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How to socialise and have fun on a tight budget
By James Yeo
Meeting up with your ex-colleagues, friends and family is a joyful event. However, one can often end up paying through the nose when the dinners and partying become too frequent.
On the other hand, it’s also not advisable for working professionals to skip such networking sessions because it’s important to maintain good relationships, especially with colleagues.
Hence, one should always strike a delicate balance between going out and economising. In this article, we share 5 tips that you can learn on how to have fun without spending a bomb.
1) Seek cheaper alternatives
The first step to understanding why you are spending a lot is to look at your choices and determine if there are any cheaper alternatives. For example, most people tend to hang out in bars and restaurants at night when prices are much higher. Instead, meet earlier – opt for afternoon tea or even lunch as many restaurants usually offer high-tea specials or great lunch deals .
Want to sing your heart out with your friends? Search online and pick the cheapest value-for-money venue. For example, Tendollarclub.sg and Teo Heng are two popular karaoke chains in Singapore that you can find out more about.
To sum up, think of the other cheaper alternatives – there is always something out there. All it takes is some research and a little convincing of your friends to have a fun yet cheap experience.
2) Look for coupons and special offers
Another way to save money on socialising is to search for group buying coupons and special offers. For example, Deals-singapore.com is a group buying aggregator site that compiles deals from myfave.com, lazada, streetdeal.sg and more.
Want to pick up some baking skills or go for a relaxing massage? You could do so at a discount of more than 70 per cent! In addition, you can also opt for a variety of buffet deals at less than $30 – satisfying for your stomach and light on your wallet!
3) Organise indoor activities
For many people, a common way to socialise is to spend the night out partying or drinking cold beer in a pub. While it may be intriguing to wind down after a tiring day at work (especially on Fridays), the drinking tabs can add up substantially.
So instead of going out for drinks, try to arrange a game night or a movie night at someone’s house. Playing board games like Risk or Monopoly is plenty of fun and can save you so much money – while letting you spend quality time with your friends.
4) Arrange outdoor events
Last but not least, you can also arrange a picnic at a park, or go for a simple camping trip over the weekend. Organising such outdoor activities for friends and/or colleagues is a perfect way to bond by sharing laughter, stories and yummy food.
In conclusion, we have to acknowledge that human beings are social creatures who constantly seek interaction with others. But just because socialising is essential, it doesn’t mean that it has to be costly.
We hope that by following the tips mentioned above, you can achieve equilibrium on how to socialise and have fun with a tight budget.
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