I also live in a place that is very expensive. I used to joke with an ex-roommate that just going outside in my neighborhood costs you at least $100 … grab some food or a beer or a movie, stop by the convenience store, oh hey cupcakes, and there you are, $100 poorer. Sometimes you can safely go outside and walk around in the atmospheric fog around here without spending big bucks, and sometimes I give myself allowance for a $30 pub burger. But unless I’m focused on the aesthetic it’s usually easier to go home and make my own damn burger.
Also, the harsh reality is that I don’t get along with most people. There are certain specific places where I get along with most people (Ween concerts, science fiction conventions, law offices) but there are other places where people who don’t like books/music occasionally get in, and I’m usually at a total loss with those types. That’s why I moved to San Francisco, which is a haven for people who don’t get along with most people due to their different sexual orientation or gender inclination or political affiliation or visual aesthetic. Or it used to be, until the internet happened, and weirdness became generally scattered all over the planet, which is probably a good thing.
So I’m pretty good at avoiding the masses, even though I live in a tourist trap where I (used to) hear tourguides lecturing busloads of visitors cruising past my house regularly. Here’s what works for me.
Grocery Delivery
This is important. I started doing grocery delivery when I had a bad autoimmune attack and couldn’t eat most things without getting a flare up of belly pain and bloating and other unpleasant symptoms. At the time my dietary triggers included wheat, sugar and dairy. Go ahead, walk into any American grocery store and tell me where they keep the wheat-sugar-dairy products, I’ll wait. It was easier to just pay someone else to go shopping for me, from a list, to make sure no impulse buying of wheat-sugar-dairy occurred.I started going to grocery stores again last year, when I was unemployed, and spending half a day puttering around with my personal cart was a soothing distraction. I’m over that. Instacart is back in my life.
Some tricks with grocery delivery: order a little more than you need, in case something’s out. Do minor stockpiling of things like toothpaste … yes, and TP, I’ve got enough to last me through April. Give your shopper some idea of what to substitute if everything’s out.
Read E-Books
They don’t harm trees. You can shop for them without going outside. You can read them on your Kindle, your tablet, your regular computer, your phone. I’ve written several just for you, and more will be flowing. You can even get e-comics now. Indulge yourself.Other E-Media
You probably already know about Netflix and Amazon Prime, but consider things like podcasts and Twitch streams and other platforms you’re not that familiar with. I don’t actually do this myself, because I’m good with e-books/writing/socialmedia/occasional video games, but other people have different media needs.Online Games
I haven’t touched WoW lately. Once I got unemployed I had to start spending my time leveling my “Charon” character so I could get her into a good guild and resume the flow of gold. I still have a full stable of leveled-up characters that I should work on someday, and an impressive array of battle pets too. Online games are great for getting you through periods of your life where you have no idea what to do. Not a problem – go be somebody else until you figure it out.Offline Games
Some games are more about getting lost in your own marvelous creations, like The Sims. While occasional online games like Minecraft allow you to do this collaboratively, sometimes it’s fun to just fill a blank sheet of paper full of scribbles, or nurture your fake athletes-warriors-adventurers to the height of success.Play Music
Now is the time to learn musical instruments. I’ve been picking up my guitars again, after spending a decade ignoring them.Online College
I just signed up to do a business degree! Let’s see if I finish it (unlike my degrees in music, psych, literature, audio engineering, paralegal, et al.) – I’m actually more interested because it could help me do my current job better.Write Stories
This is the main thing I do. It might be unfamiliar to you, but you can still try your hand at something new. Maybe some fanfic about your favorite characters from some other property – with names changed to protect the innocent.Arts and Crafts
Needlework does it for me. Maybe you're more into crochet or leatherwork or beads or any of a number of artsy things that can be done. Go ahead, decorate your world.
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