The longer nights are drawing in, the cold snaps have started and we are waking up to frosty mornings. Long gone are the days of spending the evening in the pub garden, enjoying a picnic in the great outdoors or heading to the beach for the day to catch some rays.
At this time of year costs can quickly add up, with increased household bills due to central heating, and the party season is just around the corner. Now is the time to embrace Hygge and plan some alternatives, creating the perfect cosy night in on a budget!
Whilst it may seem like the Autumn/Winter months are easy to reduce spending, household costs can often go up due to the heating being on, and spending more time at home. So how can we have fun whilst staying cosy?
This month, we work with Shane Clifford, CEO and Co-Founder, WonderBill – a household bill management app, to give you top life hacks on how to create the perfect cosy evening at home on a budget.
Delicious Dining
Taking on the format of the popular TV show, Come Dine with Me, the darker months are a great time to test out your culinary expertise. Get a group of friends together (either three couples or six friends), book in the dinners then get creative with the menus. Hopefully there won’t be many dining disasters if you pick your friends carefully, and there’s always the sneaky takeaway for back-up!
Games Night
Retro, but in a good way, the traditional board game is far from boring. Mix it up with some good food, creative cocktails and friends and you soon have a great evening of entertainment. You can even take it a step further and have a prize for the best (or worst!) Pictionary drawing.
Movie Marathon
We may not admit it, but everyone has that guilty pleasure movie you could watch time and time again. During the cold evenings, get cosy in front of the TV and have a themed movie marathon. Whether that’s 80’s power films, Harry Potter (although getting through all in one evening might be a mission!), or could be comedy classics. Pick your perfect movie snacks and a voila, you can transport yourself into another world. Plus it saves spending hours scrolling through Netflix trying to agree on what to watch!
Creative Crafts
Whether you have a passion for crafts or looking to pick-up a new skill, there are endless outlets for your creativity. From papercrafts, to knitting and calligraphy – the traditional creative crafts are now back in fashion and more accessible than ever before thanks to free tutorials online and online shopping. You can go from clueless to crafty in a matter of weeks, which is perfect for those long, dark evenings.
Wanderlust Workout
When you commute to and from work in the dark, only seeing the sunshine during your lunch break, it’s only natural for your mind to drift away to memories of sunnier climes. A great time to work out plans for the next year, investing some time upfront can pay dividends for any trips in 2019. From getting inspiration by making a Pintrest board, to scouting cheap flights in winter sales, to personal finance planning, it all adds up and saved money could can go a long way for paying for flights, hotels or extras for any holidays planned.
With plenty to keep you entertained, it’s time to embrace those cosy nights and get planning!
