When you’re trying to meet a financial goal, the first category to get tweaked (or nixed entirely) is often entertainment. Everyone has a different definition of what constitutes the ‘’ entertainment’’ category but it’s often seen as a bit of a luxury and frivolous.
When my husband and I were aggressively trying to pay off our debt, I initially cut the category out completely. I gave us zero ‘’fun money’’ and it didn’t take longer than a month or two to realize that it wasn’t going to work. While yes, we had goals to reach, if we couldn’t enjoy life along the way then we’d ultimately fail to reach our goals.
In my very broad definition of entertainment or fun money, I would include pleasure travel and so this was something we definitely put on the back burner in our most aggressive debt repayment days. We needed to fill our lack of travel and lack of ‘’going out’’ voids somehow. Thankfully both my husband and I, even pre-kids, are home bodies and are pretty good at entertaining and hosting. Here are some of our favorite ways to enjoy eachother as well as our friends and family, without busting our budget:
Potluck Nights
I love to cook, especially for a crowd, but doing large meals for many people can get expensive so one of my favorite things to do is host a potluck night. My husband will make a Google spreadsheet and share it amongst our friends and family so we can get a good idea what everyone is planning to make so we don’t end up with three pasta salads sort of thing. It’s a great way to be social and try some of our friends’ favorite dishes too.
Game nights
We’re game junkies. Sometimes accompanying the potluck nights, are game nights. Sometimes it’s an all-night game of Catan, or sometimes we hover around a computer and play at an online casino (for those interested here is a Virgin Casino promotional code). It depends on which friends are over and what our mood is. If we play for any sort of money either online or friendly game of poker, we always have it pre-planned and budgeted funds!
Hikes
Though we’re self-proclaimed home bodies we do enjoy getting outside as well! We’re fortunate to have a lot of great hiking trails not far from where we live. This is a great way to spend a date day with my husband or gather a few friends for some frugal fun.
Having fun doesn’t have to cost a lot a money but it is important to enjoy yourself even if you’re trying to reach a financial goal.
What is your favorite way to have fun while working towards your goals?