50 Free or Cheap Ways to Hang Out With Friends

Friendship thrives on shared moments, not big budgets. Whether you’re saving up for something important or just trying to avoid the dreaded “we spent what?” group text the next day, there are tons of activities that can bring your crew together without draining your wallets. You don’t have to sacrifice fun to save money. In fact, some of the most memorable moments come from the simplest plans.

Affordable hangouts are about creativity, intention, and sometimes just leaning into the ridiculous. From game nights to DIY projects, every friend group can find budget-friendly ways to connect.

Stay-In Nights That Still Slap

Movie marathons are the tried-and-true MVPs of budget hangouts. Pick a theme—bad horror sequels, childhood favorites, or Oscar snubs—and let the commentary flow like boxed wine. Pair that with homemade popcorn toppings (hot sauce and lime juice, anyone?) and you’ve got a night to remember.

Board games, card games, or video games bring out everyone’s competitive streak. Or skip the rules and make up your own games—improv nights, talent shows, or “guess that childhood memory” storytelling contests are wildly entertaining and entirely free.

Explore Without Spending

Take advantage of public parks, beaches, trails, or free city tours. A walk with a group feels less like exercise and more like a wandering podcast episode. Bonus points if someone brings a Bluetooth speaker for a shared playlist or an old-school boombox for irony.

Window shopping, flea markets, or local festivals are perfect for cheap thrills. You don’t have to spend a dime to laugh at vintage oddities, admire art, or sample free food samples at a local street fair. Just resist the “we should all get matching vintage cowboy boots” moment of weakness.

Eat, Cook, Repeat

Instead of going out, host a “bring your own” dinner night—pizzas, tacos, and pasta bars work great when everyone contributes a little something. Or do a potluck with a twist: challenge everyone to cook a dish under $5. Let the cheap culinary chaos commence.

Cooking together is a bonding experience, and so is discovering which friend cannot follow a recipe to save their life. Make it fun, make it messy, and definitely document it like you’re auditioning for your own food show.

Creative Projects and Low-Budget Challenges

Host a craft night or DIY workshop using dollar store finds or leftover junk drawer gold. Try vision boards, tie-dyeing old T-shirts, or building the world’s worst gingerbread houses out of graham crackers and frosting. It’s not about Pinterest perfection—it’s about laughing your way through it.

Create a scavenger hunt around your neighborhood or town. Set silly clues, weird dares, and cheap or hilarious “treasures.” The prize? Eternal bragging rights and maybe a gas station crown.

