He unpacked a white tablecloth, some simple flowers, candles, and two place settings of our china, silver and crystal. He had fixed a casserole and brought some grape juice which was poured into our crystal wine glasses with all the flair of a fine wine. We had the best time dining by candlelight and watching weary travelers trying to figure out what the heck we were doing.

It was truly a memorable evening and the only cost was the gas to go a few miles up the road.

When my finances got extremely tight, I just simply told them that I couldnt keep up with them. I explained that I need to save up money. They had no problem whatsoever, they even encouraged me. They say if you can save money that’s a good thing.

Now I chose the days that I go out to lunch with them, usually when its somewhere really cheap. I keep it to only about 1-2 lunches a week. Some weeks I don’t go out to lunch at all.

You know another interesting idea? If you have great friends who are also trying to get their finances in order, form a “debt diet club” or something like that and much like a book club, meet once a week or once a month to discuss financial strategy. It worked so well for a group of girls in Vancouver who formed a group called The Smart Cookies that they were recently featured on Oprah. They had a blast by doing things like:

-they lived in walking distance of each other so for special occasions or evenings out when they felt like they had “nothing to wear,” they didn’t go shopping at stores, they went shopping in each other’s closets and borrowed clothes regularly to save money.
-they did a potluck dinner once a week with a couple of bottles of wine from the liquor store
-one girl sold her car and carpooled with her pals

They had excellent results – one girl has now bought a condo and another paid for her recent wedding in CASH. All 4 were originally in debt and had out of control spending habits. Check out their website http://www.smartcookiesmoneyclub.com/

Sierra clubs and Audobon, plus local hiking/ biking clubs are good places to start. They can often get you into nature reserves that are closed to public except on group tours. And they’ll often go for pizza after the hike. If you join Audobon, join some of the local small groups, they go on alot of unpublished hikes.

Garden shows are great too. Pick up some plants or just enjoy the flowers; take your camera. there are orchid shows, cactus shows, rose shows, epiphyllum (orchid cactus), camellia, and other flower shows.

Goto the library for a few hours. read up on the latest tech, or world events, environment, etc. We’re luck in HB as the lib is in a park with great views, and has a food cart in basement eating area.

We walk around the park after, as sitting too long isn’t good, exercize the nanobots , and feel better, enjoying happy people walking their dogs or kids, concerts in the park, weddings, etc.

Join a club; gardening, crafts, etc. dirt cheap and like minded people and comraderie.
Some of those hikes we make to local botanic gardens and zoos, usually quite inexpensive.

When we visit San Diego Zoo and gardens, we pack a picnic lunch, take a beach towel and eat under huge the 100 year old Moreton Bay fig tree.

One of the reasons it can be so easy to fall into debt is to try and keep up with other people – or our perception of other people. So yeah – bring on the power of suggestion!