Ways to stay social this summer on a budget
Summer is around the corner, the social plans are rolling in and it might feel as though your bank balance is starting to be put under a lot of pressure. After a year of lockdowns in a global pandemic and minimal social plans in the diary, it’s only natural that we’re saying yes to every opportunity to socialise and have fun. I don’t know about you, but I’m ready to forget cooking our own dinner & not have to clean the kitchen after every meal! That being said, it’s difficult to ignore that filling the diary social plans burns through your bank account. That’s why I’ve put together a handful of ways that you can stay social this summer on a budget.
Picnic in the park
One major upside to the arrival of spring is the wide range of outdoor activities that suddenly become available. Whilst beer gardens and terrace restaurants look extremely appealing and have their place in a summer of fun, staying within a budget can make eating out three times a week challenging. If you’ve got a group of friends who are long overdue a catch up, plan a picnic in a local park, treat yourself to some gourmet deli snacks and watch the sunset outdoors for a fraction of the cost of a meal.
Explore the city
If you live in or around a city, you’ll probably have seen some eerie pictures of the empty streets throughout the last few months after workers relocated home and city centres became ghost towns. Although things are slowly starting to open up again, if you’ve not been on a trip to see your local city without the masses of people usually present, now’s the time. Especially in older cities with lots of historic buildings (Buckingham Palace, I’m looking at you) then you can choose an afternoon and set off to walk, talk and see the city in a whole new way.
Eat out for breakfast or lunch
If you do fancy eating out but you’re being budget-conscious, dinner is usually the most expensive meal of the day. Not only are main meals more pricey, but dinner comes with the temptation of a few glasses of wine and dessert on top too. One clever trick to enjoy eating out without the bill spiralling is scheduling your meals for breakfast or lunch. That way, you can take your pick of the menu without feeling too stressed about the cost getting out of control. For high end restaurants too, lunch is often the perfect time for a treat at a fraction of full price dinner.