A small guide to fun on a budget (with social distancing)

 We've all been staying at home whenever possible and social distancing and wearing our masks when we have to go out. But... you're saying... how about fun? Do I have to give up fun? And I don't have a lot of money, so can I have fun on a budget? The short answer to both questions is yes. Fun doesn't have to cost a fortune. And you don't need to go out to events to have fun. Here are some suggestions for fun on a budget:

**borrow stuff from your public library. The library is a great resource for books, DVDs, CDs, and other media. You can have movie night with your family. Just make some popcorn, and you're all set. 

**create your own theater. I belong to a group that meets once a week via Zoom. We read plays. It's a lot of fun, and it doesn't cost anything. This is something that you can do with your family. Borrow a script from the library and read the play as a group. You can be as dramatic as you like, with different voices and gestures. 

**take a walk in the park. This time of year is considered to be "off season" for parks so you should be able to get in without being charged a parking fee. There are all sorts of trails to explore. They are fun during all seasons. Make sure to stay on the trail, however. Poison ivy, even when it has no leaves, can still be a menace. Be careful about ticks, too. Wear a hat and long sleeves and tuck the bottoms of your pants into your socks. As long as you take the proper precautions, you should have a lot of fun hiking in the park. Bring your own water bottles. If you use refillable bottles, as opposed to single use water bottles, you will save both money and the environment. 

**Take a walk in your neighborhood. If you have a dog, bring the dog.

Dogs love walks! Try to identify trees, which is a little harder, but not impossible, when the trees are dormant. Also, you can look at all of the Christmas decorations. If you have a car, you could take a nighttime drive through your community to look at the lights. If you live in a city, such as Buffalo, you can take a self-guided architecture tour.

**Activities for families at home could include building blanket forts or constructing towers and buildings from LEGOs. The LEGO website even provides free building instructions for creating structures from LEGOS. Here's a link to building cool stuff with LEGOs.

**The digital and the cell phone cameras that we are using are helpful for the purpose ofsaving money because you only develop the pictures that you like, instead of every last picture that you took.

**the sky will offer you free entertainment in the form of eclipses and meteor showers and the monthly full moon. If you want to watch a solar eclipse, you can make a viewer with a shoebox. Here is a link to instructions for making your solar eclipse viewer. (follow the instructions here to have fun watching the eclipse while saving your eyes from the sun's rays.)