Penury January is upon us, folks. You bought everyone their perfect Christmas gift, you bought yourself your perfect Christmas outfit, you dined and wined fit to beat the band – and now payday seems so, so far away. That McDonald’s ad with the lad who’s delighted at finding the euro coin in his couch has become your life.
But fear not! Beaut.ie have compiled your failsafe guide to keeping social spirits up in this, the bleakest of all months, for low, low prices.
- A Wine Night In
This won’t work for anyone who’s carrying two crosses this January – being broke, and staying sober. However, for those of you not on the wagon this month, a cheap buidéal of plonk from your local can turn into a night that costs you less than a tenner. Invite your mates around for BYOB ‘the chats’ of a Friday night and revel in your thrift whilst getting all the back-to-work moaning out of your system (and friends doing Dry January can bring the soft drink of their choice).
Aldi wines have famously made some ‘Best Buy Wine lists’ in the past, so there need be no breaking of banks, or mixing with 7Up. Have a Google, choose your price range and your vintage, and become a wine connoisseur on a budget!
- Walks
Free, healthy, and, if you wrap up warm, absolutely not a bother on you. Make a list of five walks/jogs you’d like to accomplish before the month is out, and get competitive with yourself about ticking them all off. If you're in Dublin, the Wicklow Way is easy enough going, as is the Bray - Greystones walk (though you may want to take the DART back). And there are absolutely oodles of options around the country - we'd love to hear your suggestions.
Invite the family or your friends, and away you go!
- Get Into a Box Set
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Step 1: Beg or borrow a box set from someone. I find that, when people hear I have never seen The Sopranos, they are more than willing to hand them over. Some have even demanded I take them ‘for as long as it takes for sense to come to you’. Which I think means indefinitely.
Step 2: Designate someone to take on the box set with you. Friend, significant other, flatmate, family member.
Step 3: Select a night a week that works for both for some binge-watching and you’re off! Snuggle up and get engrossed. Perfect for January weather.
An those of you with Netflix can likely even disregard Step 1 – even easier!
And we compiled a handy list of the brilliant box sets just a few weeks ago.
- Start a Book Club
January can be a long and bleak month, but there is no reason it can’t also be the time for that shiny new-slate gleam as well! If you, like me, have decided to read more in 2015 then forming a book group in January is one of the best ways to see it through. Invite some of your friends, family members. Use Doodle.com, the extremely handy (and free) polling website to find a day and time that suits, and Bob’s your uncle.
Get down to your local library and borrow the selected book, spend your evenings in curled up listening to the sounds of January weather, only to then have good pals to chat about it with!
And stay tuned because Beaut.ie Book Club is getting ready to launch! All the details will be coming up very soon but if you've any book suggestions in the meantime, leave us a comment below and let us know your thoughts!
- A Games Night
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It’s likely someone you know received an as-yet unused board game for Christmas – why not try it out? If neither you nor any of your friends possess a single one, you can still play Charades and Pictionary in teams with very little resource required. This is a great night in, and makes for excellent craic. Perfect as well for all the Dry January folks out there, because when you get properly into ‘Articulate’, alcohol would only slow you down anyway!
So these are our ideas to stave off Penury January – how will you combat the Broke Blues this month?
