Having friends is expensive!

Thursday, August 6, 2009 by Matt

First of all, I don't mean to under-appreciate any of my friends (all three of you), because I love friends dearly, and they make life what it is. So, please don't take this the wrong way, but sometimes it's expensive to hang out! Not all the time, but most times.

It seems the more people you know, the more money it costs you to keep up with them. Especially if you're into meetups with social network pals (Facebook, Twitter, etc) - your network of friends (and frequency of meetups) has grown exponentially.

And activities, these days, are not cheap. Sporting events, bars, restaurants - all very pricey to do on a regular basis. And you don't want to seem rude by not wanting to catch up, but, to put it bluntly, being a loser and staying home is actually very good for the wallet.

I am guessing these thoughts are popping up more, now that I'm married and a homeowner - I've had to really start watching everything I spend money on, and cut back as much as possible. I also live further out so it takes a lot more mileage to get anywhere to meetup.

Unfortunately, this means that weekly lunch with my office-building buddy Maggie may have to be extended to once-a-month. And trips to Sox games with my best pal Pat may have to be stretched further apart as well. (Good thing I can still catch baseball action in my backyard by going to the independent league Schaumburg Flyers games, where tickets cost a fraction of the price.)

Happy hours at the bars may have to be on dollar-draft days.

Last weekend I spent time with my brother Dave and his wife Carissa at our home, which saved money as well.

And I almost forgot about my best friend of all - Michelle! Michelle wants a new bed frame, TV, and a number of other things for the house, but I have to manage my finances responsibly, and politely tell her "no," until the time is right.

There needs to be more affordable ways to hang out. Especially in this economy, people are spending much less, but still want to keep their sanity and have a good time with friends.

Some tips on cutting costs without losing or shutting out friends:

So, if you find yourself home on a Friday night watching Jack Bauer once again save America, and drinking beer from the fridge - don't feel so bad - you could be out dropping money that could be spent on much better things.

How do you cut costs while still keeping in touch with those you care about?

Comments

# Dave at 8/16/2009 8:30 pm cst

Hanging out at home with friends is a blast in the summer. Especially if you can do it outside and have a fire. It gets tough in the winter though!