# Simple, Free/Cheap, Non-Tech Pleasures **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 22, 2012, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simple-free-cheap-non-tech-pleasures/619629 "2012-04-22T21:00:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2012, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simple-free-cheap-non-tech-pleasures/619629/21 "2012-04-23T01:59:42Z")
Doing crossword puzzles. Coffee and the Sunday newspaper (the print version, so I can do the crossword). Smoking my pipe outside on the deck, on a pleasant summer evening. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2012, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simple-free-cheap-non-tech-pleasures/619629/22 "2012-04-23T02:55:38Z")
I felt myself getting progressively more relaxed as I read this thread. 🙂 Ah. The Fire. I love having a fire as soon as it even a little bit cool outside. And then sitting with my back to the fire til it gets all toasty. Tending a fire is kind of like tending soup on the stove. You’re able to feel “productive” without actually having to do much. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2012, 5:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simple-free-cheap-non-tech-pleasures/619629/23 "2012-04-23T05:01:32Z")
> [@Inner\_Stickler](#): > > During the summer, I love to go to a local state park and just walk for hours. I have a dream vacation where I take a month off in May or June and drive to all the different state parks in Minnesota, set up camp and stay for a day or two with lots of hikes, pack everything up and head to a new park and do it all over again. not possible, Inner. We have 75+ State Parks in Minnesota, so you couldn’t do it in a month, it’d take you closer to 4 months. And that’s not even counting the County ones, and the Federal parks & wilderness areas. I doubt you could finish this in Minnesota before the snow comes. It would probably take 2 or 3 years to do it right. But isn’t that a great thing to consider? After that, plan on taking a swim in each of our lakes! ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2012, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simple-free-cheap-non-tech-pleasures/619629/24 "2012-04-23T21:08:56Z")
Listening to NPR’s weekend shows (Wait Wait, Prairie Home, etc.) on Sunday mornings on the couch doing crosswords with The Other Shoe and both cats piled in with me. Hot showers on chilly mornings. Cool showers on hot summer afternoon. Inhaling the aroma of a freshly-unwrapped tea bag before brewing it. Tweezing out an ingrown hair. (What? I’m compulsive…) Getting a brand-new recipe right on the very first try. ---
**Author:** ![Spiff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiff/32/9852_2.png) [@Spiff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiff)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2012, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simple-free-cheap-non-tech-pleasures/619629/25 "2012-04-23T21:24:17Z")
Masturbating like a mother fuck! ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2012, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simple-free-cheap-non-tech-pleasures/619629/26 "2012-04-23T21:44:55Z")
> [@Shagnasty](#): > > Three ideas that never fail: > > 1. Small fire > 2. Big fire > 3. Bonfire > No tech has beat those yet in my book. Oh yes. We probably won’t do this this year unless we get more moisture. It’s been a light snow year :(. But this is great. We have a nice fire ring and keep special logs and benches just for this. I can watch and tend it for hours. And this can be cheap or expensive. Take up a musical instrument. I had never played a thing in my 50 years, but deceided it was time. I took up the banjo a year ago. Always good for a few hours of away time. Christine (the banjo) is all mine. Cooking is a chore for some, but I enjoy it. ---
**Author:** ![benbo1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e19adc/32.png) [@benbo1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/benbo1)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2012, 9:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simple-free-cheap-non-tech-pleasures/619629/27 "2012-04-24T09:27:34Z")
Swimming in the ocean. Playing volleyball on sand. And of course, sex with a hot partner. ---
**Author:** ![Maastricht](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a88e57/32.png) [@Maastricht](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maastricht)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2012, 9:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simple-free-cheap-non-tech-pleasures/619629/28 "2012-04-24T09:39:57Z")
> [@Shagnasty](#): > > Three ideas that never fail: > > 1. Small fire > 2. Big fire > 3. Bonfire > > No tech has beat those yet in my book. Add roasting potatoes in tinfoil in the ash, bread dough on a stick above the coals, marshmellows on a stick, and the fun increases. Oh, and massages. Giving yourself a spa day in your own bathroom. not just for women, too. Men , have you ever asked your woman if she would enjoy playing spa with you? Allow her to give you a facial (no, not that kind you pervs) a mask, a tweeze of stray hairs, a massage, let her style your hair, perhaps apply even a smidgen of -gasp- make up. You can always wash it off again. ---
**Author:** ![bartleby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bartleby/32/10491_2.png) [@bartleby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bartleby)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2012, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simple-free-cheap-non-tech-pleasures/619629/29 "2012-04-24T13:15:31Z")
1. Library - Free Books! can’t beat it! 2. people watching…anywhere 3. analog solitaire ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2012, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simple-free-cheap-non-tech-pleasures/619629/30 "2012-04-24T13:24:41Z")
Last weekend we hiked for hours searching for morels. Didn’t find any, but did collect a ton of Dryad’s Saddle which we ate in soup. ---
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2012, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simple-free-cheap-non-tech-pleasures/619629/31 "2012-04-24T13:25:04Z")
