Is Friendflation Why I Can’t Afford Friends Anymore?

I feel like every time I step outside, $50 minimum just flies out of my pocket. Whether I’m grabbing dinner with the girls, meeting a friend for drinks, or even catching a movie with my best friend, it ends up costing so much fucking money. So much so, that it makes me want to just stay inside and become one with my couch. But because I want to, you know, be mentally stable and also maintain the relationships I have with the people I care about most, I have to get my ass outside and spend that money.

A recent survey found that Gen Z spends an average of $433 a month on friendships alone — that’s $433 a lot of us didn’t even know we had to spare. The high cost of maintaining friendships is such a common complaint that it’s been coined “friendflation.”

Being budget-friendly doesn’t mean you need to say goodbye to Sunday brunches completely. Cleo, an AI financial assistant, suggests organizing your friend dates into tiers, including “free fun,” “budget-friendly meet-ups,” and “occasional treats.” That way, you have a bunch of ideas ready for when you want to hang out. If your pockets can really only enjoy a free walk in the park, then you know what to suggest when a friend is in the mood to catch up.

We’re all living in awful times, so trust me when I say that no good friend will make you feel weird about setting boundaries about your spending. Even around the holidays: set a limit for that secret Santa gift, make sure you and your friends are splitting things evenly — encourage that you all start saving up for special events that really matter like birthdays or big trips.

Either way, you shouldn’t have to sacrifice seeing the people you love just because you can’t afford $20 cocktails every time you want to see a friend. There are plenty of other ways to see your besties and keep more dollars in your pocket so that both your heart and your wallet are happy.

Inexpensive Ways To Hang Out With Friends

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Budget-Friendly Bar Games

Try a Bar Hop Scavenger Hunt where you can’t order more than two drinks at each bar. Or make up rules like you can’t have a drink until you talk to one stranger. Making it a game keeps you from ordering too many drinks early in the night. Or do my favorite kind of budget-friendly drinking game: pregaming!

Take Turns Hosting Movie Night

When we go to see friends, we usually go for the same kinds of activities mentioned above: brunches, dinners, and drinks. But seeing a friend doesn’t mean having to make reservations and shelling out $100. Bring back hosting movie nights. Better yet, pick a director and work your way through the classics.

Try DIY Crafts – Especially If You’re Bad At It

For a craft night all you need is some scissors and old magazines and you’ve got a vision board for the new year. The whole point of maintaining a friendship is to catch up with the people you love and be in each other’s presence. Who said you had to do that over a $15 appetizer?

Have A Pizza-Making Night

One of my favorite hangouts with my girlfriends was a night we just hung out at my apartment, had some wine, and made some homemade pizza. Pizza is pretty hard to mess up when you buy pre-made pizza dough so it’s a cheap meal that you know you can’t mess up. Now you have a fun activity and dinner all rolled (and kneaded) into one.

Bring Back Game Nights

I’m sorry but when did we all leave classics like Taboo, SORRY!, and giant Jenga behind? Well, I say it’s time to bring it back. Have each friend bring their favorite board game and make a whole night of it. And you don’t have to worry about ordering out something super expensive — make it a potluck or just fast-food it. No need to be fancy, just bring your game face.