It is easier than ever to keep a full and active social life on a slim budget. You can view the latest media, chat with friends, and meet new people in a variety of ways by keeping up-to-date with the latest in technology and money saving opportunities. With these tips, you can stay connected and save money while reducing your eco-footprint:

Use Local Coffee Shops for Wi-Fi

This might seem like a somewhat shady way to save money, but parking yourself at a local coffee shop helps everyone. When you visit a place that relies on the traffic of customers to look like a vibrant destination, your presence alone will be appreciated by the owners, management, and anyone relying on tips for their income. You can support a community business, eat local products, and surf the web all at the same time.

Public Transportation and Bicycles

By taking a car everywhere, you can get stuck in an isolated bubble that involves a steering wheel, stereo, and not much else. By opting to take public transportation you can meet colorful characters and cut down on carbon emissions at the same time.

In the Midwest, gas prices are up to about $3.47 per gallon. Instead of wasting a good chunk of your paycheck on fuel, you can fuel your own energy levels up by walking or riding a bike around town. Many other people are starting to realize the benefits of taking an active approach to commuting and you can meet them on trails, in parks, or while chaining your bike up. You can also consider an electric car.

Get a Family Phone Plan

It seems like you can’t go to the local wireless shop without purchasing a smartphone that does 3,000 different things. These devices are great for checking in on social media, reading email, and texting all of your friends in a matter of seconds. The biggest drawback to these devices is that you have to purchase expensive data plans to go along with all of the cool features. Purchasing a family plan will help everyone in your family from your parents living on a retirement calculator, to teenagers working minimum wage jobs.

Skip the Cable

Let’s get down to brass tacks here, digital television providers and cable companies are expensive. They like to upsell bundle packages, premium movie and sports channels, and DVR storage systems that can clog up your monthly bill. In order to catch your favorite television series’ and avoid paying a monthly bill, there are a couple of different methods. If you want to stay in the know, most cable networks post the most recent episodes directly to their website or Hulu. Several streaming services like Netflix and Blockbuster offer a broad catalog of movies starting at $7.99 a month. You can even catch sporting events through live websites like Justin.tv and Telle TV.

Saving money doesn’t have to mean compromising your fun. Just look for great and inexpensive ways to keep yourself entertained on a shoestring budget.