So in this quest to save money I have had to cut back on a few things, eating out, expensive weekends shopping & eating out, going to social functions that involve a lot of spending. It is hard. Since I started a meetup group back in September a lot of the planning is left to me. Until the group goes big enough that people start to host, I am stuck doing the majority of it. I love to plan, I love being social so usually it works out perfectly. Except…I need to save.
I can’t just walk away from the group so I started to brainstorm some meetup ideas that would be cheaper and so far its working out great! Here are some of the meetups I have planned/already hosted.
Meet & Greet: Cupcakes
This one was this past week and was great! Molly’s Cupcakes are some of the best cupcakes in Chicago(my opinion of course) and it allowed for a small group to come together, talk for a few hours and get to know each other over sweets! The girls really loved it, the timing was perfect (after work 6:30 pm) and we all just got to relax and chat. My cost total for the meetup was $9.00, I had a cupcake & latte!
Movies & Wine
I can comfortably host a decent amount of people in my place, I always have wine around and I own a firestick w/Kodi. So I have a meetup for Movies & Wine planned for next Friday night. Everyone is welcome to bring snacks or wine/drinks and we will pick some movies and just hang out. It seems to be an extremely popular idea and we have a wait list for it too! I don’t know the exact cost yet but if I don’t find a random reason to spend crazy then it should be Free!
Art Institute: Thursday Night (Or any Evening Free events!)
The Art Institute of Chicago is free to Illinois residents from 5-8:00 pm on Thursday nights! Yay free admission. So I planned a meetup for the group to take a stroll around, look at some art and then get some coffee afterwards. The admission is free so should only cost me a cup of coffee!
Sunday Brunch Party
Along those lines of hosting I also really really love Brunch as you have probably figured out by my many brunch weekend posts. BUT brunch is expensive…especially if you like Bloody marys! I have a waffle maker at home and space so tada brunch party! I set it up so everyone should bring either champagne or juice and fruit. I am in charge of location and the bacon, eggs & waffles ( luckily I always have the baking ingredients for waffles and bacon and eggs are in my weekly grocery list anyway) Not sure of the cost yet but will 100% be cheaper than having brunch at a restaurant!
Those are some of the upcoming ideas to keep me saving and still allow for a social life! Do you have any fun ideas I can steal?
These are great ideas! I actually just invited a few friends over for a movie and wine because we haven't seen each other in awhile and it's much cheaper than going out! Dinner parties are a great idea too depending on the number of people.
These are such great ideas! I love that you're thinking outside the box to keep the group going.