Questions:
Basically what can I do better? I deserve many face punches for the 2014 Honda Civic Lease, but I’m stuck with that for two more years. My car insurance is high because I’m a 22y/o with full-coverage, although it’s coming down because I’m a safe and low-mileage driver. I could find a cheaper apartment with a roommate, but my schedule encompasses all 24 hours of the day and makes me hard to live with, and frankly, I hate having a roommate.
I lived alone too, because I liked it. I am super social, but want to have my own space organized the way I like it. It’s the hardest part about being married, learning to live with my husband! I was single and lived alone for 10 years, and have now been married for almost 18 years, and still sometimes remember fondly my years of living alone in tiny apartments.
I know I could cut back on my Eating Out and Misc categories, but I’m bored to tears.
Where do you live? I mean generally – city, country, suburbs? If you can give me a town or city or even region, it would help.
When I moved from the South to the mid-Atlantic, I was so poor. I made $18,000/year and spent most of that on a too-expensive apartment. I became an expert on cheap entertainment.
First, you have to get some friends who are not too spendy. I found mine, who were mostly graduate students at a large university, at a church right across the street from the school. I was not a student there…but there were lots of people my age there. We did a lot of fun things that cost very little money, because no one HAD any money. We had potluck lunches and dinners a couple of times a week. The host or hostess provided the main, everyone else contributed salads, vegetables, desserts, beer/wine, etc. Often the evenings turned into game nights, or we just sat and talked. We went out to bars for happy hour sometimes…three or four hours of good conversation and fun could be had for the price of 1 or 2 pitchers of beer at happy hour prices. Because we live in a city, there are often free/low cost things to do. Also the university often has cheap/free movies, concerts, shows, etc. I got the City Paper every week and looked for things like gallery openings (free wine, cheese, and art), free lectures, free nights at the museums (First Thursdays).
I found that the important thing was to have friends to do things with. One friend I made shared my love of foreign films. We got together several times a month to rent a French film. We split the rental, and the cost of some cheap Chinese food, and enjoy French film/Chinese food night. Your movies could come free from the library…
Do you do any sports? Even walking? Could you join a club that goes on hikes? How about training for a 5K? You could get healthier and meet some people who share an interest?
The first two years I was here, I also got a second job on the weekends. I worked at a card shop to get extra cash. Instead of working OT, which is more of the same as your work week, are there other types of jobs you could do that might help you meet folks?
Another thing that helped was finding some hobbies that I could do with people or alone. I took up knitting (took a few classes) and found out that it was fun to do while watching movies or listening to the radio, plus I joined some knitting get-together groups. I learned to quilt and joined a quilting guild. For $30 per year I get to go to 10 meetings hear speakers, learn stuff, and have fun. I joined a mini group of other quilters, which costs me nothing, but has helped me get to know a small group of women very well. I took on a volunteer job with the guild, and that’s also helped me know people better.
I think others are correct, you aren’t bored because you are trying to live frugally, but you are bored because you aren’t doing interesting things. Make some friends. Do things with them. Develop some hobbies you love and find interesting.
Is there any chance that you are mildly depressed or dysthemic (is that a word?). You know, not DEPRESSED, but in a permanent funk? If so, I’d see a doctor and see if all is well, as far as Vitamin D, the B vitamins, thyroid, etc.
