{"id":4333,"date":"2012-12-31T05:17:30","date_gmt":"2012-12-31T13:17:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/couponshoebox.com\/tips\/?p=4333"},"modified":"2012-12-31T05:17:39","modified_gmt":"2012-12-31T13:17:39","slug":"affordable-outings-to-combat-the-winter-blahs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/couponshoebox.com\/tips\/affordable-outings-to-combat-the-winter-blahs\/","title":{"rendered":"Affordable Outings to Combat the Winter &#8220;Blahs&#8221;"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The holidays are winding down and so is all the commotion that goes with them. Once the gatherings, events and festivities are over, we often experience a letdown. Looking forward to the remainder of winter\u2019s still-short and often cold days, it\u2019s easy to slide into the winter doldrums. While you may be thinking this is the perfect time of year to take off on a tropical vacation, you may still be paying off your holiday expenses, so some affordable outings may be just what the doctor ordered to keep your spirits light.<\/p>\n<p>While you want a departure from the ordinary, there\u2019s no need to go far or spend a lot. Some of the simplest ideas can net you a lot of R and R. Look for coupons and specials through services like Groupon or Amazon Local to make these little recuperative indulgences more affordable.<\/p>\n<h3>Affordable Indoor Activities\u00a0to Fend Off Winter &#8220;Blahs&#8221;<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Botanic Gardens or Arboretum &#8211;<\/strong> If you\u2019re in need of a burst of exposure to living things, there\u2019s nothing better than entering a lush paradise. Regardless of the season, there\u2019s plenty growing here.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Museums &#8211;<\/strong> Look for discounted admission (or free) days, usually during the week. Often overlooked during warmer weather, museums will transport you to another time and place.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Planetarium &#8211;<\/strong> Put your head in the stars, far beyond inclement, cold days on Earth.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Bowling &#8211;<\/strong> Weekdays are the time to find cheaper and less-crowded lanes.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Library<\/strong> &#8211; Get lost in the stacks and borrow some new reading material. They often have programs and activities for children, too.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Local concerts and performances &#8211;<\/strong> Support the arts and enjoy some inexpensive entertainment.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Indoor athletics &#8211;<\/strong> Find a local athletic center where you can participate in indoor versions of such sports as wall climbing, ice skating or swimming.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Arts and crafts classes &#8211;<\/strong> Exercise your creativity by learning ceramics, watercolor or jewelry making.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Visit an animal shelter &#8211;<\/strong> Playing with and petting some furry friends will warm your heart and the animals will appreciate the company.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Explore the city while the holiday lights are still up &#8211;<\/strong> Waiting until the holiday crowds have waned provides a more relaxing opportunity to take in the sights.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Manicure, pedicure, massage or facial at a salon &#8211;<\/strong> A little pampering can go a long way toward rejuvenating a winter-weary spirit.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Weekend away at local motel &#8211;<\/strong> Take a mini-vacation at a local motel, taking advantage of their pool, spa and other fun and relaxing amenities.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Affordable Outdoor Activities to Fend Off Winter &#8220;Blahs&#8221;<\/h3>\n<p>Just because it\u2019s winter, it\u2019s not necessarily frigid. Consider going to places you\u2019d visit in warmer weather &#8211; they\u2019ll be less crowded. You may need to dress warmer but there\u2019s still lots of fun to be had.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Park or nature preserve &#8211;<\/strong> Take in the sights while experiencing winter\u2019s unique beauty. You may discover things you\u2019ve never seen before!<\/li>\n<li><strong>Zoo &#8211;<\/strong> Many zoos are open year-round and are great places to go to experience a change of pace and focus.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Biking \/hiking trails &#8211;<\/strong> How about a little exercise out in the fresh air?<\/li>\n<li><strong>\u201cSummer in the winter\u201d &#8211;<\/strong> Throw on appropriate outerwear and do something unexpected for the season! Drink cocoa sitting in a lawn chair. Have lunch at a picnic table wearing mittens. Mixing it up like that will break you out of the winter doldrums.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The trick to overcoming the restlessness of the winter blahs is to celebrate what we <em>can<\/em> do in the season, rather than lament what we <em>can\u2019t<\/em>. With a little imagination not much expense, we can snap out of the winter doldrums and actually enjoy the unique joys of winter.<\/p>\n<p><em>How do you combat the winter &#8220;blahs?&#8221;<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The holidays are winding down and so is all the commotion that goes with them. Once the gatherings, events and festivities are over, we often experience a letdown. Looking forward to the remainder of winter\u2019s still-short and often cold days, it\u2019s easy to slide into the winter doldrums. While you may be thinking this is [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[8],"tags":[44,510,302,39],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/couponshoebox.com\/tips\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4333"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/couponshoebox.com\/tips\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/couponshoebox.com\/tips\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/couponshoebox.com\/tips\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/couponshoebox.com\/tips\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4333"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/couponshoebox.com\/tips\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4333\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/couponshoebox.com\/tips\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4333"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/couponshoebox.com\/tips\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4333"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/couponshoebox.com\/tips\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4333"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}