Ten Fun Ways to Kill Time when You're Unemployed

When you're unemployed, a regular day seems to last twice as long. You probably don't want to spend money, but you've got to keep yourself entertained somehow. Here are ten things you can do that will cost no more than a few dollars each, but will kill time like nothing else.

1. Visit your town's historical museum.

Just about every city has a historical museum dedicated to local lore and culture. For example, the small town I grew up in has a historical museum where a patient volunteer will demonstrate how the Amish made sausage with a funny little crank machine. No matter where you live, there's a good chance some empty building full of bored and well-meaning citizens is waiting for you to stop by and show an interest.

2. Go bowling during the day.

Between shoe rental and pitchers of beer, bowling is usually a costly endeavor. Not so if you take advantage of your local bowling alley's daytime rates. Since almost no one bowls during the day, you'll have the place to yourself. Often, daytime games cost as little as a dollar or two apiece. Not only is bowling a great way to kill time when you're unemployed, but it's also decent exercise.

3. Libraries are free!

Your library can be an endless source of free entertainment. Besides the obvious free books and Internet access, you can check out movies and CDs to keep yourself occupied at home. You can also kill time by checking out the library's displays or exhibits. I recently saw a great exhibit at the Harold Washington Library in Chicago about Chicago's old amusement parks, and I killed a lot of time wandering around looking at the scale models of rides and old ticket stubs.

4. Have sex.

This may seem like a tongue-in-cheek suggestion, but I'm totally serious. When you have a job, you have stress and limited time. At the end of the day, you might be too tired for more than a quick roll in the hay with your significant other. Not so when you're unemployed. If you don't have anywhere to go, you're getting enough sleep, and you're job isn't on your mind, why not settle in for a romantic night with the sweetheart?

5. Order coffee.

Cafes and diners are usually quite slow in that mid-afternoon time between lunch and dinner. Take a good book, the classifieds, or your unemployment paperwork out and enjoy a leisurely cup of coffee or tea at a local diner. If you think you'll feel tempted to splurge and order a dinner, make sure you fill up on cheap home cooking before you go.

6. Dive bars and cheap beer specials were created with the unemployed in mind.

Being unemployed means you can't drop two hundred bucks on a Saturday night bar tab anymore, but who says you can't kill a little time at the bar for cheap? Most bars have their best specials during the week. You can nurse a two dollar beer for an hour, and you can be social with your friends to boot.

7. Get crafty.

Always wondered what your seashell collection would look like glued to that lamp you inherited from Aunt Martha? Think of being unemployed as the perfect opportunity to try all those creative things you never had time for before. Go ahead and write that science fiction epic or make a quilt out of your old t-shirts.

8. Blog indulgently about your pathetic life.

You're probably going to be spending way too much time online looking at job postings and playing video games, so why not tell the world about your deepest, darkest feelings? Vent about your unemployment officer, your former boss, how you are killing time by blogging, and how much fun you had at the historical museum. You might just find yourself making friends or fans.

9. Mail random things to friends and family.

Even if your mom lives down the street, she'd love to get a funny postcard with a picture of a monkey. Your sister would probably love that book you read last month. Get super-silly and send your old college roommate origami and drawings of your dog wearing pajamas and eating ice cream. If they have time to kill too, you might find yourself getting stuff back.

10. Become an expert on something useless and random.

Memorize the life stories of the Coney Island freak show performers. Learn how to asexually reproduce common houseplants. Learn to identify seventeen different kinds of contagious skin ailments. Or, learn something that will impress your friends, like the capitals of all fifty states or all the U.S. presidents in order.