50 Cheap Things You Can Do with Friends

1. Host a movie night – Pick a theme and stream something nostalgic or hilariously bad. We’d recommend taking a look at JustWatch. It lets users see where movies are streaming across all platforms.
2. Potluck dinner – Everyone brings a dish and no one spends more than $5.
3. Game night – Dust off the board games or go full Cards Against Humanity chaos.
4. Picnic in the park – Grab snacks, a blanket, and vibe in nature.
5. Go for a walk or hike – Free cardio, great conversation, and maybe a dog sighting or two.
6. Window shopping – Try not to buy anything while ironically rating mall outfits.
7. Craft night – Break out the glue guns and glitter—creativity gets bonus points. You know about Pinterest, but you cal also look at Craftsy for cheap craft ideas.
8. Cook-off challenge – Compete to make the best meal using only pantry leftovers. Budget Bytes is the GOAT for delicious recipes under $5.
9. Host a clothing swap – Fresh fits for free and zero closet guilt.
10. Trivia night at home – Create your own questions or find a free online set. Sporcle has thousands of free trivia quizzes you can play with friends.
11. Photo scavenger hunt – Turn your neighborhood into a chaotic challenge course. Check out GooseChase if you want to make it digital and gamified.
12. Make a group playlist – Then take a walk or chill to it together.
13. Library or bookstore trip – Get lost together in your favorite genres.
14. Karaoke at home – YouTube karaoke videos + questionable mic skills = perfection. One site you can use is Karafun, or just search “karaoke [song title]” on YouTube.
15. Volunteer together – Do some good and make memories while you’re at it. A favorite tip from us is to use VolunteerMatch to help you find local opportunities.
16. Farmers market stroll – Free samples and local flavor with zero pressure to buy.
17. Play sports at a park – Basketball, soccer, or your own weird version of dodgeball.
18. DIY spa night – Face masks, nail painting, and cucumber slices like royalty.
19. Puzzle party – Turn a 1000-piece beast into a group bonding session.
20. Host a theme night – Dress up, eat on-theme food, and fully commit to the bit.
21. Star gazing – Lay out under the stars and pretend you’re all astronomers.
22. Open mic night (at home) – Sound wild and nerve-wracking? Perfect. Everyone writes a poem, sings a song, or tells a story. Need some inspiration? Poets.org prompts can inspire poems or monologues.
23. Dance party in the living room – No cover charge, all vibes.
24. Learn a TikTok dance together – Bonus points if you’re terrible.
25. Create a vision board – Clip magazines, manifest dreams, and plan your world takeover. You can even use Canva’s vision board templates for a free digital version.
26. Build blanket forts – No one is too old to live that pillow-fort life.
27. Try geocaching – A real-world treasure hunt using your phone. Geocaching.com is the official site/app, but you could even plant your own cache and provide hints for your friend group.
28. Play charades – Still undefeated as a chaotic group activity.
29. Have a book club meeting – Even if nobody read the book.
30. Write and shoot a short film – Use your phones and get weird. It’s just like high school film club! Take a peek at StudioBinder for a great free guide.
31. Do a YouTube workout together – Laugh, sweat, maybe cry. You get the power of a gym date, but without the cost of a gym. Free online workouts are endless, but you could start with FitnessBlender or Yoga With Adriene.
32. People watch at a café or park – Narrate imaginary lives.
33. Test weird food combos – Popcorn and hot sauce? Peanut butter pickles? If you haven’t seen it already, you should check out Reddit’s r/unexpectedkombos for… truly unexpected inspiration.
34. Make up a new holiday – Celebrate it annually from now on.
35. Paint old mugs or t-shirts – Your fridge art deserves expansion. It’s a low-cost restoration of already-useful items, and you can get your supplies for a budget at Michaels or the Dollar Tree craft section for cheap materials.
36. Go thrift shopping – Set a $5 limit and find the wildest thing. If you’re not sure where to find a good shop near you, take a peek at Thrift Store Finder for U.S. store locations.
37. Create a time capsule – Bury it or hide it for future laughs.
38. Board game tournament – Build a bracket and crown a champion. You don’t even need a whiteboard to track the winners: get a quick pad of Post-It Notes or use a free bracket generator like Challonge or Bracket HQ.
39. Build LEGO together – Borrow a set or use knock-offs, the nostalgia hits hard.
40. Practice a new language – Learn the weirdest phrases first. Apps like Duolingo or Tandem can be used for social language learning, and have a fun approach to a grueling task.
41. Make a group TikTok or Reel – Become famous, or at least laugh trying. The industry favorite of TikTok creators is using CapCut for free, easy editing.
42. Try free samples at grocery stores – Create a mini food tour.
43. Have a fashion show – Style each other using only what’s already in your closets. The best inspiration for DIY fashion and thrift ideas can be found at Refashionista.
44. Go on a photo walk – Use your phones to document the day with an artistic lens. You can even use the Unsplash to spark fun photo challenges.
45. Watch a documentary and discuss – Learn something new, then argue about it. Documentary Heaven or PBS Documentaries are free and fascinating.
46. Plan your dream vacation – Zero money spent, all the serotonin.
47. Draw each other’s portraits – Terrible art encouraged. Want to avoid portraits altogether? Look at the Sketch a Day app for digital drawing prompts.
48. Have a garage sale together – Declutter and make a little cash.
49. Listen to a podcast series – Pick a wild one and talk about it between episodes. You can peek at ListenNotes to find fun podcast series across genres.
50. Create a fake award show – Nominate each other for wild categories and give speeches.

The Secret Ingredient

Being present with your friends doesn’t have to come with a cover charge. The best memories don’t always come from big events or expensive outings. They come from those inside jokes born over burned cookies or sidewalk dance battles. What makes the moment special is that you chose to spend time together—on purpose.

So the next time someone says, “We should hang out, but I’m broke,” don’t cancel. Get creative, get weird, and prove that fun doesn’t need funding—it just needs good company.