Affordable Activities to Do with Friends

Do you have an empty calendar looming in front of you, or do you have some interesting things scheduled that you are heartily looking forward to? Some people are planners, and some are not. But everyone needs some fun events ahead to anticipate that won’t break the budget. It makes the work week fly by faster and gives you interesting conversation starters for Monday mornings.

Which brings us to Katie. Everyone needs a Katie in their life if they are not a natural leader. Katie has been our daughter’s friend for many years. No grass grows under her feet. Everything looks like fun to her, especially if she has never done it before. No place is too difficult to get to; no event starts too late at night; nothing sounds boring (and with Katie, it never is). In short, she does not see obstacles. She’s a “doer.” Once she comes up with her plan, she starts spreading the word, and people eagerly join her outings. Our daughter, on the other hand, is a follower. But this is not a bad thing. Every Katie needs friends to go along with her plans. And the leader/follower relationship works just as it should―it fills each person’s needs.

If you do not have a Katie in your life, then maybe you need to step up to the plate and be the planner. The following six ideas might be what it takes to get you to turn off the TV and set out for an afternoon or an evening of affordable adventure.

Plan a progressive dinner to get several friends involved; the more, the merrier. This also spreads the expense and burden of cooking and preparing a meal for guests. Start with an appetizer stop, then a salad/soup stop, and then the main course. The main course need not be daunting or complicated considering that guests have already had two courses and still need to save room for the last stop―dessert. Our neighborhood has sponsored a progressive dinner for the last two years. Each couple or participant is asked to bring beverages so that everyone gets their drink of choice and each host household does not have to stock a full assortment of choices. An alternative to this idea if your friends do not live close together would be to host a potluck dinner, with each participant bringing a dish to share. A theme could be part of the fun, such as Italian night or green-only foods. Learn something new. Most towns offer a variety of speakers at various venues. Just last week, a new shop in our town was featuring a free session on how to brew your own beer. Bring a like-minded friend or two, and maybe you can learn to make a stained-glass piece, how to refinish a piece of furniture, or how to knit. The topics are endless; it’s your enthusiasm that must be sparked. This could be the start of a new hobby or a chance to improve and expand on one you are already pursuing. Arrange a hike. Ideally, this group will meet at an area park or in a charming neighborhood with attractive scenery, but even a mall will serve the purpose of providing a large space for walking and talking. Walking with a group can help you meet two common goals: Make more time for friends and get more exercise. Host a game night/puzzle night. Lots of families have game nights once a week or month. But you can do this with friends just as easily. By inviting enough people to have a couple of tables of activities, your guests have choices of which games or puzzles they would like to pursue. Plenty of conversation and catching up can take place at the same time, and the focus need not be on food. Another option is to have multiple puzzle tables with a contest to see which table finishes their puzzle first. (Note: No 1,000-piece puzzles if you want your house empty by midnight.) Be a tourist in your own town. Go online or use the newspaper to select some upcoming events. Then plan a weekend as though you are an out-of-towner who gets only one weekend to explore everything. Check out the funkiest new restaurants, go to the little hole-in-the-wall museum, and catch a high school sporting event or a play. Go home only to sleep, and start exploring again early the next morning after a breakfast at a neat little place you’ve heard about but never gotten out of bed to try. Start a book club. To do this, select a half dozen or so people who have enough time to read and a variety of viewpoints. The position of leader can rotate each month. The leader’s duties can include hosting or selecting a meeting site, and selecting the book. At the meeting, the leader begins the discussion using several prearranged questions to keep the conversation focused and interesting. Many Web sites offer insights and suggestions for book clubs, so you do not have to go blindly forth on this, nor does it have to result in an overwhelming time commitment.

Go ahead. Take the plunge and make some plans to try something new. Katie will be right out there with you.


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