5 Fun Ways to Spend a Friday Night When You’re BROKE!

When you’re broke while trying to pay off debts or saving all your money for something important, it’s hard to believe that you can still have fun with friends and family. You can begin to feel like a hermit. It is so easy to forget that you can hang out with friends without going to the bar or out to eat. Share your current situation with your loved ones and enjoy the cheap things in life together. They may be in a similar situation and they are afraid to share. These are five ways that we have found to have a fun-filled Friday night on the cheap.

1. Potluck – A old-fashioned potluck or grill night is a great way to have dinner with your loved ones without having to take on the entire cost. You can make the main dish and everybody brings a side, appetizer, drink, or dessert. This is not a time to get lavish either. Whole chicken, turkey, ham, chili, bean burritos, hot dogs, and spaghetti are all cheap options for a crowd. If you have friends on a similar path, ask if they want to trade-off houses. Have a friend who is also on a super budget? You can easily get together weekly or more for super cheap dinners such as eggs and toast. They could bring bread and you supply the eggs or they could bring spaghetti sauce and you supply the pasta. Do not underestimate how much better even instant noodles are with a friend to share with.
2. $5 Wine Night – Do you have a group of friends that you used to hit the bar and vineyards with? This is a great replacement for that or just a fun night even if you didn’t. The rules are very simple. Everybody brings their favorite bottle of wine that is less than $5. Don’t have one? Pick something that looks good. Consider doing a group text so people can update what they are bringing so that multiple people don’t bring the same thing. You get to try new cheap wine options and spend the evening with friends. You are literally out $5 for wine and the cost of cheese and crackers if you are feeling fancy.
3. $5 Cheese Night – This is a personal favorite of mine. I really love cheese. If you are not a drinker, this is the sober version of $5 wine night. Everybody brings their favorite cheese under $5. The host supplies the crackers. Make it BYOB so you are not out the cost of beverages either if you want. I personally fill the large party drink dispensers with lemon water and tell people if they want something else then they need to bring their own.
4. PJ & Movie Night – This works beautifully for girls nights and family nights. Pick up a movie at Redbox, something off Netflix, or even something you’ve owned for ages. Romances and comedies are fun for girls nights. For family nights consider the ages involved when choosing films. We have done super popular movies like Harry Potter that everybody has likely seen because it’s fun to relive them with friends and family. This is such a fun casual way to spend an evening together. Everybody hanging out in their pajamas chatting and eating popcorn will become a quick favorite way to spend an evening.
5. Game Night – This is fun for all ages. There are so many options! You can play a board game that you already own. You can play a multiplayer video game that you own. Our favorite is Mario Cart. You can simply get out a deck of cards and spend the evening playing one of many options. Don’t have any games? Either spring for a deck of cards or ask your friends if they want to bring over their favorite games. This is a good option for all age groups and different sized groups. You could get together with one friend for a game of chess or have 20 people playing different games. This is a favorite for groups of different ages. The kids can split up based on age and play appropriate games while the adults play something together. It’s such a fun way to spend a cheap casual evening together. We tend to schedule this after dinnertime so that we are not responsible for feeding everyone. You could ask everybody to bring their favorite easy snack to share.

Which one do you want to try this Friday?