Economy got you singing the Spring Break Blues? Spring break spent with mom and pops, while your friends tweet you from some beachside suite, may seem worse than going to class. However, if Risky Business is testament to anything, it’s that sometimes the most fun is that which you create yourself.

Here are some staycation ideas that will ease the pain of inertia:

1) Check out all your local museums again for the first time since you were 10. Chances are, some hot exhibit or perhaps even a wing will have been added, and you’ll get a trip down memory lane too. At least now you can join in on cocktail hour.

2) Have a barbecue with all the other trip exiles. A Hawaii theme might be a bit much and could stir up resentment – but if there’s a pool, harken back to your elementary school Marco-Polo days.

3) Take mini trips – out to a nearby lake, historical site, or charming little town. You don’t need to go far to find adventure.

4) Finally read that multi-volume series you’ve been dying to, even though you already know all the endings thanks to those geeks who couldn’t keep it to themselves. If you’d like to travel vicariously through the written word, check out Bill Bryson, Frances Mayes, or Paul Theroux.

5) Rent spring break movies like Revenge of the Nerds 2 or Club Dread and be relieved similar scenes with you in them won’t be posted on Facebook for your future employer to see.

6) Take all that money you saved and apply it towards a summer blowout. Do your research now, since planning is part of the fun.

7) Apply for a semester abroad. Perhaps yet another week at home will motivate you to discover new cultures.

8) Check out restaurants other than The Olive Garden to get a taste of where you might want to go in the future, or indulge in where you’ve been in the past.

9) Study. Post-graduates, I’m talking to you.

10) Work, even if it means odd jobs like dog-sitting or helping dad out in the yard. In this economy, money is good. Otherwise you wouldn’t have stayed at home.

11) Volunteer. Dedicate your time to people in need. Wall Street has definitely hit Main Street, which means the financial crisis has hit home. Bonding with your community may even feel more rewarding than 7 days you wouldn’t remember anyway.

12) Actually, forget Risky Business.  Pimping out your house or even yourself will only complicate a staycation.  But 1-11 are up for grabs.

* If you must get away this spring break, then check out green destinations like Costa Rica or Belize!