C'mon, let's get another round of drinks! Dont be boring.

Does the title sound familiar? I'm pretty sure you have heard something like that before. You can substitute the word drinks for shopping, food, hand phone and so on.

You feel pressured to spend and conform when your friends request that of you. Deep inside, you are feeling uneasy as you know that you are eating into your budget and spending way more than you actually should. Yet, to gain social acceptance, you dig deep into your pockets and scrape the dollars off the bottom.

I feel we should always do things in moderation. If you are always saying no to going out and having fun, soon your friends will stop calling. However, if you are always saying yes, you are seriously endangering your savings and retirement planning. The key is always knowing when to say yes, when to say no and when to give a better and less expensive suggestion.

If they are truly your friends, they will definitely hear you out and understand. (But not before making a sport out of you.)

Here are a few less expensive alternatives:

1. Buying beer from the supermarket and head to one of your homes to drink rather than heading to the pub and paying easily 3 times the amount. What i learnt from experience is that it's always the company and not the venue that decides whether it was an awesome night or not.
2. Get everyone to make some food and head to the park or something for a picnic rather than going to a fancy restaurant to eat. You might find that the fresh air and change of environment is extremely welcoming.
3. Buying a dvd from the store and watching it at home instead of going to the cinema to catch a movie. The dvd would cost between  $10 to $25 for all of you instead of approximately $10 per person should you go to the movies. Buy microwavable popcorn to ease in those hardcore movie goers.
4. Instead of going shopping at the mall, why not visit a flea market and have the same amount of satisfaction. You will be surprised and the amount of stuff you can find at a flea market.

The list goes on and on. Just use your imagination and I'm sure you, your friends and family will have as much satisfaction and enjoyment at a fraction of what you would have spent otherwise. Once again, i would like to say this.. It's the company and not the venue or amount spent that matter. If you are with friends and family, even the simplest of food will be a million times more enjoyable that a royal feast with...for absence of a better word, enemies.

As always save more, spend less and invest wisely.
P.