Don't let expensive ski apparel and tickets put the freeze on your monthly budget. Instead, try the new geocaching craze, says Lynn Colwell, co-author of the book "Celebrate Green!"
Geocachers use GPS devices and clues to discover caches (boxes or cylinders) hidden in parks, in the wilderness or on city streets. The caches contain a log for you to document your find, along with a trinket or two for swapping.
The Seattle-based company Groundspeak helps to manage geocaching hide-and-seek expeditions, and offers an iPhone application to help you find caches, available for a one-time fee of $9.99.
Geocaching is a frugal way to discover your city inexpensively. "I love discovering places I'd never normally find -- the streets I've never been down and little nooks and crannies in parks," Colwell says.