There is no doubt about it, us poor folks in North America are going through a financial crisis. Money is getting tight all around, meaning that we all have to be much more careful about how we spend the little we have. But does that mean you have to give up all the things you love? Of course not! That is, unless the things you love are solid gold houses and rocket cars. But for us regular folks, there is plenty you can do to stretch those ever shrinking entertainment dollars.

Mega Man 9 ($9.99): Let’s party like it’s 1987! The latest entry in the long-running Mega Man series of action games is eschewing all of the advances made in videogame development over the last two decades, and is instead quite possibly the greatest nostalgia trip ever. The game looks nearly identical to the first two games in the series, and more importantly, plays just as good. Mega Man 9 is great for those of us who grew up with an NES, and is probably the hardest game in the series. Just remember, those game controllers are expensive, so don’t go throwing them across the room in frustration.

His Dark Materials ($15.30): With this package, you get three of the best novels available, all for under $20. If you had to sit through the film version of The Golden Compass, try and put that out of your mind, and get ready for an epic tale that is actually entertaining. Like the Harry Potter books, the His Dark Materials trilogy is perfectly suited to both kids and adults alike. But this tale is much darker, and is filled with all types of creative and incredible creatures and locations that will suck you in until the last page of the last book. On the bad side, it will make you wish you had a daemon of you very own.

Batman: The Dark Glove ($16.49): If you prefer your books with pictures in them (which you probably do, considering you are reading this site), you may want to check out this hardcover collection. Writer Grant Morrison creates a brand new threat for the Dark Knight, a mysterious organization known as the Dark Glove. This group is committed to eliminating Batman by any means necessary, and on several occasions, come very close to getting their wish. Combining Morrison’s writing with J.H. Williams III wonderful art creates quite an engaging experience, and one that thankfully won’t break the bank. Unfortunately, it does end on a delicious cliff-hanger, so you may be forced to buy the next one as well.

The Ricky Gervais Show ($4.96-$6.95 per season): The best way to escape from the depression of having your house repossessed is humor. If you manage to hang on to your iPod, download any of the 5 seasons of The Ricky Gervais Show and get ready to laugh away all of your troubles. For a few hours anyways. Join Ricky and and his co-writer Steve Merchant as they listen to the hilariously idiotic theories of the lovable oaf Karl Pilkington. The best part for the financially impaired is that the show gets even better on multiple listens, so $5 can go a long way. Though sleeping on a subway may decrease the audio quality.

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