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Just because you’re on a budget doesn’t mean you have to sit at home alone and not ever have any fun. There are lots of ways that you can enjoy fun with your friends without spending a ton of money. I’ll honest, I’ve been budgeting for over 10 years now and while my budget doesn’t allow me to go to expensive events every week, I still manage to have plenty of fun and find things I enjoy. Here are 8 ideas of how to have fun with friends without spending an arm and a leg to get you started.
8 ways to spend time with friends when you’re on a budget
1. Have a potluck. Personally, I love this idea, especially when a theme is involved. My friends had a taco potluck and not only was the food delicious, but it was so much less expensive than eating out. Plus it was BYOB so it was way less expensive than buying drinks out and if you are really pinching pennies, you could skip the alcohol.
2. Go to a park or arboretum with a picnic. Everyone brings their own food and bring a large blanket or old sheet. You can also consider bringing a speaker. Friends, food, nature, and music–sounds like fun to me.
3. Have a BBQ or cookout. Invite friends over and have everyone bring a side dish or buns while the host provides burgers (beef, turkey or veggie) and hot dogs. Cookouts are all about the company. Just because an event is inexpensive doesn’t mean it can’t be fun.
4. Do a movie night in. Invite friends over to watch a movie on Netflix, Hulu, or Amazon Prime for free (with subscription) or even rent from Redbox. The minimal cost of rental, if any, plus popcorn and candy at home will cost far less than even 1 ticket to a movie theater. You can take this a lot of different directions. You can show a movie that recently came to theaters, a classic from childhood that you always loved, or even a classic that you never got around to seeing until now.
5. Have a board game or cards night. Have everyone bring one of their favorite games and a snack. Then take inventory of the game options and decide where the fun should begin. This could even turn into a few nights of games if there are good options and there isn’t enough time to play everything that first night. Our current adult favorites include Go Fish Yourself, Adult Loaded Questions, and The Voting Game.
6. Search online for free events in your town or city. Your town or city might have a website or email list for these events. My city has Get Offline, a site that rounds up a lot of fun and free or inexpensive events.
7. Instead of going to dinner or drinks to catch up with a friend, consider going for a walk. There are so many places that you can walk and get exercise, enjoy the outdoors, and still catch up with your friend. All for free. This one has added perks. You get to spend time with your friend, get some exercise, and even spend some time outside. I don’t know about you, but I’m stuck inside at work all day long and once the work day ends, I look for any chance I can get to spend some time outside getting fresh air and sun.
8. If you go out to a restaurant or bar, consider going for appetizers or dessert instead of for a meal. Set a drink limit for yourself since the cost of alcohol adds up very quickly. If the group is going for dinner, consider eating a salad or small meal at home before you go so you can eat something smaller and less expensive (maybe an appetizer as a meal) for yourself.
Going to a restaurant explicitly for dessert can be a really fun way to mix things up. How often have you had dinner out only to be asked if you want dessert and just be so full that you couldn’t possibly eat it? For me, that happens all the time. In fact, unless I’m going out just for dessert, I rarely leave enough room to eat any. Going for dessert only can make familiar restaurants new since the dessert menu may be one you don’t usually use to order.
Budgeting doesn’t mean putting your life on hold or an end to having fun with friends. It can even make you be more creative when you try to come up with fun events and things to do with your friends. The thing about friends is, it’s really about spending time together, not about spending money. No matter how small your budget, look for new exciting things to do and find ways to spend time with friends.
Do you have any suggestions for budget-friendly ways to spend time with friends? Comment below to share your ideas. Like this post? Share it with friends on social media.