Going out for coffee or drinks, or even meeting up with friends for lunch, is one of the most common ways to connect. Food isn’t just nourishment in our society–it’s a social event. While we love breaking bread and eggs with neighbors and friends, the monthly dining out expense line in the budget is often one of the silent killers. So we wanted to offer up an alternative. Or rather, 20. Below, we cover 20 cheap things to do with friends as an alternative to going out for food or drinks. Don’t worry foodies, we’ve still got you covered!
1. Go for a walk or hike
This is one of our go-to cheap things to do with friends, especially now that we live in a state that doesn’t always feel like someone’s post-workout armpit. We send out the bat signal of where we’re planning on hiking for the weekend and invite anyone who wants to tag along to join us. We also hit up friends who live in our neighborhood for strolls around the block. Even in Swamptown, USA we tried to walk with neighbors early before work or in the evenings after the angry big fireball in the sky dropped toward the horizon. Now that we’re living in frozen tundra season, we get out and walk after work because the chance of snow increases.
2. Start a bike gang
You don’t have to go all Sons of Anarchy and invite a Gemma Teller into your inner circle. Just break out the old Walmart bike that’s been collecting sawdust and dirt in the garage and cruise around a local park or the neighborhood with friends. We don’t recommend trying to chat the whole time though, unless you need a little extra bug protein in your diet. Save the talking for water breaks, or couple it with a picnic in the park.
3. Start a sportsballs team
Pickleball is all the rage these days, but you don’t have to conform to the norm if it isn’t your sport of choice. My friends and I were OG and used to hit the tennis courts after bowling league (also an option, but not as cheap) for actual tennis.
Okay, fine, we weren’t any good and didn’t really follow any rules so “tennis” is a stretch. But we had a lot of fun swinging rackets, and you can too!
4. Make it a game night
This is another one of our go-tos. Instead of hitting the club on Friday night with friends, we created the Hellfire Club at home. It doesn’t have to be a roleplaying game like D&D.
Tabletop gaming is making a comeback, and there are a million different ways to find entertainment. We enjoy strategy games like Catan and Pandemic, but there are party games like Cards Against Humanity and What Do You Meme?
Or if you’re a sadist, you can break out the Monopoly or Trivial Pursuit.
5. Gather around for a backyard party
If you’ve got a pool, break out the floaties! If you don’t have a pool, break out the lawn darts and the first-aid kit. You can host a BBQ if you’re feeling up to it but to keep it cheap, make it BYOB or…
6. Host a potluck or cooking competition
See foodies, I promised not to forget you. Potlucks are a great way to bring friends together around food and drinks without having a budget hangover the next day. If you’re new to the potluck craze, check out our favorite budget friendly potluck ideas.
If you want to get fancy, consider a themed potluck idea. We used to do international nights, where we picked a country and everyone brought a different dish of local cuisine (plan ahead so you don’t end up with five side dishes and no dessert). It made every potluck a fun, unique adventure.
Some of our family members enjoy doing cooking competitions instead. You could have your own fondant fiasco with a real life Nailed It! night.
7. Have an old school hang out
‘Member when your friends used to come over after school or on the weekend and you just hung out?
‘Member?
In case you needed permission, you have it: it’s totally fine to still get together and just chill and catch up. This is the ultimate low lift and is completely free but still a ton of fun. Life gets so crazy, it’s nice sometimes to simply sit and decompress with people we love.
8. Host a movie night or marathon
You haven’t seen Twisters yet?!?! OMG, you have to come over and watch it. We have it on streaming (or in our house, we borrowed it from the library).
See how easy that was? We are on a Will McAvoy mission to civilize with cinema, especially of the sci-fi and Christopher Nolan variety. We’ve hosted movie nights for classics like The Martian, TENET, Dunkirk, and Cabin in the Woods. If that’s not your style, host a laugh-a-thon for Office Space or anything Monty Python.
Spend a few bucks on popcorn, and you’ve got yourself a party.
9. Head to the winery or bar for “free” music
We love music, but don’t love the cost of concert tickets, especially with Ticketmaster losing their everloving minds with fees for their fees. But concerts aren’t the only way to catch live music. We liked to head to the local winery near our friends’ house and spend the afternoon parked under the shade of a tree in our lawn chairs.
You don’t have to be a teetotaler, just limit how much you spend. My husband and I split one drink while we’re out and about, which keeps it on the cheap things to do list.
10. Sync up at other free festivals and events
The airshow here in town is free (my favorite word), so we put a blast out to see if anyone wanted to join us. We met up with a colleague from my working co-op and had a lovely time huddling in the shade of our umbrella to escape the oppressive summer heat. I know that doesn’t sound like fun, but it really was.
Thanks to Al Gore, we have the internet. And thanks to the internet, there are a host of different ways to find free events and festivals going on around you on any given week. Check out sites like MeetUp or join local Facebook groups. Even check your city’s official website, as they usually have a calendar of events. Then take a few minutes determining who might enjoy events that you want to attend and reach out.
11. Start or join a book club
If you and your friends happen to be nerds who like to spend your free time with your head buried in a book, then you are not alone! I like to read. Like, a lot. And I like to talk books with people. Like, a lot, a lot. So much so, in fact, that my husband has had to remind me on several occasions that not everyone likes books as much as me, so maybe don’t bring up the epic The Expanse books to every stranger on the sidewalk.
This year, we started a book club. It’s not only a great way to share a common interest with friends, but a great way to meet new people in your community. Books can be expensive, but that doesn’t mean your book club has to be. Select your reading based on how many copies the public library has available. If that doesn’t work, you could start a book rotation club, where each person buys one book (shop secondhand at a local store or on Amazon to keep it frugal) and then rotate them until everyone has read all of them. This isn’t as much fun, because you’ll have different people screaming “spoiler alert!” at you at different intervals and you’ll likely forget who you can talk to about what, but it’s still an option in a pinch.
