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It’s been exactly 4 years since I published my post cheap things to do for a fun girls day out, and it’s my all time most popular post. So, I wanted to give an updated and revamped version with some girls night ideas of some activities for an awesome girls night without breaking the bank. These are things my friends and I love to do that are college-budget friendly!

Art gallery

Last week for my friend’s birthday we went to an art gallery. It was such a nice experience and the art was amazing! It was put on by our city’s art council so it was free to get in.

If you enjoy art this is definitely something to consider for your girls night, just check to see if your city offers similar things free of charge.

Skate outside

An activity I’ve been doing a LOT this summer with my friends is skating outside. Whether thats roller skating, longboarding, skateboarding, etc. I’ve always loved skating and have really wanted some skates since the beginning of the pandemic, but never wanted to spend the money on it.

A couple weeks ago I really lucked out and found these skates for $7 at a thrift store! It felt like the universe dropped them just for me, and I have definitely been getting my $7 worth out of them lol.

As you can see in the picture, I’ve also been using them to walk my dog. He pulls me along like he’s a little horse LOL. The investment in skates (or a skateboard, longboard, whatever) is definitely worth it if you think you’d use them! The ones I have go for about $75 on Amazon, but if you want to get some for extra cheap I’d suggest looking at thrift stores or Facebook Marketplace.

Game night

One of my friend group’s favorite things to do is have little game nights. There are so many different options for this. Over the last semester we would get together every Sunday night and play Pathfinder (which is similar to D&D, nerdy, I know). We also really like playing games on the Nintendo Switch and playing cards. Getting together with your girls and playing games is always fun and one of the cheapest thing you can do!

Craft Challenge

There is a plethora of craft challenge ideas lately, thanks to tik tok. The other night my friend and I did a painting challenge where you each get a canvas and every 5 minutes switch paintings. It was really fun to do and this kind of idea is really nice because you each get a little keepsake at the end and it’s something you both worked on.

At home manicures

Getting my gel nail kit was one of the best decisions of my life. I love having my nails done, but putting the effort into doing my them with normal nail polish only for it to start chipping the next day is not worth it to me at all.

HOWEVER, during quarantine in 2020 I decided to buy my own gel nail kit for like $30 (the price of literally one manicure) and I have NOT regretted it. The polish lasts at least 2-3 weeks and looks so nice. My friends are always asking if I will do their nails so they don’t have to spend money to get them done.

So, this is a really fun girls night activity if you like getting your nails done with friends but want to save some money! The pics above are a couple of manicures I’ve done recently.

Here’s the kit I use to do my nails at home:

Do each others hair

My friends and I are notorious for doing crazy things to our hair at home. It might not be the BEST idea to cut/dye your hair at home if you’re picky about how your hair looks and want salon quality, but if you have the “it’s just hair” mindset that we do, this is a super fun thing to do for a girls night.

Doing your hair at home is much more affordable than getting your hair done at a salon. Which is ideal if you’re like me and like to change your hair often. I can usually change my hair color for around $30, and that’s just because I have a lot of hair. If you have less hair it would be cheaper.

A quick trip to Sally’s for supplies, a helping hand, and you’re good to go! Above are pictures of my recent hair colors that I’ve done, much to my grandmother’s dismay.

Make clothes

Making your own clothes is a perfect girls night idea for hot girl summer. There are so many tik tok tutorials for easy sewing projects to make the cutest clothes. Making new items for your wardrobe with friends is a blast.

This can be totally free if you have some old clothes you don’t like that you wanna repurpose or some extra yarn laying around to crochet things. I’ve found that there is always a lot of fabric and yarn at thrift stores as well.

Refashioning clothes or making your own can be super affordable, is more friendly for the environment than shopping fast fashion, and can be a super fun thing to try with friends. 🙂

Related: How to be more eco friendly in your 20s

Affordable girls night ideas: Activities for a fun girls night

That’s all I have for this post! Be sure to check out the part one to this, cheap things to do for a fun girls day out, if you’d like more ideas for cheap, fun things to do with friends! Also be sure to hit the button below to subscribe and be notified when I post. Until next time!