Whether it's your friend's birthday, a family get-together or an anniversary with your significant other, there's often pressure to show people how much you care by splashing the cash. But if you take a big spend-up off the table, you create more meaningful ways of showing you care while also keeping your money goals on track.
Host a potluck in their honour
Dinners out at a restaurant are fun but you'll have even more fun at home if you do it right. Get as rowdy as you like without worrying about your fellow diners, get a good bottle of wine without worrying about corkage fees and have a gentle competition about who made the best dish. Don't forget that this is no ordinary potluck – someone here is the guest of honour. Maybe the potluck is made up of their favourite foods, or you start off the dinner by sharing your favourite things about them. Don't be shy, everyone secretly longs for more compliments.
Make something meaningful
Don't make a present for the sake of being able to hand over something physical – that's how you end up with macaroni jewellery that nobody wants. Instead, think about what really matters to your friend and what skills you have that could work. If you have the gift of the gab, what about a personalised poem? Or can you craft a scandalous cross-stitch, that looks cute and grandmotherly at first glance but is full of sassy swear words when you look closer? The trick is making sure it's something you have some skill with and then tailoring it to their interests. After all, you don't want to spend all that time just for it to be thrown out.
Bake them treats
The way to anyone's heart is through their stomach. The best part is you can either show off how great your baking skills are or you can quietly cheat with a pre-mixed box. Hey, it all counts.