12. Bust out the s’mores and scary stories
Who doesn’t love the great outdoors, aside for this guy?
Spending time outside is not only a great way to reduce stress, but it takes us back to where we belong and allows us to explore new places. As I always say, adventures are better with friends. Instead of just planning a day hike, make it a camping trip. We have friends that turn this into a birthday tradition, and it’s something they get to look forward to doing every year.
While camping gear isn’t cheap (so this might not be the best option if you’re new to the activity), campsites can be, especially if you split a large site multiple ways.
13. Singing La Vida Loca with a karaoke night
Nothing is quite as embarrassing as queueing up Toto’s Africa only to realize that you don’t know any of the lyrics apart from the chorus… expect maybe listening to your best friend’s sibling belt out a very heartfelt rendition of Angel Is the Centerfold.
One will make you cry and one will make you laugh so hard you’ll cry. Either way, it’s an experience. Give it a try. You don’t have to spend an insane amount of money to rent out a room at a karaoke club (are those even still a thing?). Just hook up your Zoom web meeting mic to a YouTube video and let it rock.
14. Mister Sandman plans a beach day
Mister Sandman, bring me a dream of frugal fun at the beach all day long with my friends.
It’s easy to turn this dream into a reality, as long as the weather behaves. Pack some towels and some sunscreen and maybe even your book everyone is reading for the book club you just started. Make it BYOB and go potluck on snacks and food to keep it cheap.
15. Meet up at the museum
Museums can be expensive, but some are free or cheap. Thanks to many local public library systems, you can get free passes once a month to different museums around town that charge an entry fee. Spend a little time doing recon. If you strike out there, ask around to see if any of your artsy friends already have annual passes. With annual passes, they can often bring a certain number of free guests. See if you can tag along to spend some quality time tilting your head at a bunch of paint splashed on canvas and guessing what motif the artist was playing at. (Is that just a Solo cup glued to cardboard? I could do that!)
16. Ruff it up at the dog park
If you want to make it a multi-species meetup, set up a playdate at the dog park for your canine companions. While they run around, sniffing and chasing, you can walk and talk. Not only will this get everyone some exercise and fresh air, but it’ll be an easy way to catch up.
17. Opt for some urban exploring
This was all the rage back in the 2000s when geocaching was in its glory years. It’s making a cultish comeback with augmented reality apps like CluedUpp, but you don’t have to drop some g’s to get out and explore your city. I love sites like Atlas Obscura that help you explore unique points of interest around town. Some come with a price tag, such as the Voodoo Museum in New Orleans or Nancy Forrester’s Secret Garden in Key West, but others are completely free. I’ve gone to see a church that looked like a chicken in Madeira Beach, FL and Mud Island River Park in Memphis (which is kinda sketch now, so maybe find something different). See what’s around your town and go exploring with friends. My friend and I have laid on the floor of the Chicago public library and gazed wonderingly up at the Tiffany Dome together. It was cool and much cheaper than the Thorne Miniature Rooms at the Art Institute.
18. Stitch and bitch
If you’re crafty–or want to be–consider starting a knitting or cross stitching club with some friends. While you’ll have to make a small investment in materials, consider what you could make that friends might enjoy as presents. Homemade knitted scarves or hats, as well as cross stitched ornaments, make great thrifty Christmas gifts. Head over to Aldi’s for a cheap bottle of Winking Owl wine, rotating who brings it, and have fun drinking, chatting, and crafting it up.
19. Volunteer together
Volunteering is not only a great way to get a free dopamine hit, but it can also let you experience something free that you might not want to pay for in your current budget. (We got to play rich and famous at a black tie gala one year. Pinkies up!) For example, my husband and I are science and space geeks, so we used to volunteer at the local science center together. Not only did we have a blast getting to play around for free, but it felt great to give back to the local community and help educate the next generation.
Big events had corporate groups that would all volunteer together. You could do the same with some friends! If you’re handy, hang out at Habitat for Humanity for a day. Or volunteer to help sort food at the local soup kitchen together. Find a cause that makes your heart feel good, and then bring your friends along to up the enjoyment factor.
20. Build a fire and break out the marshmallows
Winter in Florida isn’t really a thing, but there are a few weeks in December and January where the temperatures drop while the humidity holds firm that sends cold-blooded Floridians crawling under rocks to escape. During that time of year, nothing beats embers crackling in the fireplace while Harry Potter battles it out with Malfoy and Voldemort on the TV above the mantle. Even better is heading outside to huddle around the firepit, hotly debating just how much charring is required for the perfect s’more marshmallow. (At least until the wind shifts and you get a face full of smoke.) We didn’t have a firepit or a fireplace, but our neighbors did, and it was always an exciting evening when we got the text alert that they were starting the fire if we wanted to come over. We were bundled up and out the door in an instant, leaving a Roadrunner outline in our wake. Invite friends over to chat around the firepit or to enjoy a movie night bundled up under blankets. You won’t be sorry.
The final word
We hope the ideas above help you cut your entertainment expenses without cutting into your fun. This list isn’t fully comprehensive, so don’t be afraid to think outside the box. There are tons of ways to have frugal fun with friends without feeling like you’re missing out. You might just have to be the trendsetter that suggests a change of pace.
If we left out your favorite, mention it in the comment below! And for the readers who don’t want to give up the foodie part of food and entertainment, try exploring our tips for dining out with friends on a budget.