Geocaching

Geocaching.com

Geocaching is a game where people have hidden items around the world for others to find. What they do is document the positional coordinares (latitude, longitude) and post it on the Geocaching website. You can then take your GPS device and go to the exact coordinates to find the hidden item. Common courtesy is that you bring a different item to leave in place of the one you take. Some items will be as boring as a pencil, while sometimes you can find gift cards...anything someone decided to leave.
Price: $0
Location: Anywhere

Cheap and fun things to do around Minneapolis/St.Paul

Beer Darts

Darts are a staple at nearly every bar, bowling alley or arcade you might find yourself in. But other than the occasional Sunday matinée on Fox Sports Channel, how often do you actually see people playing competitive darts? Here's an outdoor modification that'll have your friends diving to the ground in an effort to save even the skunkiest of beers.


What you'll need:

• Beer; you probably won't need more than a 6 pack per person. If you want to do it the poor man's way, buy a case and split it with your friends.
• Dart(s); surprisingly K-mart might be your best bet to purchase the metal tipped darts you'll need for this game. The initial purchase can be a hefty one (pack of 3 for $15) but they last forever.
• Lawn Chairs or something comfortable to sit on; the higher off the ground you are, the better the throwing angle.

Rules:

Beer darts, as it is affectionately called, challenges both your aim and chugging abilities. Begin by seating all competitors in a large circle, ensuring that there is at least a few feet separating each person. Have everyone shake up one of their beers and place the unopened can on the ground between their feet. FIRE AWAY! Take turns throwing the dart at your neighbors beer (be a man and throw it at someone other than the person sitting right next to you). If the person throwing misses your can, you pick up the dart and shoot.

• 1st dart to puncture your can = drink the beer down to the level where the dart entered your can (don't get sprayed in the eyes)
• 2nd dart to puncture your can = finish the beer
• A dart that punctures the top of the can/lid = shotgun your beer
• 3 can "hits" without breaking = lucky you, you drink your entire beer
• The dart gets stuck in your foot = play better

Continue playing until all the beer is consumed or until you are consistently hitting your competition with the dart more often than the cans.


Modifications:

• Try 16 ounce cans; not only is it easier to hit the intended target, but the explosions are undeniable more outrageous
• Introduce multiple darts into the game; who says you only have to play one at a time?!
• Slip your buddy a can of Michelob Golden, the ribbed for pleasure design is sure to bust early and often
• Use large handles/plastic bottles of Ron Diaz (or other hard liquor) for friends who have bad aim

Cheap and fun things to do around Minneapolis/St.Paul

Vodka Roulette

Four or more people & shot glasses for each person
Water
Vodka
Everclear

Pour one shot glass of Everclear, 1-2 shot glasses of vodka the rest with water. Hand out the full shot glasses and don't allow anyone to smell them. If someone smells theirs, they drink them all. On someone's count. Everyone takes their respective shot whether it be water, vodka, or everclear. Whoever gets the everclear pours the next round.

Price: ~$5 a piece
Location: Anywhere

Cheap and fun things to do around Minneapolis/St.Paul

Way Better Explosive!!!

The Works Bomb is a fun little experiment that can be used to impress just about anyone that's been sheltered in their life. I've used this pretty little baby to attact many little ladies, and a bunch of cool guys.

Here's the trick to the Works Bomb. First you need to find a bottle that can be capped very tightly. The best bottles are generally your normal 20 oz pop bottle. They seem to be the perfect size. Next you'll need a sheet of tin foil. A sheet the size of a notebook should be the right amount and you want to rip the tin foil into pieces so you can roll tight tin foil balls, approximately the size of a small marble. The tighter the ball is wrapped the better! Make about 20 of these small balls. The next step is to pour Works(a toilet bowl cleaner) into the 20 oz bottle. Fill it up about 1/4 of the way. After you've filled up the bottle you are ready to find a safe place to blow up the bottle. Give it room to breathe because this baby is very powerful! Once ready you'll need to put the 20 tin balls into the bottle and cap it very tightly. Shake for about 5 seconds, HARD! Set bottle down, and run away! It takes about 30 seconds for the bottle to explode.(longer in cold weather.) Sit and wait with you friends to see a fantastic bang.

Be careful with the bomb because it could hurt someone. If you are careful nobody should get hurt.

Pimp for 20 min

Price: $0

Location: Nearby

Get your nicest suit, or at least pop the collar on a lacoste polo. Bring your arm candy with if available to show you're a legit baller. Then head to the nearest Maserati or Mercedes dealership and test drive cars you'll never own because a) you won't have enough dough and b) you're not a tool.

Cheap and fun things to do around Minneapolis / St Paul

Free Podcasts

Itunes Podcasts Preview
This one unfairly assumes you have a computer, ipod, or some device with music-playing capability. Most people already know about this, but I don't think enough people utitlize what is offered. Podcasts are recorded radioshows that are freely available on Itunes or on the particular publishers website. Not only are comedy shows, typical radio shows, sermons and audiobooks available. You can also take classes from Stanford, Harvard, Yale and other colleges for free. Most of these are just lectures, but some places offer video podcasts which is basically the same as being in class. If you like learning new things but don't want to pay for it, next to reading articles, this is the best way of getting credible information from highly-regarded sources.

