Freedom Finders

“And when we looked outside, couldn’t even see the sky.

How do you pay the rent? Is it your parents?

Or is it hard work, dear, holding the atmosphere?

I don’t wanna live like that.”

“Sleep on the Floor” – The Lumineers

 

As I can personally attest (and as I detailed in my previous post, “Paper Cuts”) paychecks take on a completely different tone when you’re responsible for your own bills. No longer is your pay your “spending money”; there’s little wiggle room in the direct transfer. For that reason, I’ve made it my mission to sniff out free things–and I’ve become a master. It’s all about surveillance. If anything can persuade me to skip the headphones, it’s the news of free food, clothes, or credit.

Food: Many university-hosted events are catered, whether by the event organization itself or a larger catering company, so it’s often possible to get a 2-in-1 “dinner and a show” special. There are countless lectures, screenings, and performances happening at any given time of the school year, and the Umass Arts and Events Calendar (http://www.umass.edu/events/) as well as the school-specific Humanities and Fine Arts Events Calendar (http://www.umass.edu/hfa/events) are rich resources to track them down. Aside from these more formal opportunities, the Facebook page “Need a Swipe? Got a Swipe?” is a godsend. As page founder Kenny Williams writes, “This is not a space for judgement or comment,” since he, as a Umass student, understands how tight money and schedules can be. As a result, he created this public page where, as the title suggests, students who “need a swipe” can post and link up with students who “got a swipe.” This way, extra YCMPs/Dining Dollars/guest swipes don’t go unused and nobody goes hungry/is forced to spend unnecessary money. “Get together and break bread,” Williams writes, touching on the communal aspect, “or swipe someone in and do your own thing.”

Clothes: Free t-shirts are everywhere. Whether you wear them to the gym, to bed, or to class, it can never hurt to have another shirt. Scan university emails for giveaways or surveys whose rewards come in the form of t-shirts or other swag. Where do you think everyone got those “Free Sam” and “Late Night at Berk” shirts?

Credit: It pays to be on the prowl. UMass is particularly fond of Amazon, so IT surveys or other sponsored events often offer gift cards to the online service as incentive. The university needs census-based information, and most students have a few minutes to help out–plus, who doesn’t love gift cards? Data collection never felt so good. Remember to also keep your eyes peeled for deals around town. Here’s an opportunity this coming weekend: Atkin’s Farm in Amherst is hosting a blood drive from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, April 30th, and every donor gets a gift card. You will definitely catch me there.

Even though it might feel like you’re barely making ends meet, there are ways to take care of–and sometimes treat–yourself. With responsibility often comes sacrifice, but that doesn’t have to mean deprivation.

This Lumineers song depicts this extreme: if you’re not taking “hand-outs,” you’re likely working tirelessly with no reward, an unarguably somber state of affairs. Someone should link Wesley and Jeremiah to this post; maybe then they’d see that a wage-based and bill-centered life can exist a little more neutrally.