For college students balancing tuition, rent and the high cost of living, whether or not you hang out with friends may feel like a dilemma between your social life and saving money.
It can be stressful balancing the responsibilities of a college student with your social life, especially when it feels like the only way to get quality time with friends is by going out to eat or driving to the mall. However, there are ways to meet in the middle and hang out with friends in a cost-effective manner.
According to Trellis Strategies’ 2025 Student Financial Wellness Survey, “Students reported significant financial instability: 54% said they would struggle to access $500 in cash or credit for an unexpected expense, and 65% indicated they had run out of money at least once since the start of the year.”
Amid such instability, Kirkwood Community College students should still spend time with friends. This, for many, implies having regular gatherings and doing activities together.
This presents a peculiar problem for low-income students trying to deepen their bond with their confidants.
An activity such as bowling or going out to the movies is costly, so how should students spend time with their peers? Student Life provides an answer to participating in activities that typically cost money.
Current students can take advantage of free bowling days at May City Bowl, free ice skating at the ImOn Ice Arena and free movie nights held on campus, among many other free activities, including supporting Kirkwood’s athletes at games.
Craft nights with friends can also be a blast. Coloring, junk journaling and painting are all inexpensive ways to be creative while hanging out with friends. You can get coloring books and crayons for fairly cheap anywhere, as well as paint from a dollar store. You can chat while crafting or even add some music or a movie to the background for some ambiance.
With being artistic, there are plenty of trends circulating online to check out with friends.
Two notable ones you can do with supplies like the paint from the dollar store or crayons are painting each other in a funny way or creating drawings and trading them every five minutes.
Another way that students can hang out without feeling pressure to spend money is a simple shared meal together at home, like organizing a spaghetti dinner, potluck or charcuterie night. Friendsgiving can be an incredibly fulfilling way to spend time with friends without breaking the bank.
While the weather is still nice, there are trails all over Cedar Rapids and Iowa City that are good for walking. Local trails include Mount Trashmore, Sac & Fox trail, the Nature Center and the Cedar River trail in Cedar Rapids. In Iowa City there are the Terry Trueblood Recreation Area, Hickory Hill Park, Willow Creek Park, and Woodpecker Trail, among many others. A good way students can combine outdoor time and a meal is by having a classic picnic on one of the many trails.
Ultimately, spending quality time with friends doesn’t have to come with a price tag. Whether it’s taking advantage of free community activities or finding creative ways to spend an evening together, what matters most is the company, not the cost.
College students already have enough financial responsibilities to worry about, and maintaining meaningful friendships shouldn’t have to be another one.
Categories: Opinion, Staff Editorials
