This post is by our regular contributor, Erin.
Many people think being frugal is synonymous with being boring, or that saving goes hand in hand with deprivation.
That couldn’t be further from the truth.
There are plenty of ways to be frugal without being boring! The key is to think of inexpensive alternatives to the things you already do so you’re not forced into being a hermit.
Aside from that, you can always choose to budget for the things you’d like to do, while still being financially responsible.
Let’s take a look at a few ways you can turn typically expensive activities into frugal ones!
Instead of Going to a Sports Game…
I have to admit, I’m not the biggest sports fan (I like baseball, which tends to be boring most of the year), but I still love gathering with friends to watch a game on TV.
If you can’t spare the change to see your favorite team play, then why not try to recreate some of the stadium atmosphere in-house or at a bar?
Getting together at someone’s house and having everyone bring their favorite food and beverages over is going to be the cheaper option. But if you can find a bar with great specials on appetizers/wings and beer, I’d call that a win.
If nothing else, grab your friends and get everyone involved in a fantasy league. You’ll have something to discuss every time you meet and get to rag on everyone for their picks (provided your team does well).
Love playing sports? Grab friends and play a game at a park! I’ve had fun playing frisbee and basketball; even throwing a ball around and talking is better than sitting in someone’s living room.
These solutions are bound to be much cheaper than buying a $30-$80 ticket (plus food and parking) to see your favorite national team play.
Instead of Going to a Concert…
Who said all concerts have to be expensive? Sure, if you want to see a popular act, the cost might be up there.
But I was pleasantly surprised earlier this year when tickets for one of my favorite groups went on sale for $30. That was most likely because it was at a more intimate venue, and there’s nothing wrong with enjoying music at a smaller, calmer venue!
You can try and find some local groups performing for free in your city, too. There are plenty of outdoor festivals with live entertainment occurring in major cities, especially when the weather is nice.
Heck, at the recent Financial Blogger Conference held in Charlotte, a local blue grass band performed at the kickoff party, and everyone seemed to enjoy it!
Alternatively, you can create your own concert. I know, it’s not exactly the same thing, but my friends and I used to love setting up Rock Band or Guitar Hero and having a mini-karaoke night.
Speaking of, there’s nothing quite like watching the beautiful train wreck that occurs when your not-so-sober friends try doing karaoke night at a bar.
Again, these options are pretty frugal when compared with paying $100+ for a concert ticket. Think outside the box for other entertainment ideas!
Instead of Going to a Fancy Restaurant…
Is there a high-end restaurant you absolutely love going to, but can’t squeeze into your budget? Why not recreate the meal at home?
I know, I know – half the point of going out to eat is not having to put any effort into cooking or cleaning up. The fact is, cooking at home is always cheaper than dining out.
If you’re looking for an inexpensive date night, shop for the ingredients with your significant other beforehand, and then delegate who’s going to do what in the kitchen.
Play some music, light candles, pour a cheap (but sophisticated) bottle of wine, and you have a frugal date night that’s at least $30-$50 cheaper than what you would have spent. Just don’t forget dessert!
If you’re looking to spend time with friends and family, potlucks are the way to go. With everyone bringing their own food and drinks and pitching in on supplies, you won’t have to worry about the cost so much. You can simply enjoy the company of your loved ones and good food.
Instead of Going to the Bar Every Weekend…
Okay, maybe you don’t go every weekend, but drinks are expensive! I’ve known people who blew through hundreds of dollars on alcohol in one weekend. That’s definitely not budget-friendly.
You know what is? Buying your own drinks and mixing them at someone’s house. I might be the odd one out, but I love house parties way more than I love going to a bar.
It’s less noisy, it’s more intimate, people aren’t constantly bumping into you, and you don’t have to worry about your drinks being watered down.
My friends enjoy hosting parties, and they usually involve a theme or games. Whether it’s dressing up in costume, solving a murder mystery, playing card games/board games, or simply sitting around a bonfire, we’ve had a lot of memorable get-togethers.
How to Avoid Becoming a Hermit
Everyone says your 20s are meant to be enjoyed, especially if you plan on settling down in the not-so-distant-future. That might seem hard when you’re trying to save for what seems like a million different things, on top of paying off any credit card or student loan debt you may have.
The fact is, frugality doesn’t mean being a hermit. It doesn’t mean saying “no” all the time, either. It simply means getting your priorities in order.
