If you’re like me, you’re out of school for the summer and possibly also unemployed! This results in alot of free time that isn’t devoted to anything else right now besides eating, sleeping in, and catching up on all the shows you may have missed throughout the school year. But this summer has especially taught me that there is always something you can be doing to fill your spare time. Here are a quick 5 things you could do if you’re ballin on a budget and have some spare time in your day.
1. Sell your old clothes to a consignment shop, a few popular ones in the Seattle Area include CrossRoads Trading Co., Buffalo Exchange, or Platos Closet. The down side is these places are very particular about what they accept and are looking for mainly gently used named brand clothing. But the upside is whatever the stores don’t take of yours you can always donate the rest to a charity organization like Goodwill and write it off as a tax return! Either way you’re getting paid lol
2. Donate Blood! Summer is the season with the highest number of accidents that occur resulting in people needing blood transfusions. You can do it in less than an hour, a small price to pay for saving a life! Go to the Puget Sound Blood Center website for more info on where you can donate!
3. Read a Book! Pick up a book for free from your school or public library, or support a local 2nd-hand book store like Half Price Books and get one from there. Reading helps to keep your mind fresh and if you’ve just graduated or are out of school for the summer, you’re going to want to stay in the rhythm of reading and not let your mind go dull. Some popular titles for the summer are listed here: Summer Reading.
4. There are a ton of events in Seattle (and probably in your neck of the woods) that happen every summer, many of them are even FREE! For example the notorious Bite of Seattle “The Northwest’s Premier Food Festival” that is coming up next weekend July 15-17, 2011 @ the Seattle Center . Or The Torchlight Parade the Northwest’s largest lighted parade in Downtown Seattle July 30, 2011 Downtown Seattle @ 7:30pm. If you’re planning for something towards the end of the summer then you can’t miss Seattle’s biggest music and arts festival Bumbershoot 2011 Sept. 3-5th @ the Seattle Center. Some of this years performers include recent UW grad SOL, hot hip-hop artist Wiz Khalifa, or a favorite Southern artist with a big flow Big Boi. Check out the website for other event info (i.e. the comedy portion) and pricing! This event isn’t free but just like shopping @ Costco buying the bulk 3-day pass for $75 will get you the most music for your money.
5.Look up some new recipes and actually make the effort to try them out! Summer is all about good weather, good company and good eating and good food has the power to brighten up your day and nothing tastes like when you make it yourself. Some recent summer meals I’ve recently stumbled across include Smoky Corn Black Bean Pizza that is healthy and can be made in less than 30 mins. Or this Turkey Bean Chili recipe that can be made easily in less than an hour and served with tortilla chips as a side @ any summer BBQ. Lastly, if you’re looking for a healthy but sweet summer treat that you can make quickly and take on the go, try this Healthy Fruit Smoothie you can fix in less than 10 mins. For more summer recipe ideas, check out http://allrecipes.com/.
KristaDeFils 