‘How to Slive during a Cozzie Livs’ is a column focused on bringing you the ways to live your best life as a broke uni student. For all you older (or less active in the pop culture space) readers: “Slive” refers to a mashup between the words “slay” and “live”, popularised by our queen, Paris Hilton. “Cozzie Livs” refers to our current cost-of-living crisis – if you haven’t noticed, good for you, I guess.
It’s uni holidays – and you’re poor. I’m not calling you out, I swear, I’m poor too. All of us are.
It feels illegal to be on holiday from uni and not be making the most of your time off. But most of the time, the most fun things to do are the most expensive. Taking a trip? Expensive. Shopping? Expensive. Going out to dinner with your friends? Expensive. Concerts? Expensive (unless you read my other article *wink wink*).
Don’t you fret, though. I’m here to provide all those fun holiday activities that won’t break the bank… or the jar of cash you hide in your cupboard.
Group Activities
For this section, I regret to inform you that it’s BYOF (bring your own friends).
If you made it past that, yay! You have friends!
Now as for what to do with them…
Games Night: I’m not just talking some run-of-the-mill board game night (though if you’re into that, go for it). No, no, I’m talking about channelling your inner kid. Duck, duck, goose. Mafia. Ninja. Tag (you will have to provide a backyard or park for that one, though). Hide-and-seek. Wink murder. Sardines. Spotlight. Truth or dare. Kiss, marry, kill. MASH. The more Grade-8-sleepover, the better.
Themed Picnic: I don’t mean you have to dress up and have a banquet outside (but if you’re down, I’m down). I mean have a craft-centred picnic, doing each other’s face-paint and drawing portraits of one another. Have a picnic where you all bring your favourite cheap snacks and share. Wear all those clothes you never have an excuse to wear.
Garage Sale: Take your spring cleaning up a notch – do a mock garage sale with your friends. Each bring a few things you want to get rid of, be it clothes, books, knick knacks, and do a lil trade sesh. If one thing seems to be worth more than another, barter for it. I’ll give you these jeans if you give me two of those ceramic teddy bears – sound fair?
Book Swap: In a similar vein, do a book swap! Whether you simply get together with friends and swap your favourite books (and provide cheeky annotations in the margins), or you specifically buy books that you think the other will enjoy, it’s always good to get those literary juices flowing.
Scavenger Hunt: This one requires some pre-planning (and a fair few friends). Do a scavenger hunt! The best way to level up a night out: split your group into two teams, organise some challenges to complete, and rejoin at certain points to debrief (and check who’s winning). Just remember, pics or it didn’t happen. Go forth and kiss a bald man’s head. You’ll get ten points, I promise.
Explore: As much as I’m a Blues supporter, I do concede that Queensland is pretty sick. Take the time to explore your home state! Check out a waterfall, torch that skin at the beach, catch hypothermia at a creek, and climb a mountain – just make sure to bring that asthma puffer. It’s not easy being wheezy.
Op-Shop: This one isn’t necessarily free – but it is cheap. SEQ is a hot-spot when it comes to op-shops. Grab an iced coffee, grab a tote, and go rummage! You could even make it a competition with your friends. Best bargain wins.
House Party: This is a no-brainer. Get a good ol-fashioned house party going. Get everyone to bring their own drinks, dust off those red solo cups, and get the beer pong tournament going. Even better, have a themed house party. Dress up as your top artist on Spotify, your favourite meme, or your favourite Shrek character. I bags Lord Faquaad.
Movie Night: So simple, yet so effective. Choose a bunch of movies and watch them back-to-back. Could be a franchise: Star Wars (nerd), Barbie (slay), or Harry Potter (somehow bigger nerd). Could be a genre: rom-coms, who-dun-its, or even documentaries (I don’t know how you could get nerdier). Either way, swap that doom-scrolling for some binge-watching. I’ll bring the popcorn.
PowerPoint Night: Surely you’ve seen this by now. Basically, everyone makes their own PowerPoint on anything their little heart desires pre-party, and then presents it to the group. I swear, it’s nothing like a boring uni lecture (no offence, ily QUT). From presentations on who in the group would die first in a zombie apocalypse, to ranking your weirdest dreams, to doing a dating life wrapped, to just explaining your special interest (please tell me more about how 9/11 led to 50 Shades of Grey), it’s a great way to learn more about your friends and the world at large.
Sports Day: Get that blood flowing with a sports day. Once again, this one requires some planning. Separate into teams, allocate house colours, get some war cries going, and start the athletics carnival. Three-legged race, tug-o-war, egg in spoon race. Bring the house spirit and bring the face paint.
Trauma Dump: Who needs therapy anyway? The best way to get to know each other is to trauma dump. Yes, I know, normally not recommended. However, if you both have the brain space for it, a mutual trauma dump can be beneficial. And you can unlock some seriously rare lore from your friends.
Solo Activities
Hot take, but your favourite person to hang out with should be yourself. After all, you’re stuck with you for life. So, here’s some things to do all on your lonesome – it’s only embarrassing if you think it is.
Galleries: This is one for the classier folk – check out some art galleries. Brisbane actually has a bunch, and they’re pretty damn good. And free. I’m talking GOMA, QAG, MoB, or even QUT’s Art Gallery. Chuck on some headphones, get those tunes playing, and appreciate some good-looking paintings. Bonus points if you think “I could make that”.
Libraries: Libraries aren’t just good to study in. They’re great places to hang out and read. I know Netflix is just as enticing – and probably easier to digest – but reading is shockingly good for you. And, I promise, it can be fun. If not, sometimes it’s just as entertaining to peruse the library shelves. Look out for the funniest title you can find or suss out some old newspaper articles. You might learn a thing or two. Also, the State Library just has the best views.
Explore: I know fuel is expensive. But it can be worth it. Drive to a neighbourhood you haven’t been to before and suss it out! You might find a hidden gem. If you’re not that adventurous, play it safe and check out Maleny and Montville – they’re great day trips. For those of you without cars, I got you too. Head into the centre of the city, then walk around… but with a twist. At each intersection, flip a coin. Heads, go right. Tails, go left. You might find somewhere you haven’t seen before. If not, as least you got your steps up!
Create: Crafts aren’t just for kids. Do some drawing! Do some painting! Collages! Make a pet rock! Buy some air-dry clay and make a pot! Check out Tinkerspace! Seriously, there’s only a certain kind of satisfaction that comes for using something you’ve made with your own two hands.
Exercise: I know. Ew. But exercise doesn’t have to be joining a gym. Go for a walk/run. Head to the beach or your public pool and have a swim (but not Southbank beach. Never Southbank beach). Do some yoga in a park. Buy an old Wii and do some Just Dance (I thoroughly recommend this one). Find your local exercise park and try out the machines – or, even better, find your local playground and get that energy out.
Markets: Okay, this one isn’t necessarily free – unless you’re cool with window shopping – but it’s very fun. Bring your own coffee from home – that step is essential… no $8 iced latte for you – and head over to your local market. Soak in the vibes, check out some handmade goods, and always always take the free samples from any food place.
Lizard It Up: Sometimes the best thing for your mental health is pretending to be a lizard. Find a rock in the sun and lay on that thang till your anxiety melts away. I don’t care if you’re as pale as the moon. Vitamin D is good for you, and sunscreen exists. It’s lizard time babey.
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This guide is by no means an exhaustive list of all the cheap activities you can do in your spare time. But it’s a start.
Bed-rotting is out, having a fun life is in.
Go forth and slive, my friends.