The best way to avoid being a hermit is to make room in your budget to have fun. Give yourself a spending allowance so you can enjoy your 20s. $50 or $100 per month can go far if you’re keeping everything budget-friendly.
As someone in her mid-20s, I can tell you time has flown by since I graduated from college. After moving away from my friends, I regret not spending more time with them when I had the chance.
If you have no room in your budget, or if your friends aren’t the kind to stick with frugal activities, you have a few choices. You can work to earn more to afford a social life, cut back on things that don’t matter, or you can get a new group of friends who are also trying to live frugally.
Easier said than done, but surrounding yourself with supportive people who can get on board with frugal hangouts is awesome. I’ve always been thankful my friends aren’t “fancy” and are understanding of our mission to save and get our student loans paid off.
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At the end of the day, the company you keep matters a lot more than what you’re doing. As long as you’re having fun with people you enjoy being around, you shouldn’t have to spend a ton of money to have a good time.
That said, make sure you leave room in your budget for fun! Save up for special events so you still have things to look forward to. Don’t equate frugality with boring – get creative instead!
How do you enjoy being frugal without being boring? What are some of your favorite frugal things to do with family and friends? Did you enjoy your 20s, or do you have any regrets?
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Wow, I wish I had done more of these types of things in my 20s. Luckily, they are still good tips for people in their 30s! :)
I think the hardest thing for me is staying away from restaurants — and, as you say, even non-fancy restaurants are basically always more expensive than cooking at home. I’m trying to cook more often these days and invite friends over for dinner rather than going out. If anyone has any recommendations for good (and foolproof) recipes to cook for a group, I’d love to hear them!
People who spend a lot of money are often at least as boring as frugal people. Cultivating interests makes you interesting. Whether its sports, trivia, books, hiking or something else, if you love something interesting, you can usually find a way to make it inexpensive.
We’ve used Groupon to find cheaper tickets to local events. My employer used to give us free tickets to sporting events, but that ended when marketing decided everything belonged to them :-(
I think it helps to have friends who like staying home, too. In our neighborhood, all of us have little kids. That makes it a lot easier – and a lot less expensive – to have a pitch-in instead of going out to dinner and to play cards instead of hitting a bar.
We’ve done a lot of these things to save money but still have fun. Plus, with the kids it’s just so much cheaper to stay at home or get together with friends as opposed to going out. When you add in a sitter it can get really expensive. We save/budget for things we really want to do and find ways to save on other things to make it possible.
My group of friends started a few years ago where instead of all of us going out to eat we would just go to one of the friends house (we all took turns) and have food there. It saved a TON of money in just a short time (we would all go out 2 or more times a week together) now that I’m older and married I prefer to make a nice dinner at home with the wife rather than going out to a nice dinner to me its nicer, cheaper, and more romantic than being surrounded by a bunch of strangers you don’t know.
We usually have “kick backs” where we all bring food, drinks, and good conversation. It beat the alternative in our town because of limited things to do.
I think frugal people are generally the most fun because they find creative ways to entertain. Cheap people,not so much!
This is a struggle for me big time. My friends are always going out all the time – and I mean big time. It’s really hard not to become a hermit and be the person always saying no, but sometimes that’s just how it is what you’re paying off debt.
I would much rather hang out in front of a bonfire with my friends than in a crowded bar. You’re absolutely right in that it’s all about being creative. Instead of just defauting to the typical lunch at a restaurant or going out for drinks, think up something new (and frugal).
theYachtless Yes, you can definitely do these at any age! Going out to eat and socialize seem to be one of the biggest problems for younger people. It’s so easy to grab a drink or dinner with friends, especially when you’re in a big city. I’m not the best cook, so I try to stick to simple meals. Heck, I’ll do breakfast for dinner sometimes. =) The less effort required, the better (for me, anyway).
Hannah UnplannedFinance Exactly! It’s so silly people equate frugality with being boring. There are so many things to occupy yourself with, and not all of them are expensive.
houseoftre Aw, I’m glad you got to take advantage of that while it happened!
holly@clubthrifty.com Yes, it really is SO much easier to be “frugal” when you have friends on the same page as you. Living close to them is a huge bonus!
FrugalRules I can only imagine how quickly the costs add up when you have little ones in tow. There’s no reason gathering at home can’t be as fun as going out somewhere!
