One of the problems about being broke is that you have to conserve your money. The easiest way to avoid not spending money is to not actually leave your apartment. Unfortunately, not leaving your apartment leads to endless amounts of time contemplating being broke. Which means that the best thing to do is to actually leave the apartment so you're not spending all your time contemplating being broke.

The problem with this is that if you leave and go do something, you inevitably will spend money. It's the being broke Catch-22- to stop being depressed about having no money, you have to go spend money. Oh, yes, there are certainly things one could do for free. Especially when it's all sunny and warm and beautiful like it is here in the Bay Area. You could go hiking, biking, going to the park- any number of things.

Which is all fine and well but none of which is as much fun as, say, meeting friends at Pier 23 and having a few drinks. And yes, compared to hiking, drinking is much less healthy. Not to mention way more expensive. On the other hand, it's not nearly as much fun. Especially when it's in the 80's, the sun is out for the first time in months, and you're on the water. And before I hear the tut-tutting of the lack of responsibility and the concerns inherent in more drinking references, I ask you this- could anyone possibly turn down the chance to go meet friends and have a few drinks in sunny warm weather in a bar that sits right on the Bay?

I think not.

Isn't that, actually, one of the things that makes life that much better?