On Loving Art Cheaply in 2025

Books, Libraries and Free Streaming Apps, Revisits, and Starting Your Own Damn Projects

A funny consequence of having the raptor of indigence swoop down upon you is that you grow more conscious of both how you spend your money and how you’ve spent it in the past. The simple act of walking past a restaurant that used to be in your price range can trigger pangs of regret and longing, a curdled kind of Proustian reflection that doesn’t help you figure things out but does make your day a little worse.

If the above stings, know that I suffer with you, and that the two of us (you the reader, me the writer) are part of a vast sea of people and likely to be joined by more as the grinding gears of capitalism keep mashing us into pulp. What can we do about it? Individually, probably not much! In terms of broad improvements, anyway. What we can do for ourselves is figure out how to pare down and live lean while we chip away at our circumstances.

I am not an expert in being broke, despite all the practice. All I can do is put forward my ideas for how I can hopefully stay sane and enjoy art despite these damned pecuniary limitations of mine.

1. Going to the Damn Library

I already have, and use, my library card. For 2025, I’ll be using it as a bulwark against the impulse to buy new books. While some works whisk past us and disappear into the ether before we finish blinking, most things stick around a while! The new thing will still be there! Meanwhile, most conversations about current works (books, movies, etc) are held down by the baggage of general internet nonsense, particularly the nonsense brought on by bots and the endless pile-up of flop sweat-drenched SEO pieces that intend to turn humble content into a beautiful profitable billboard. So really, why not wait a little while? If [work by artist] was that important to you, you’d break your rule about not purchasing it anyway.

2. Embrace the Free Streaming Services

Thanks to services like Kanopy and Hoopla, you can library from the comfort of your home. Both are accessible through a library card and boast formidable selections.

Determined to stay away from vital public services? Use Tubi. And use Pluto! It currently has a channel that’s solely for re-airing episodes of Cheers and Frasier. Need to fill a full 24-hour day with television? Well now you can do it via Cheers and Frasier.

3. Rewatch What You Own and Plumb Their Special Features

I have a not-small (though not the largest of my friends) collection of films and TV shows. Physical media rules! Loving it has buoyed my spirits as much or more than it’s managed to drag down my finances. The thing about owning such a rich stock of stuff in the streaming age is that you can be torn between streaming new works and going back to what you own and have likely already seen. Guess what—you’re broke or on your way to it, so cut some subscriptions and rewatch some things.

Watch what you love again. Check out the special features. Sit with what you love. If you’re desperate, slog through the SEO landscape for chintzy content meant to snare you when you perform a Google search of what you like. But make use of what you have before succumbing to temptation and buying something new. But when the next Criterion flash sale hits? Fuck it, we ball.

4. Create Your Own Stuff

I could be tilting at a windmill with this one, as I’m trying to enter a new career field and return to school at some point in 2025. Despite my misgivings about adding more to my plate, it’s important to remember that creative projects can be a great waste of time.

And I don’t mean “waste of time” as a pejorative! Primitive gods demanded sacrifices and so must we. Give your hours away to private nonsense whether it becomes public nonsense or not. It’s restorative, except when it isn’t, but if you find yourself more frustrated and embarrassed than pleased with yourself for taking a leap, work on that.