The weekend is finally here and it’s time to make plans to unwind, hook up with friends, and celebrate the fact that Monday, for the moment, is far away. There’s just one problem. You may be up for a night frivolous fun but your bank account balance is down. Way down. Quite the conundrum.
Being budget-challenged doesn’t mean you have to be a hopeless hermit. Here are a few ways you can keep your social life healthy, active and rich even when your budget is a little under the weather, stagnant, or downright poor.
Host a BYOB party
When you can’t afford to go out with friends, bring your friends to you. Holding a bring your own beer (BYOB) party at your place is a great way to keep your social life alive when your budget is dead. Instead of spending money at a bar or pub where the average price of a pint of beer is between $5 to $6, you can ask each friend pick up a six-pack, which is not much more than a single drink at a bar, and head over to your place for Friday festivities.
Encourage everyone to bring unique beer selections like Nitro IPA, local craft favorites and seasonal brews, so you and your pals can each try something new and broaden your beer palate. Plus, it gives you the motivation to clean your place up after ignoring the dishes and laundry all week.
Give back
Okay, it may not be the get-tipsy-and-silly kind of fun, but it is rewarding. Especially when you’re low on funds, it feels good to do something for someone else and not expect to get anything in return. Call it good karma, call it pay it forward, but the simple act of helping someone in need makes you feel like you’ve restored order to the universe. It’s a different kind of rich.
You could get a group of friends together and volunteer at a senior center — some even have killer ping pong tables. Or offer your time to a homeless shelter, providing those less fortunate with essentials they lack. Go to your local YMCA and play basketball with the kids. It doesn’t cost a thing, it can bring you and your friends closer together, and it will bring a little joy to those you help. All in all, not a bad way to spend your time.
Learn something
Similar to the house party and particularly appealing to those with some nerdiness in them, an excellent alternative to hitting the pub quiz is to host a Pot Luck Pop Quiz party. The idea is to have each person on the invitation list to choose and research one trivial topic and bring a dish related to that topic. The more interesting or obscure the topic, the better. For instance, one guest may research the history of the Italian mafia and bring lasagna as a dish. Another friend might research volcanoes and bring a chocolate lava cake for dessert.
Each person in attendance puts together a 10 minute presentation and delivers it to the captive audience as everyone chows down. Throw in an alternating line-up of whose turn it is to bring the wine and you’ve now managed to make learning fun.
