Enrich your life, without being rich

By Helen Huntley, Times Personal Finance Editor
In print: Sunday, April 27, 2008

Is St. Petersburg's free museum day on your calendar for May 17? How about one of these adventures: Civil War Days at Heritage Village in Largo (free, May 17), $5 Day at Lowry Park Zoo in Tampa (May 18) or maybe the Ruskin Tomato Festival ($5, May 3 and 4)? Or how about just going to the beach or taking a walk in a nearby park?

The common denominator in all those activities: They are inexpensive ways to experience some of the delights the Tampa Bay area has to offer. And doing one or more of them just might make you a happier person.

The Times recently published a column by former Wall Street Journal writer Jonathan Clements reporting on an academic study of happiness. Researchers found that people were happiest when participating in "engaging leisure and spiritual activities." But, as Clements lamented, we do fewer of those happiness-producing activities than people did 40 years ago because we spend so much time watching television instead.

That started me thinking about ways that we can enrich our lives without being rich.

Those who merely want to get out of the house and do something interesting only have to pay attention to the Times' listings of the opportunities all around us. Festivals, art shows, lectures and free concerts in parks are ours in abundance during most of the year (admittedly not so much in the summer).

But to really ramp up your happiness quotient, your best bet is to find something that's not just entertaining, but engrossing. It's even better if you develop a passion for the pursuit.

Helen Huntley can be reached at hhuntley@sptimes.com. Visit her MoneyTalk blog (blogs.tampabay.com/money) for more money information.

Here are my top suggestions for low-cost ways to enrich your life. If you have a favorite suggestion to add to the list, send it my way and we'll consider it for publication next week:

Explore the outdoors. Make a list of state and county parks and forests within driving distance of your home, then check them off at your own pace. Call ahead to ask about nature walks, guided hikes, deer hunting season (in forests) and other activities you might want to enjoy or avoid.

Master your favorite style of ethnic cooking. Take a class. Visit ethnic markets. Grow your own herbs. Watch food shows and videos. Read cookbooks. Conduct lots of experiments in the kitchen.

Adopt a museum. Become a member and get to know the place. Learn about the collection. Attend lectures. Become a volunteer, maybe even a docent.

Record your family history. Research your roots and connect with distant cousins online. Use the computer to create a detailed family tree. Write down or record your memories and those of elderly relatives.

Love your library. Delve into the lives and works of your favorite authors, artists, composers and historical figures with books, CDs, videos and other media. Learn to use the library's online catalog to request materials.

Help someone. Tutor a child; mow your neighbor's lawn; visit a nursing home. There's nothing like focusing on someone else's problems to help you forget your own.