hoop that you usually see in the backyard. The kid (an aspiring NBA player haha) and I been playing one on one  everyday as long as it is not raining outside.

[ElleFiji]

Hummus

[Just Joe]

Wife's apple pie. Wow she makes the best. I only ask for one maybe twice a year. I married such a smart lady. She's taught me how to cook enough to keep me and kids fed on nights when she is traveling for work. Nobody's died from my cooking yet but I'm more adventurous than the kids' palates still so I can't go wild in the kitchen.

[zeli2033]

Home-roasted coffee in the afternoon. It might keep me up too late into the evening but DH roasts and brews a mean batch of coffee...

[lemanfan]

Re-reading a good book you haven't read in a few years.

[zeli2033]

Re-reading a good book you haven't read in a few years.

+10.

On a related note, now that the weather is slowly indicating a change to fall, I'm looking forward to re-reading all of Harry Potter as another cheap thing that makes me happy. The change in seasons kicks off the desire to re-read something nostalgic while bundled up in my well-loved robe and cozy socks with a warm beverage at my side. *swoon*

[OtherJen]

Local apples with peanut butter.
Thunderstorms.

[PiobStache]

Happy hour deals make me  happy.  $4 top shelf vodka martinis?  I know where I'll be in an hour.

[sequoia]

Been wanting to have a rain barrel but too cheap to buy the barrels lol. We happen to stumble a local company who was giving away 50 gallon plastic barrels (used to store some sort of sauce) last week.

I been watching youtube trying to figure out the best (and cheapest) way to divert water from our gutter.

[Exflyboy]

Our local car wash gives away its 55 gallon plastic drums that the car wash soap is shipped in. The drums are very stout.. I have aquired about 6 of them in recent years.

One of them I use as the tank on my homebuilt boom sprayer attachment for our tractor..:)

[Trifele]

Been wanting to have a rain barrel but too cheap to buy the barrels lol. We happen to stumble a local company who was giving away 50 gallon plastic barrels (used to store some sort of sauce) last week.

I been watching youtube trying to figure out the best (and cheapest) way to divert water from our gutter.

We also got a barrel for free and did this with a kit we bought on line from EarthMinded for $30.  If you do that, be sure to buy a separate metal spigot, as the plastic one that comes with the kit is flimsy.  All-in it was about $45 bucks for us.  Works great.   

[BZB]

Reading The Boys in the Boat while enjoying breakfast and a full French press of coffee on my balcony this morning

[jengod]

Reading through the ASOIAF books for the first time after being a fan of the GOT TV show for years

[Linea_Norway]

Finding a shitload of penny buns in the forest near our cabin. The 9-layer drying machine is running on full.

Meeting a local person for the second time, teaching her which mushrooms are safe to eat. We got along pretty well.