DR. WALLACE: I'm 22 years old and support myself financially, but it's very difficult. It seems like everything I want to do with my friends costs money, and most of my friends receive financial assistance from their families, so they're able to spend substantially more money each week than I can.

Any ideas as to how I can entertain myself on weekends without breaking my budget? I'm really tired of staying in all of the time and watching television or YouTube videos just because I can't think of anything else to do. — Tight budget, via email

TIGHT BUDGET: Get active! Riding bicycles, taking hikes, working out (Yes, it can be done without a gym membership!) and even volunteering your time can all be rewarding in their own way.

Window shopping and poking through thrift stores is a fun activity for many people; give these a try if you haven't already. You can also check to see what event and free seminars your local library or chamber of commerce might offer to the local community. And along these lines, there are often free music shows on weekends in the spring and summer in many parts of our country.

I WANT TO DATE SOON!

DR. WALLACE: I'm only 13, so I know that right now I'm too young to date, but I'm wondering what age you feel is appropriate for teens to be able to start dating. I'm a girl and I'm already mildly interested in a few boys, but only as friends. Maybe some time when I'm older I'll be able to date boys for real. When will that be? — Want to start dating, via email

WANT TO START DATING: Every teen and every family is different. Your parents will be the ones who set the rules, but a good rule of thumb I often mention is that a teen should be allowed to date once that teen is mature enough to handle the responsibility of following all family rules in this domain.

The vast majority of teens reach appropriate levels of maturity by ages 15 or 16, but there definitely are some late bloomers, too. The key for a teen to successfully begin dating is to keep the parents' trust and to be honest about all details of the dating process. Lying or deceiving parents in any way, shape or form indicates immaturity and should rightfully stunt the dating process until the proper maturity level is achieved.

Dr. Robert Wallace welcomes questions from readers. Although he is unable to reply to all of them individually, he will answer as many as possible in this column. Email him at [email protected]. To find out more about Dr. Robert Wallace and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

Photo credit: geralt at Pixabay