Ashley Dodson

Reporter

With midterms just behind us and finals slowing creeping up, it seems like there is no end and no time to take for ourselves. As college students, we can’t afford to treat ourselves to a day at a spa or go flying off to the mountains for a trip when we need to unwind. Relaxing doesn’t always have to be expensive, though. So here are a couple of ways to relax and de-stress for under $5.

1. Treat yourself to a magazine. (US Weekly, People, Field and Stream) Reading something non-academic even for a little bit helps take your mind off your studies, and read something for fun that you enjoy.

2. Check out some of the coffee shops downtown. Maybe you need to get out of your dorm for 30 minutes. There are one or two coffee shops close to campus. Most of these shops offer free Wi-Fi. Take your computer one afternoon, sip on a cup of coffee, listen to some music, and chill out.

3. Surf on the Web and find some new music. There are tons of music sites on the Internet including Spotify and iTunes. See what new artists they are featuring and download five new songs.

4. Check out what’s happening on campus. Most campus events are free to students. Just bring your student ID to the event, and most students won’t have to pay admission.

5. Massage chairs in the mall. These chairs only cost $1 for five minutes of massaging! Bring $5 and you could have half an hour’s massage for cheap!