When I was growing up, the children of my neighborhood occupied ourselves chiefly by throwing rocks at each other. Once in a while, we’d try picking up teams and playing wiffleball or something, but such games inevitably dissolved into arguing and then rock throwing. Bike riding was done, too, but you had to watch out for thrown rocks if you were out riding. There was a small store nearby that had penny candy and we’d go there if we had a little money. We generally sat outside the store and ate what we bought on the spot. There were rocks to throw and to dodge on the way home and you can’t do that with a sack of candy in your hands. Good times…good times… ---
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2012, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simple-free-cheap-non-tech-pleasures/619629/32 "2012-04-24T23:25:31Z")
A few suggestions: -learn to chew tobacco-then have s spitting contest -give everybody a pipe and 1 ounce of tobacco-see who can puff the longest -rolling drunks-easy and fun! ---
**Author:** ![SpoilerVirgin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@SpoilerVirgin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpoilerVirgin)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2012, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simple-free-cheap-non-tech-pleasures/619629/33 "2012-04-24T23:50:58Z")
> [@Maastricht](#): > > Giving yourself a spa day in your own bathroom. not just for women, too. Men , have you ever asked your woman if she would enjoy playing spa with you? Allow her to give you a facial (no, not that kind you pervs) a mask, a tweeze of stray hairs, a massage, let her style your hair, perhaps apply even a smidgen of -gasp- make up. You can always wash it off again. I was going to suggest a relaxing foot bath. You can do it yourself, but it’s probably more fun with a partner. Soak your feet, use a cheap foot scraper to remove dead skin, massage with lotion of your choice, add a cooling foot spray if you like. Incredibly relaxing. I recently went back to an old experiment I used to do of setting aside a period of several hours on the weekend to unplug. Just set aside a time when you won’t turn on or log on anything. I was shocked by 1. How easy it was to find stuff to do – just reading catalogues, planning my wardrobe for the week, straightening up, taking a nap, and 2. How much I enjoyed it, and how much better it made me feel about facing the work week. ---
**Author:** ![Rachellelogram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rachellelogram/32/8689_2.png) [@Rachellelogram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachellelogram)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2012, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simple-free-cheap-non-tech-pleasures/619629/34 "2012-04-25T00:15:19Z")
Reading a book in a hammock all afternoon. These days I don’t have a hammock, and all my books are on my Kindle. Also my backyard is freaking bug city, because we share it with a few neighbors but none of them do anything except mow (and only occasionally). ---
**Author:** ![Namkcalb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c89c15/32.png) [@Namkcalb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Namkcalb)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2012, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simple-free-cheap-non-tech-pleasures/619629/35 "2012-04-25T00:56:13Z")
Feeding the ducks ---
**Author:** ![Tastes\_of\_Chocolate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tastes_of_chocolate/32/3232_2.png) [@Tastes\_of\_Chocolate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tastes_of_Chocolate)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2012, 5:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simple-free-cheap-non-tech-pleasures/619629/36 "2012-04-25T05:33:09Z")
Kite flying. You start out energetic, running all over the field. You end up with the kite string held under a rock while you lay on your back in the grass, watching your kite play tag with the clouds. ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2012, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simple-free-cheap-non-tech-pleasures/619629/37 "2012-04-25T13:51:35Z")
Going to the zoo. A work friend and I played hooky from the office one day in the summer and went to the zoo. The elephant was out and you could pay for a ride around the pen - so we did that, too. Very odd experience, we could actually see the building we worked in, a few miles away, from up there! ---
**Author:** ![Silver\_Tyger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/fbc32d/32.png) [@Silver\_Tyger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silver_Tyger)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2012, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simple-free-cheap-non-tech-pleasures/619629/38 "2012-04-25T15:09:16Z")
Snuggling into bed and letting my mind wander. Which may lead to **Spiff’s** suggestion. ---
**Author:** ![Sattua](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sattua/32/11906_2.png) [@Sattua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sattua)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2012, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simple-free-cheap-non-tech-pleasures/619629/39 "2012-04-25T16:50:34Z")
Morning coffee. We drink cafe latte, and it’s so comforting and nice first thing. Growing flowers. Invest in some cheap bags of perennial bulbs once, and they’ll make you smile every spring for the rest of your life. Similarly, woodland walks at least once a week in the spring. You get to appreciate the progression of wildflowers, and spotting a rare one gives me a charge. Looking up the unknown ones is fun too. ---
**Author:** ![Atomic\_Mama](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b5ac83/32.png) [@Atomic\_Mama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atomic_Mama)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2012, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simple-free-cheap-non-tech-pleasures/619629/40 "2012-04-25T17:07:12Z")
I’m planning a garden & sprouting seeds indoors. Lots of fun to see them grow! I have an aerogarden and it’s producing tiny tomatoes 🙂 And my orchids are blooming insanely … happy happy happy And we walk around the grounds and look at the daffodills & ferns unfurling … going to knit now. GOWING AWAY FROM FACEBOOK& SDMB for a few hours is a good thing, too … [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simple-free-cheap-non-tech-pleasures/619629.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simple-free-cheap-non-tech-pleasures/619629.md?page=3)