Fun with $1

[Amaranth]

A couple years ago we had a fun thread where people posted about enjoyable ways they could use $1. For the purposes of this challenge we would be spending the $1 rather than saving it for a future goal. The object is to stretch the $1 in some way to provide maximum enjoyment.

Items you have/borrow, electricity, tap water, other utilities, transportation, etc. are not counted as part of your $1.

The previous project I came up with in the earlier challenge is the $1 Garden. A copy of it is in the garden forum here.

For the challenge this time, I'd do a $1 Local Foods Potluck. People would be asked to bring a dish made from their garden produce plus $1 or less of store bought ingredients. We would use reusable dishes/utensils and cloth napkins. My contribution would be 2 large pizzas made with sourdough and sale ingredients (flour, oil, cheese). The topping for one pizza would be sauteed onions and different colors of sweet peppers. For the other it would be basil pesto (minus the pinenuts).

What would you do with your $1?

[Spartana]

I play pick up indoor volleyball games and it costs a dollar for use of the gym.
I have a gym membership at Ballys that costs me $84/year and use it alot so it probably cost much less than a dollar a time and I can shower there, use the pool, sauna, jacuzzi, as well as all the equiptment and classes.
I get my morning coffe at 7-11 for .99 cents in a refillable mug (up to 32 ounces).
A dipped ice cream cone at Micky D's cost a dollar.

[catherine]

Of course you could gamble with it--buy a dollar scratch-off, OR go to a local casino and do penny or nickel slots to really make the time stretch.

But if you're not a gambler, you could buy a great song on iTunes and play it a few times.

Lots of Kindle books are a buck.

One dollar can buy you a lot of paper. Nothing like looking at a blank pad of paper and just imagining the potential. You can draw, write a poem, journal, develop a blog; a dollar's worth of blank paper can be a LOT of fun!

Frisbee on sale at PetSmart: play with your dog.

Great thread!

[kally]

1$ is more than enough to write two letters on paper to a friend. The money would pay for the stamps (depending on how far) or one letter airmail.

[Kat]

Fun thread!

These ideas involve getting supplies at the dollar store:

fly a kite

Have a water balloon fight

Have a sidewalk chalk competition

Buy a deck of cards and play a game you've never tried (instructions all over the net)

Also:

Take pictures around town and develop the best ten or so

Buy some popcorn and have a popcorn party (split it up into bowls and creatively top each bowl with something different from the kitchen)

[Rosemary]

$1 local foods potluck, midsummer:
salad of mixed greens (baby kale, chard, spinach, lettuce, mache, bok choy) with sugar snap peas, radishes, and currants.
with my $1 I would make a simple dressing from garden raspberries with the addition of purchased rice vinegar and olive oil and add some purchased pepitas to the salad.

late summer:
grilled vegetables (eggplant, butternut squash, green chiles, summer squash) over purchased pasta with purchased olive oil and a little salt.

[terrica]

I love to knit but new yarn can be expensive. With my $1, I would buy a sweater from a thrift store and unravel it. The average women’s large sweater nets between 700 to 1000 yards of yarn. Thrift stores tend to price their sweaters not by fabric content but condition of the sweater. I have found several 100% wool sweaters for a buck or two next to a $5.00 acrylic one. That $1 sweater would keep me busy for a while.

[Mighty Frugal]

A dollar bought me retro 50s/60s womens magazines (they were a buck each-actually 50 cents each because I bought so many)
so 50 cents for a 1957 Redbook
50 cents for discounted Easter chocolates-2 Aero 'eggs' at 24 cents each

Savouring the choco whilst savouring the ads and articles and pics in the mag-sheer bliss!

[Amaranth]

Lot's of fun ideas here for doing things that would lead to some enjoyable experiences. What else would be fun?

[Nella]

I'd buy a bottle of kids bubbles; the kind that has the little wand to blow bubbles and I'd have fun with my nieces when they come to visit.

Rent a relatively current movie from the RedBox.

Soak in a hot bath with bath salts from the dollar store.

[kally]

Parking. I can own a piece of the street for a couple of hours.

[crunchycon]

$1 bought me a package of 4-5 vintage (very classic 60's and '70s clothing) Simplicity and McCall's dress patterns in my size. Have y'all priced patterns lately?

[Greg44]

McDonalds - Large Diet Coke for a buck. I tell you Diet Coke tastes better from McDonalds - and I have had many confirm this fact!

[Maxamillion]

I love this idea.


