Life has changed A LOT for Daniel and I in the last couple weeks since he quit his fancy-schmancy corporate job to work at home and start his own business. He’s now designing plastic parts for radio-controlled cars. It’s a niche market, obviously, and the hobby has been his passion since he was 8 years old. He knows it inside and out and the business is looking up already.

After years of rarely seeing each other due to his workaholic ways combined with the extremely demanding hours of the video game industry, we suddenly find ourselves together at home all the time. Often we even have time on our hands! Gasp! This is all very new to us, but of course we love it because we always have fun together.

The only problem is that, thanks to a nice salary at his old job, we both became increasingly accustomed to the finer things in life. To put it another way, I became a total spoiled brat with my Nordstrom indulgences and world-class dinners every weekend. I don’t feel badly about it, though, because we were still saving and paying our bills.

But our time of living the “Good Life” - in the materialistic sense of the word - is over. At least temporarily.

So what do we do with all of these free hours together? I’ve been getting a little stir crazy each weekend because everything I think of to do requires cash and we’re on a Spending Freeze right now, just to be safe as the new business gets off the ground.

The question is: What can two formerly-spoiled food lovers do around town without spending much cash? I’d love your suggestions for local low-budg finds, inexpensive diversions, and such. And even if you don’t live in San Diego, you can still let me know what you do for fun around your town when you don’t want to spend too much money.

Thanks for your help! This “downwardly mobile” - by choice - lifestyle is threatening to get the best of me as I assimilate into our new way of life.

♥ Beth

P.S. But don’t get me wrong - I couldn’t be happier to have my husband by my side every day. Just help get us out of the house!