Ladies Night and the Broke Single Mom

Photo Credit Zazzle

When I was in my 20's and living in New York, then New Jersey, Ladies Night meant getting my hair done, buying a fabulous new pair of shoes at my favorite Nine West store near my job or a new top and hanging out with my girls at the club dancing away til the wee hours of the morning. This could and did set me back an easy $150 and up per outing, but I made a lot more money back then and it was never really an issue.

Now it is, but that doesn't stop us, and it shouldn't stop you either. Since I like to travel I always try to keep my ladies night or movie outings at the lowest cost without affecting the desired final outcome.

So what can you do if you crave a break and want to have a ladies night but don't have a lot of extra money to do so? Be creative and remember that Ladies Night out can be easily done without hitting a club or bar.

While some women use ladies night to meet men, my friends and I use it to decompress and relax. So if that is what you are looking forward to, then read on.



What you'll need:

A babysitter
A house/Apartment
A movie
A bottle of wine
Dinner

Assuming there are 5 women.

Babysitter
If any of you have teenagers you can have all the ladies pitch in a few dollars each to pay one or two of the teens to watch the younger children.

Cost: Approximately $5 each.

House/Apartment
And where will they be watching them? At your house ;) or if you are hosting the ladies night, then one of the other moms houses. Because you can't really relax and unwind if you try to have your ladies night in the same house where the children will be.

Cost: Free

Movie
This can be completely free if one of you already owns the movie you have selected, or if you borrow it from your local library. Or as little as $1.50 if you rent it from Red Box. We usually pick a romantic comedy, what can I say, it gives us hope!

Cost: .30¢ each

Drinks
If you want to get a little buzz then chip in for a bottle or hell, be ghetto fab and get a box of wine (about $10). A couple of oranges, a hand full of frozen grapes, ice and a bottle of ginger ale to make Sangria for the whole crew. You can find thousands of recipes online, but mine is simple:

In a large punch bowl add ginger ale, wine (fruity and red and white both work), sliced oranges and frozen grapes then stir. Let sit for 2 hours in fridge, serve over ice.

Cost: $2 each for wine + $1 each for ice and fruit = $3 each

Dinner
You can keep it simple and just do finger foods, or do a pot luck with everyone bring one dish. Or you can have a proper sit down dinner. It doesn't have to cost a lot either. A nice pasta dinner with a salad can cost as little as $5-$10 depending on if you use ground beef or have a meatless meal and what kind of sauce you choose, red sauce is usually the cheapest.

Cost: $2 each

Total cost for the night: $ 10.30 each, or $8 each if you all eat at home first and make sure your movie rental is gratis, bam!

Every mother needs a little time away, so call up the girls, let the teens know they are going to be needed and will be making a few bucks, then plan away. A glass of sangria, dinner, a movie with a couple more glasses of sangria. So relax, unwind, vent, laugh, cry, talk, it's what ladies nights are made for.

Have fun!