$1 bought me a package of 4-5 vintage (very classic 60's and '70s clothing) Simplicity and McCall's dress patterns in my size. Have y'all priced patterns lately?

Occasionally the JoAnn's store here will have a special, Simplicity or McCall's patterns for 99 cents or $1.99. I've also bought patterns at the thrift store, usually anywhere from 25 cents each to 45 cents each.

For $1 I can:
-- Go to the library and buy 10 magazines or two paperback books.
-- Go to a salvage grocery store and buy some unusual food item.
-- Buy a puzzle book
-- Buy a shirt at the thrift store to turn into doll clothes.
-- Pack a cheap lunch (or buy a $1 burger), bring some water or koolaid in a bottle, and go the park.
-- Buy a pack of seeds (or 2 or 3 packs at places like Dollar General) for the garden.
-- Buy some on-sale Christmas wrapping paper (or get wrapping paper from Dollar Tree), to make origami.
-- Using old clothes, make a quilt top. To make it more fun, gather with others for a quilting bee.
-- Buy a treat or toy for the cat.

[domestic goddess]

Lots of fun ideas here. For a buck I can buy some beads and, since I already have wire, etc. I can make a piece of jewelry. I can get a book or some music for my Kindle for a buck, and some books for free. I have a rather large yarn stash, so with a free pattern from the Internet, or a pattern from a magazine I already have, I can have hours of free crocheting fun. We will soon be making some Valentine's decorations with stuff around the house. zLots of fun can be had for a dollar.

[Mrs-M]

Wow, talk about creative! I'm still thinking...

[Fawn]

1) yesterday I bought on-sale knit hat and gloves--$.60 for hat, $.60 for two pair gloves. I would hand them out the the homeless folks that sleep near the library.
2) sidewalk chalk--$.89 for 8 big sticks. There is no end to the fun to be had with that. Give to kids. Draw arrows pointing to treasure, which could be any thing from a hidden quarter to a beautiful view.
3) a bag of balloons. Fill with your own hot air, they become volleyballs; with water, weapons.
4) for $.25 I can buy day-old bread and feed the ducks and swans at the local pond
5) I can buy 4 teapots worth of really good tea at my local organic store. I would host at "Stone Soup" tea party. That is, I provide the tea and cups and house and the invitees bring crumpets, or cucumber sandwiches or homemade biscuits or cream and sugar.
6) an old sock, filled with cheap rice, heated in the microwave for 2 minutes provides 30 minutes of heat therapy for pain relief for a variety of pain types. [arthritc, cancer, slipped disc, overworked muscles]
7) homemade snickerdoodles for when the Teenage Improv Group is practicing at my house---funny as Second City, they are.
8) Aldi Shiraz $2.91/bottle....so < $0.99 per 8 oz glass
9) My monthly internet cost is $29.95...so that is < $1.00/day of YouTube or ICanHazCheesburger or Facebook or pick your internet posion...
10) Goodwill!!!! No telling what $1 will buy there on any given day......

[pony mom]

A bag of Gummi Worms!!

[frugal-one]

Cheap date... $1 ice cream cones or sundaes at McD's.

[babr]

I can't play; I immediately think of free things; and put the dollar into savings:)

but its fun to read what others would do

[Spartana]

a small very good coffeee at Micky D's for $1
a DVD rental for $1/week at the library - including many TV series that come with a whole season for $1/week. Same formusic and book CDs.
hmmm... I can actually think of more free things then things for $1 - I guess that's a good thing!

[Chickadee]

This might have been mentioned, but $1 can usually purchase a small box of brand new crayons and a pack of paper during back to school sales. Usually there is money left over...the crayons are between 20 and 30 cents and the paper usually is about 50 cents. Coloring is fun and creative and I still think brand new crayons rock. I keep a few extra boxes on hand each year for little visitors to our home. :)

There are those seed packets for 20 cents (used to be 10 but inflation you know). Not many seeds in a packet but enough to have some fun with, especially if you get the zucchini. ;) A whole summer's worth for just two dimes. :)

And for $1 I can run my little space heater in my office for quite a few hours and be comfortable instead of shivering (no matter how many layers I put on it doesn't matter...I freeze otherwise). Same goes for the electric blanket on my bed. Sigh. Bliss.

[Chickadee]

Thought of another...a dollar can purchase one small ball of cotton yarn to knit into one of those fabulous dishcloths. Love those! And I second the idea about thrift store sweaters and unraveling....

A dollar's worth of eggs, flour and salt also make some awesome homemade pasta. So easy to make and so delicious too.