Good Podcasts:
Wall Street Journal This Morning - daily news
Zencast - Buddhist sermons
NPR Economy - every 3 days economy news
NPR Technology - weekly tech news
How Stuff Works Stuff you should know - random topic research
How Stuff Works Tech Stuff - weekly tech news
Radiolab - random topic research / lectures
Woodland Hills Church - St Paul MN church sermons
TIME Financial - Weekly finance
Entrepreneurial Thought Leaders - Stanford Entrepreneurial class

Cheap and fun things to do around Minneapolis/St.Paul

Baseball Betting

Sports Betting.com

Take your $7 and place it on a team to win the World Series, League Championship, or Division Championship. Odds for the Brewers are about 35/1 and the Twins are about 20/1. Betting now will make the last month of the season a little more interesting.

Cheap and fun things to do around Minneapolis/St.Paul

Frisbeer

This game will take a good partner and a little competitive spirit. A drink is required too.


Supplies
Frisbee(free)
Four stakes about 4 feet tall($6)
Red cups($1)
Case of Beer 30($12)

You can split all of these expenses between about 4 or 5 people so you should be well under the $8 mark.

The game

Stick two of the stakes int he ground about a foot and a half apart. Then walk about 20 feet and do the same thing with the other stakes so the two goals are parallel. Set a red cup on the top of each stake. One member of each team is next to each goal. First team tries to throw the Frisbee at the goal and either knock a cup off the stake or make it through the goal. If your opponent throws the Frisbee through you have to try to catch the Frisbee to nullify his points, if you don't catch it he gets two points, you do catch it no points are awarded.. If he hits the cup off you have to catch the cup with one hand(no trapping) You catch it you get a point. You drop it they get a point. he game is played to 11 points or more if you desire.

Points
Knock cup off(no catch)-1pt
Frisbee through goal(no catch)-2 pt
Frisbee through goal(catch)-0 pt
Knock cup off(catch)-1 pt(catcher)

Here is a beautiful example if you are confused. (1pt)

Cheap and fun things to do around Minneapolis/St.Paul

$7 to give someone $100

Microfinance:
Lend money to people in 3rd world countries to start their own company. The best part about Microfinance is the people pay you back and get a chance to make money for themselves instead of relying on charity throughout their life. It offers a chance to build their local economy so they can someday be self-sustaining. Basically the way it works is you give somewhere from $25-$250 typically and the Microfinance bank compiles your money and other people's money to raise enough for a local mother (typically) to buy a cow, open a sewing factory, or any time of small market business. You choose who you would like to lend the money to and they pay back the money in 6 months - a few years. Most people have heard about this, but still not enough people realize how practical and easy it easy.
If you send $100 for one year and forego the $7 you could make in the stock market, you gave opportunity for someone poor in another country for $7.
.Kiva.org
98.47% repayment rate to date

Cheap and fun things to do around Minneapolis/St.Paul

Cards Games: Wild Progression

Price: $3 (2 decks of cards)

This is a card game played with 2-6 people and 2 decks (w/o jokers). The game follows the rules of "Gin" for the most part. The difference is that you play 10 rounds, each round adding another card.

The first round each player gets 3 cards and tries to either get a set of 3 or a 3-card run of the same suit. In this round the #3 is wild.
The second round each player gets 4 cars and tried to either get a set of 4 or a 4-card run of the same suit. In this round the #4 is wild.

Do you get the pattern? Each round, you get one more card and the number of cards you have in your hand is also the number of the wild card. Once you get to the round with 6 cards, you can begin doing 2 runs of 3 or 2 sets of 3.

Each round begins with a draw pile in the middle and one card flipped over. The player begins by either choosing from the discard pile or the draw pile. The round is over when someone lays down all of their cards in sets of 3 or suited 3-card runs (like Gin). Everyone then gets one more chance to get more "playable" cards. Each player then plays whatever cards they can (suited runs or sets of 3). Now you tally the points for the cards that are unplayable by each player for the round:

Person who "goes out" or "lays down" 1st: -15 pts
Someone who can play all cards after the 1st person lays down: 0 pts
2-9: 5 pts
10-K: 10 pts
A: 15 pts
Unplayable wild card: 15 pts

After you get to the round of 13 cards (Kings wild) the game is over. Only if there is a tie do you play 14 cards (Aces wild)

Cheap and fun things to do around Minneapolis/St.Paul

Lake Calhoun Games

Price: $0

Lake Calhoun has softball, sand volleyball, football, disc golf, and a bunch of other games played around the lake. Just stop over and join a game and meet some new people.

Cheap and fun things to do around Minneapolis/St.Paul