Adding Excitement to Our Life for Next to Nothing

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When I was twenty-two, I spent a few months working seven-day weeks from dawn till dusk, selling clothes at a flea market. I learned then that all work and no play leads to, what George Bernard Shaw called, a life of quiet desperation. Today my family and I make a point of adding excitement to our lives even when money is tight and our work hours are long. Here's what we do.

If I Were a Rich Man

Lottery tickets are cheap and filled with the promise of a brand new life. For the sheer excitement of thinking "What If..." we each buy one ticket a week. So far we've won a few dollars, which we happily spent on a gourmet caramel macchiato at a coffee house.

Take a Leap Out of My Book

For the ultimate in cheap excitement, we went bungee jumping with a friend one weekend. He set everything up, being an expert in this insane pastime. All we had to do was jump off a bridge with a raging river below. It was a shocking thrill that jolted everything inside us, bones and emotions. It's true what they say: There's no excitement quite like surviving a near death experience.

Take Me by the Hand

To spice up our 13 year-old marriage, my husband and I prepare inexpensive surprises for each other every weekend. So far we've given or received a hike along a waterfall, a romantic stroll by moonlight, a massage, breakfast in bed, a bouquet of flowers from our garden, and strolls in places we've never been to before.

Get on Your Bikes and Ride

We started with a Suzuki 650 years ago, then we went up to a Kawasaki 750, then a Hayabusa and finally we switched to a Ducati. Motorcycle riding is a fantastic thrill. Your mind has to be 100% percent focused on keeping you alive, while your soul is set free with the wind. And with the fuel consumption of a motorcycle we can take fantastic scenic trips for $7, which would cost $60 in our car.

What Do You Do for Fun?

We decided to pursue the excitement of mastering a new skill just for the fun of it. I bought an acoustic guitar at a pawn shop and started teaching myself how to play by watching You Tube videos. My husband volunteered to King County Search and Rescue and is training to become a tracker... one of those people who can read a whole story in a footprint.

Take a Stroll Down Memory Lane

Once a month we take turns bringing to life a precious old memory. It's up to us how we do it, but we can't spend more than $10. So far we've made a comic book with a collage of photos, computer presentations and video interviews with family members. We've glued funny speech bubbles to framed photos and wrote a song for us. Not only does this pastime offer us excitement on the cheap, it's filling our Memories Chest.

Good Will Hunting

Hunting starts with tracking wildlife, a patient and often hot and sweaty business. But finding your target pray and making a clean and painless shot is an adrenaline rush. We don't go hunting often, but when we do, we come back rejuvenated with being in the outdoors, and we bring enough meat to last for 6 months. This exciting pastime actually saves us around $500 a year.

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