It’s Friday night, and after a long week of school, your friends want to go out to eat. You really want to go, but you are stressed about not having the money to spend on going out to eat.

This is a dilemma that a lot of college students face when trying to balance hanging out with their friends and not spending all of their already limited income. How can you spend time with your friends while still following your budget? Below are some tips that may be helpful to you as you try to find that balance.

It can be exhausting on your budget and your bank account if you are going out to eat every week especially if you don’t have the resources to support it. But please note that it is okay to go out to eat in moderation.

Budget for eating out

Look at your budget and determine how eating out fits into it. Adding an eating out category isn’t going to automatically fix the problem, but it may help you to move around money and prioritize what is important to you (and that may be eating out with friends!).

Pick cheaper meal options

If you are going to a restaurant, consider purchasing cheaper meal options and avoid add-ins (those really add up in price!). Also consider asking your friends if they would be willing to split a meal with you.

Suggest making the meal

Making a meal and splitting the expenses is significantly cheaper than going out to eat. Even purchasing several frozen pizzas will save you a lot of money! Also, you not only get to enjoy the social aspect of eating the meal together, but you also get to enjoy making it together!

Go out for dessert

Instead of going out for the entire meal suggest just going out for dessert. Who doesn’t love a late-night ice cream or slushie run?!?

Suggest other activities

The typical social activity in college is going out to eat. But consider doing activities that do not require any extra spending. Some ideas include having a movie night or a game night.

Use meals swipes and go somewhere fun

Suggest everyone get food at Wildcat and take it on a picnic on campus or somewhere off campus. Yes, it may be the same food you eat during the week, but eating it in a new environment can make it fun and memorable!

There are tons of ways to spend quality time with your friends without depleting your bank account. Hopefully this list provides some inspiration to you as you balance your social life and your budget.