I started a new job with a much lower rate of pay than I had previously. I still have savings but I don't want to dip into them so I made a decision to change my lifestyle and live more frugally.
The issue I'm having is with invitations. Friends want to go out to a restaurant, to movies, to a play etc. They're specific events rather than just a desire to go out periodically so they can't just be replaced by hanging out without the outing instead. Examples include movies they worked on, plays a mutual friend is in, or restaurants where the server is someone they know who has to work on their birthday so they want to go support them. They are going to these specific things.
If I decline they want to know why. If I say I don't want to spend the money, they sometimes offer to cover the cost believing that I don't have the money. I don't want them to pay for me.
What is the best way to decline these types of outings without lying and saying I'm busy that day?
(Edited to further clarify that offering to hang out without that specific outing isn't a workable solution)
March 30, 2023 at 08:10PM