Tjphilz5 That’s awesome! One of our friends in particular loves to host, so it usually works out well. We pitch in or just order a pizza. I probably sound weird saying it, but the convenience factor of eating out isn’t always convenient… somehow, my orders get mixed up, and I don’t enjoy waiting around. At least I can control the two at home. ;)
LovetteMacc I like that! We do something similar in the fall as one of my friends has a fire pit in his backyard.
Eyesonthedollar Haha, I like that way of thinking! Very true.
Financegirl It’s tough when your friends either don’t have the same goals as you, or don’t care about managing their money as much. I’m thankful my friends have always been understanding, but there have also been a few times we said “no” (especially when it comes to group trips) because of the cost. You have to do what’s right for you!
Harmony@CreatingMyKaleidoscope Yes! Me too. Most bars are just too loud. The most “expensive” thing we’ll do is go to trivia night at a bar, but even then, you get free pizza. You don’t have to order anything at the bar, they just hand it out!
That sounds like a great, frugal night out. I need to find a place that gives out free pizza.
I absolutely agree that fun doesn’t have to cost a fortune. I think it is about knowing what you are willing to splurge on and saving for the those things, then keeping the rest of your entertainment relatively low cost. It always surprises me how many free or very low-cost events and activities most cities offer, if you take the time to investigate.
Those are some great tips. I went to a few Braves baseball games this year. With them being so sorry, I was able to purchase tickets for less than $15 dollars. I enjoyed the heck out of my twenties. I had a blast. Ages 22-25 was a hell of a party.
ShannonRyan Agreed. We’re splurging a bit this month in part because we’re traveling and seeing friends. I don’t want to have to say no to anything for the time we’re up here. However, we keep it very low-key when we’re actually home!
Jason @ The Butler Journal Haha, sorry about the Braves. ;) But you can definitely still have a good time with the right people! There are usually deals to be had if you’re willing to look for them.
I enjoyed my 20s…though I would have liked to have traveled more. If only I had gotten into travel hacking earlier!! Frugal definitely doesn’t have to mean boring. As for fancy restaurants…never really cared for it back then and definitely don’t now. But more cities have “restaurant week” where the fancy restaurants have affordable set prices if you really want to check them out. There’s also groupon and deals like that. While there are plenty of expensive activities in NYC…there are also many many cheap or even free options which can be just as fun.
Andrew LivingRichCheaply Yes, that’s true! I always forget about restaurant week as eating out isn’t my thing most of the time. Like you, I’ve never cared for fancy restaurants. I like a full plate of food!
I’m actually OK with being boring. lol! But I’m not in my 20’s so no one expects more from me. :) I like to have movie nights occasionally with movies from Redbox and kind of combine that with a potluck. Everyone wins!
Maybe it’s just me but I would much rather go to a hidden gem or a hole-in-the-wall type place place than a fancy restaurant. The food is better, cheaper, and just all around more relaxed. I definitely enjoy that over the high-end places, where you’re paying for the environment and not the food.
Another alternative to an expensive professional sporting event is to go a local minor league team event. We have a team in my smallish city that is comprised of mainly college team players looking to play when school is not in session. Great atmosphere, and the tickets are all of $5!
Beachbudget Don’t tell anyone, but I am, too. ;) It really doesn’t take much to entertain me. My friends and I are totally happy playing board games or video games together. We’ve also done the movie/potluck combination.
SavvyWithSaving Totally not just you! I’ve never understood the fancy restaurant hype. The presentation of food (or the atmosphere) doesn’t really matter to me, as long as it tastes good and I don’t leave hungry. Then again, I’m not a foodie!
DebtChronicles Yep, that’s definitely another alternative! There are quite a few people who go to those games, and where I grew up, they even had fireworks on weekend nights after the game.
This is great Erin, and I’m disappointed I didn’t think of it myself. You are right that frugality is sometimes isolated, akin to being a hermit, but it doesn’t have to be. As you’ve pointed out, there are many ways to enjoy life while being frugal.
Thanks for your post.
Laura Beth @ How To Get Rich Slowly Thanks Laura, I’m glad you agree and enjoyed it!
You know some of my best times have involved making a dinner at home, inviting friends over and just talking to them.
jaimelila I agree with you on that, and I know many others who would, too!