The 3 (Main) Free Things In Life

As written before, generalizations are often easy to be proven wrong if they are to be taken literally, I.E, if we are to consider words such as "every" for what they really mean -- every single one or something within the generalization. Should we be more literal in our understanding, we can realize that many common arguments are just not true, with a certain example being the term "everything costs money", in which I will write about in this article.

I will simply begin by arguing that there are activities, even if few, that do not require any payment; activities that the more you will do them, even, the more money you can gradually save instead of doing activities that require money from either you or someone else, like a parent.

The 3 main free things in life are:

* resting/chilling out,

* sleeping and

* exercising.

Theoretically, anyone can do them without the need to invest money, even though there are ways of doing them that indeed require paying, like a gym membership or yoga lessons to relieve one's stress. However, these are merely ways you can do them under paid settings. You can even sleep in the street for free, but having a roof under your head can be regarded as a "paid setting" as well.

Regardless, these 3 activities prove that money won't buy you everything, as some things do not reuquire it. Obviously, it can buy you a good bed, but it's possible to sleep on anything else that is comfortable, like the ground or, if you're homeless, on a public bench. Additionally, a good bed doesn't guarantee a successful sleep; ask any insomniac that question.

You can also relax without paying for something to help; deep breaths, muscle relief, meditation, and even doing nothing -- all are commonly-free methods that do not require, mostly at least, any other pay but your time and self-discipline.

People with certain disabilities, however, may require to pay for relaxation pills for the rest of their lives, to help cope with their condition. Nonetheless, even the same mentioned activities can be a useful addition to anyone looking to relax without an extra cent. Even idly sitting or laying down can often suffice to reduce the levels of stress in one's body. Doing nothing, in general, has its own perks.

Finally, when it comes to exercising -- as long as you're able to move your body, and are not completely paralyzed, you can be at least in a good shape without paying a dime to the massive exercise industry. Ground exercise (sit-ups, push-ups, etc), walking, jogging and even dancing -- no one will charge you for doing these activities within the confines of your home or in a place such as a park. One doesn't need to be muscular in order to be in good shape, and more importantly -- in good health.

Think of all the money you can save by using cheaper, if not completely free, alternatives, that can give you good results. Being "cheap" is not that bad when one's resources can be invested otherwise while still getting the goals one was aiming for if they were to pay, like we are normally encouraged by consumerist culture to do.

I will add something as a bonus for the more religious -- arguably, prayer too is free, and in some religions where monasticism and/or asceticism exists, it can also be done in solitude, without going to public institutions nor even as a group. Religious hermits are a prime example of that. If one is simply theist without necessarily being very religious, coming up with one's own prayers won't cost you anything. Additionally, it can be combined with calming oneself, as repetitive thoughts, such as mantra, can greatly help.

I will conclude by claiming that the more solitary you are and the more ascetically you live, you may feel compelled to pay for services you can provide to yourself (like the things mentioned earlier). In general, you need to be financially wiser when you live alone regardless. Unless you're an infant or a wilderness hermit, you'll pay money, but at least you can do your best to pay as little as possible -- and watch your bank account slowly grow, and grant you better financial security -- because not everything comes with a monetary price.

(Edit: Yet another suggested free thing, suggested by a reader, is free advice; the one that you can get, for example, when asking for directions, or one from a family member or a friend, and even on online forums, for various occasions and problems, from getting stuck in a video game level to troubles with one's romantic partner. Anonymously or otherwise. Having friends can get you that as well).