DFW Book - Cheap Alternatives To A Night Out

angelavdavis · 16 January 2007 at 6:36PM

Get together with two other friends and each choose a course to cook. Eat the starter at one house, main course at another house and dessert at the third house. If you are feeling lazy - all congregate at one house but cook a course each.

Have a "casino" night using two packs of cards to play blackjack and then use buttons as counters (or make your own with the kids - using flour and water dough baked and painted with the monetary values on them).

Dig out the board games and have a crowd round to play.

Verbatim · 16 January 2007 at 6:53PM

In London all the main museums and many of the smaller ones are free and have wonderful free events for children. I remember learning about bridges (types and strengths of each ), paper making and starches and other properties of wheat. All hands on and most messyat the Science Museum. The Ragged School had an actress being a fierce Victorian school marm complete with cane(unused! but so scary one child had to leave) nail inspections and a bowl of "gruel" before the lesson. The Geffrye has everything from collectig wax and honey from bee hives to silk printing. At the Natural History Museum I remember discussing fossils with Mary(?) Anning of Lyme Regis circa 1795 and so on. Unfortunately my daughter is now almost 18 so I'm going to borrow a neighbour's child to take along!

southernscouser · 16 January 2007 at 6:55PM

Swinging. :cool:

Free drinks and 'nibbles'!

If anyones interested drop me a PM.

:rotfl:

kathfisch · 16 January 2007 at 7:08PM

I've found 'ebaying' is now a weekend activity of choice with my best friend

We have a hunt for things to sell, help each other taking good pics and writing the listings and then get together the next weekend to watch the auctions finish! To date he has beaten me each week but its great fun and actually makes money!

Don't forget 2-1 cinema tickets on Wednesdays with orange, if you don't use orange you can get a free orange payg sim card (there'll be a thread somewhere!) and just put a tiny bit of credit on - it costs 35p each time you send for a code but saves you the cost of 1 ticket! :T

hypno06 · 16 January 2007 at 7:53PM

Being an MSE addict curbs my need to go out, thereby saving me loads of cash!!

bank_of_slate · 16 January 2007 at 8:07PM

I agree with the above.

I once went to a clothes swapping party, friends of a similar size get together and bring a few items that they don't wear, they can swap and have a laugh.

I frequently have a girly day when I have a nice long bath and give myself a manicure & pedicure watching one of my favourite films.
...Linda xx

Mrs_J_3 · 16 January 2007 at 8:28PM

Many park ranger services have organised tours/talks that are pretty cheap or free such as bat-watching, archery, historical/botanical themed walks, stargazing, my local park even shows kids films at the weekend pretty cheaply.

I also invite friends round for dinner where I make the main and the others are responsible for other courses and drinks, everyone gets loads to eat and no one really needs to spend much. For entertainment, well a pack of cards can go a long way and charades after a couple of glasses of pimms is often highly amusing.

Hill walking is also a cheap as chips, there aint any shops at the top so a packed lunch is essential and if you weren't fit at the start, you will be by the end!

Lara44 · 16 January 2007 at 10:26PM

What about having a night out the DFW way? My OH is not in debt so I have to think of cheap things that still feel like 'treats' but cost very little.

No more drinking - still go out with friends but spend under £5 instead of £50, and also good for the waistline (and liver).

Going out earlier and on weeknights
Instead of going for a meal in the evening, my OH and I go our at lunchtime or in the early evening. We go to places with discounts for early diners on set menus midweek or use https://www.toptable.co.uk for discount offers, or discount vouchers from places like wagamamas. Then we go to a pub that has a happy hour for a drink. No need for a taxi home.

Markets - going to Borough market is one of the best things to do. It's such a nice place and you get to try little bits of everything!! Cheap but so tasty food is available on the stalls for a small amount. I'm sure other organic markets are similar.

jezebel · 16 January 2007 at 10:36PM

As trend setters we at MSE know that staying in is the new going out - a night in with the girls, a bottle of lambrini and a few old videos (should I mention dirty dancing and grease) is so retro it's cool again.

I love to have binge watching DVD sessions, a friend has a tonne of DVD box sets that we watch regularly but for cheaper save up eps of your fave TV shows and watch when you're all together - even better save old eps of Jerry Springer/Trisha/Jeremy Kyle and shout at the telly!

Why not volunteer? I was a leader at our local brownie guide unit and while it wasn't exactly a late night out it was great and I really felt like I was giving back. You don't just have to help kids you could visit an elderly neighbour, speak to them on the phone, deliver meals on wheels or do any number of things.

Fancy a night in with a good book? Go to the library, a great place to get books and free to join - also great for the kids as they can get out a number of books each and a lot of libraries do cheap(er) DVD or Video rental too. Internet is free access so you could even go out and surf for an hour in a different surrounding - visit MSE while you're there

nevadagirl · 16 January 2007 at 10:41PM

I've recently rediscovered the joys of my local library, which is in the basement of the modern art gallery. I wander around the exhibitions, then pick up one of the current top 20 paperbacks downstairs. It's also a free wireless hotspot and has desktop PCs available for an hour at a time - you've guessed it, for free.

Although I'm already sort of paying for it through my council tax, it saves me money because it means I'm less tempted to drop a £4 paperback in my trolley when I'm at the supermarket, and if I carry a book with me, it means I don't need to buy a magazine or newspaper to read on the bus. Plus it's one of those civic amenities where you have to use it or lose it so I get the extra warm fuzzies from doing my bit for the local community when I sit down with my cup of hot chocolate and a good read.

DFW Book - Cheap Alternatives To A Night Out

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