Keeping my social life while maintaining my budget is one of my biggest problems. I will live frugally all week long, but when Friday hits I can't seem to control my spending. One of my big problems is that I go to the bars for entertainment on the weekends. Bars are expensive!
I'm not sure what it is like in your area, but the average cost of drinks in the bars I frequent look like this:
2.75 beers
4.00 mixed drinks
3.00 shots
4.00 bombs
I can easily spend 50-60 dollars a night... which leads to around $100 dollars a weekend. If I keep this up for a whole month I can spend $400-$500 on entertainment! This is over 10% of my income!
So I have composed a list of fun alternatives to drinking at the bars. A lot of these are geared towards summer. I'll try to think of more "winter" ideas... but right now winter is just not on the brain.
Tubing: Get some friends together, pack a cooler, and rent tubes. Float down the river, get tan, drink, eat and be merry!
Day at the Park (or someones house with a yard:) Break out croquet, lawn darts, bean bags, bocce ball, hacky sack, blongo ball , and have an impromptu tourney.
Camping: Cheap and fun, assuming you have the basic camping equipment. Some campgrounds require you to bring wood from no farther away than 50 miles. If you can do this, buying/finding wood before you go will save you even more money.
Road Trip: After college, everyone seems to go their separate ways. Keep in touch by making plans to road trip to visit friends that have moved away. Try to get a car load of people to go, the more the merrier! (Plus the gas prices are split more ways) :)
Frolf: Frolf = Frisbee + golf. Frolf also equals FREE! Well, you'll have to purchase a disc, but these can be found at a used sporting equipment store for less than 10 dollars. But unlike golf courses, Frolf courses are free to the public.
Day at the Beach: Not everyone has this option, but if there is a lake or ocean within 50 miles of you, take a day off to lay on the beach.
Rent a Kayak or Canoe: If you have a lake nearby, get your exercise AND have fun by renting a canoe or kayak and touring the area.
Fishing: 20 dollars for a fishing license for the season!
University Tour: Your tour can be either self-guided or find a campus center for an official guide. Bring your camera, take pictures of your Alma mater or your favorite local campus. I recommend taking the pictures, getting a couple printed, and frame them.
Farmers Market: Cheap, fun, exercise. Also a great place to go if you like to people watch. Did I mention how much healthier you will eat? And how much money you will save? Just make sure you don't go produce crazy. Only buy as much as you will be able to eat before it goes bad.
And last but certainly not least....
Festivals: Find a festival in your area using this site. I try to hit as many of these as I can! My favorite weekend of the summer is a country music festival.
Next time you're sick of the same old, same old, or your wallet is looking a little thin, try something from this list! I know I'm going to try to do them all before the summer is over!
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