Budgeting is an essential aspect of every successful financial plan. It doesn’t matter if you’re living from one paycheck to the next or earning six figures a year. Knowing where your money goes is critical if you wish to have control over your finances.
This post shares 4 important tips everyone should know to be social on a budget. Keep reading…
Start by creating a budget
This might seem an obvious and easy thing to do, but it takes time and effort. You need to understand how much you’re spending on every item in your household. This includes rent, food, utility bills, gas, etc.
Knowing your expenses will help you know how much money you remain with.
You can use spreadsheets or even an app to help you list your income and expenditure.
As you prepare your budget, you can try and see if there are items you can cut back on or even avoid altogether. This way, you can become more cost-effective.
One trick to use is to allocate more money for all your necessities, such as food. In case you have something left after you’ve done your food shopping for the whole month, you can always use it to treat yourself.
Another wonderful way to save money and set it aside for your social life is to take advantage of discounts. There are ways you can get discounts when you purchase food, clothes, or even air tickets.
Have a plan for all your fun activities
A budget is a plan on how you’d wish to spend your money. It’s a way to direct your money to where it should go.
So, if you wish to spend some time with your friends or engage in any fun activities, you can always allocate part of your finances to the same.
For example, you can have a section for travel and another for entertainment.
If these are the areas you consider important, make sure to allocate money to them each month.
Be the one organising events
One of the ways of ensuring you get to be social on a budget is to propose to your friends a plan that’s budget-friendly and affordable to you. 
Don’t wait until they invite you as this would mean you might not be in control of how much you’re going to spend.
For example, you can propose to go out for dinner during happy hour. This is when food prices are likely to be lower.
So, instead of going to your favourite restaurant, you can opt to go when you’re likely to be charged less for the same food or drinks.
If your friends want to go out at night and you’re the one organising the event, you can propose a you can propose a cheaper location instead of a swanky expensive restaurant.
Another way to be social on a budget is to plan outings to discounted movies. But if you can find a way to attend free concerts or events, this would be even better.
If you must spend on your social plan, you might want to consider going for an account that rewards you whenever you make purchases.
There are accounts that offer cashback, which is usually a percentage of your purchases. You can make some savings if you can take advantage of such opportunities.
Invite your friends to your home
Do you wish to spend quality moments with your friends without necessarily having to go out? There’s a way to do this!
You can open up your home to them. A swimming experience in your pool or hanging out with them and enjoying the sunshine would be great.
But you don’t have to have a pool or warm or hot weather to invite your friends to your home.
There are other ways to be social on a budget with them. You can invite them over for a movie night, dinner, or drinks at your home.
This way, you can enjoy a relaxed environment while making some savings.
Also, if you intend to socialise longer with your friends, there won’t be any pressure if you’re at home. In a restaurant or bar, you might feel pressured to order more food or drinks if you decide to stay longer.
Having a good time with your friends at home would be cheaper than going to a restaurant or bar.
Final thoughts…
You can still be social on a budget or save money without changing your lifestyle. There are wonderful strategies that make doing so easier and fun. You don’t have to say no to hanging out with your friends.
Also, you shouldn’t feel like you need a lot of money to spend some quality time with your friends. If they’re the kind of people who wish to always spend money, you can find a way around it.
But don’t forget that spending money doesn’t necessarily guarantee you fun. You can spend and still get stressed up because you’re struggling to pay your bills.
Remember to be a little creative, set your attitude right, and be willing to try out new things if you’re to be social on a budget.
Next steps…
These days, it’s possible to experience a small hiccup in your plans, resulting in a financial challenge. If you find yourself unable to sort some of the items in your budget, PressPay is here to help you. You can get early access to part of your pay at a repayment fee of 5%. Sign up today!
