While in high school, I didn’t realize how easy my life was. Sure I had stress, anxiety, depression, and everything else a teenager faces, but the one thing I did have was money to spend. I took for granted the money I earned and spent it on about anything I wanted. Which mainly comprised of food and trips to the mall with friends. I made money, but with no real end goal. Now as a college student, I’ve learned how to conserve my money. I don’t buy anything unless I actually need it, like textbooks, school supplies, or food.

Now that I’m home for the summer, I want to hang out with friends and partake in fun activities with them. Sadly most things around here cost money. So I have comprised a list of fun inexpensive/free things to do in Grand Rapids, either by yourself or with others.

1. Artprize- One would describe it as a giant art exhibit that takes place in September and takes over all of downtown GR, inside and out. People come from all over to take a gander at the spectacular art pieces that cover downtown. The streets come alive with wonderful smells, music, and other vendors roaming around trying to entice you. Looking at the different exhibits is 100% free! What could be better than that?
2. Grand Rapids Art Museum- Speaking of art, every Tuesday admission is free to the public. So why not take a day to enjoy and learn about new cultures and ponder things you never would've thought about.
3. Gerald R. Ford International Airport- Starting at 7 pm you can pull your car into their observatory area and watch planes take off and land. Try a new perspective of watching from the outside. 100% free as well! Take a friend, or a date.
4. Street fairs- There are several street fairs that take place in downtown GR. Which features arts, crafts, music, food, and wonderful people. The ones I know of are the Vintage street market and the Eastern street fair. You can find cute clothes, little knick knacks, and other inexpensive items
5. Grand Haven- May not count as being in Grand Rapids, but a beach day is always fun. You can go swimming, walk the shoreline, or the pier, and look at the lighthouse. Also $2.50 for pronto pups! Who can resist the deep-fried hot dog on a stick, better than a corndog.
6. Get ice cream- I love walking into Ada and getting an ice cream cone and exploring around with friends. During the summer, Ada is a wonderful place to walk around and explore the cute shops and trails throughout Ada.
7. China Garden- Probably my favorite Chinese restaurant to go to. $8 for an all you can eat buffet and I know the owners personally, and they are the sweetest people ever.
8. Celebration Cinema- The one located by Woodland mall has $5 movie showings of ones that have been out for awhile.

Even if you don’t ever do a single thing on this list, get out and do something. Even if it’s a walk, or you lie in the grass for hours. Everyone should spend their time enjoying life and not laying in bed waiting for the day to end and a new one to begin. The thing with being a college student is that your summers no longer belong to you. They typically involve having a job and other things like summer classes or volunteer work. In high school, summer involved just laying around and fun activities. Well, welcome to being a step closer to adulthood, which comes with more responsibilities. Still remember to have some fun and not to overload yourself.