Cheap night in ideas

Take the pub quiz home

Quizzes are one of the best ways to bring people together – even if your mates can’t get over to you in person, it’s never been easier to socialise virtually, thanks to the likes of Zoom or Facetime.

Choose a whole host of categories (around six should do it) and put together around 10 questions per round. If you want to make things slightly more exciting, then add in a cheeky forfeit for the losing individual or team.

Oh, and if you don’t fancy organising the whole evening yourself, then ask each team or person to come up with a round, so the pressure’s not completely on you.

Hold a movie evening

Who doesn’t love an excuse to watch their favourite movie?

Better still, why don’t you take things up a level and give the night a theme? For example, pick a film from the 1980s, ask your pals to come round dressed in their finest retro gear and download the best of the 80’s playlist to have on as people arrive.

Stock Cupboard-Come Dine With Me

We’ve all seen TV’s Come Dine With Me, haven’t we? Now for the student-friendly version.

Invite three mates over (or more, depending on how hungry you are!) and give them – and yourself – each a course or beverage to muster up from the ingredients in their stock cupboard. The more creative your guests can get the better! And the best part is having them all over for dinner and getting the opportunity to taste each other’s creations.

Host a games night

Whether it’s your own selection of games, or you ask your mates to bring over their favourites, hosting a games night makes the perfect filler for anyone looking for a budget-friendly evening (in fact, this will cost you nothing at all!).

A games night ticks all the boxes because they can be as varied as you wish, as laid back as you want and give you a great excuse to catch up with old pals while inviting along new friends. And with there being literally thousands of card games out there, all you need is a pack of cards and you’re all set.

If you really are struggling for ideas though, check out this blog for some great cheap, easy and free DIY game ideas.

Student spa night

Time to hold your very own student spa night, and everyone is welcome – after all, who doesn’t like a little pamper every now and again.

For the ultimate night in, make sure you’re all in your jimjams, have a bottle of fizz chilling in the fridge and stick on a classic movie. Of course, if you fancy a makeshift face or foot mask, there are plenty of readily available recipes out there on the internet for you to explore, which means you can have a go at making your own from the food in your fridge.