How to Get Your Cheap Thrills

Lately, pop music has really been on a “saving money” trend. In the past few years, Macklemore’s “Thrift Shop”, Lil Dicky’s “Save Dat Money” and now Sia’s “Cheap Thrills” are all advocating saving money and having fun at the same time. However, when I thought about Sia’s message about getting your “cheap thrills”, I wondered if it’s actually possible to go out, have fun and not spend a ton of money.

It turns out, you can have fun and stick to your budget! While it might not be partying on a pop star level, you can still go out, have a good time and not regret your choices the day after. Looking for a way to get your cheap thrills? Here are some frugal ways to get have some (legal) fun!

At the Club

In Sia’s song, she refers to “hitting the dance floor.” Dancing is a great way to have fun, and it really is a cheap thrill – but unfortunately, many people have to go to a club in order to hit the dance floor. Since many clubs charge a cover or have exorbitant rates for drinks, how in the world is going to the club a cheap thrill?

For starters, look for clubs that don’t have cover charges or go before the cover charge kicks in. For some clubs, you can get in free before 11 p.m. Even if you don’t like being at a club that early, avoiding the club cover charge is worth it!

When looking for fun places to dance, keep in mind drinking costs. Even if you don’t drink alcohol, you may still want a soda or water to stay hydrated – and sometimes those drinks can cost almost as much as alcohol! If you’re looking to get your cheap thrills at the bar, do some research ahead of time and see when the bars or clubs are offering half-price drinks or two-for-one specials.

Finally, use the power of social media! If you’re looking for a cheap club where you can dance, go online and see if any of your favorite clubs are running social media specials. Some clubs will have a special word for VIPs (aka people paying attention to their social media promotions), which might save you money on the cover charge or drink prices.

Use Groupon

Sometimes a cheap thrill is just something new to you, and if you want to try something new, what better way to try it than with a discount from Groupon? Recently, my husband and I decided we wanted to learn how to make our own cocktails, and we bought a Groupon to a local bartending school to learn how to make some new drinks. It was both cheap and thrilling, since this will be a new skill we will get to use as often as we want!

Looking to try indoor rock climbing, bartending classes, or aerial yoga classes? Check out Groupon to get a deal on your cheap thrill, whatever it may be. Who knows, you might find some dance classes on Groupon too!

Check Out Local Events

Until I started paying attention to the free weekly events newsletter in my city, I didn’t really think much was going on for free, for adults, on the weekend. How wrong I was! In addition to such fun activities like free yoga in the park, my city also offers free dance classes, free exercise classes, and free movies throughout the month. Adults and kids are welcome, but the events aren’t specifically designed for kids.

Checking out the free activities in your city or town is a great way to truly get a cheap thrill – in addition to getting out and having fun for free, you’re likely to meet new people or have a cool place to invite your friends – no money necessary!

It turns out there are actually a lot of great ways to get your cheap thrill – maybe these pop stars are on to something with their tips of saving money! If you want to have fun but can’t break the bank, check out some of the local events in your community, visit Groupon, or just do a little research before you hit the dance floor.

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When you want to go out and have fun but don’t have a lot of money to spend, what do you do?