12 Proven Ways to Make Friends at Work (Without Emptying Your Wallet)

You’re stuck eating lunch by yourself again.

Perhaps this is exactly what you wanted.

Or perhaps, you secretly wish you could join your colleagues each time they gather at that fancy restaurant nearby. They must be having a great time. If only that place wasn’t so expensive!

So you’re here all by yourself. The office feels like one giant, empty place. While you slowly eat your food in silence, you start to wonder what your coworkers may be saying about you.

Perhaps they are gossiping about how poor you are because you don’t eat out like they do. Or maybe they are starting to think you’re anti-social. Worse of all, maybe they are not even talking about you. You just don’t really exist anymore in their world.

You’ve simply been forgotten.

Want to Make Friends At Work?

I’m not talking about the random colleagues you chat about the weather with at the water cooler.

Those don’t count.

I’m talking about real friends at work. People you actually like spending time with. People who knows more about you than just your job title and the latest project you’re working on. People who you can have a real conversation with on topics that aren’t work-related at all.

People you may even want to hang out with outside of work hours.

Why It’s Hard To Be Frugal and Still Make Friends

Think of all the typical things people do with their coworkers for fun: lunches, restaurant parties, and drinks after work. There’s nothing wrong with getting to know people through those methods. It’s just that every one of them costs money.

Sometimes a lot of money.

That may not be a problem if you have a fat budget to burn every month. But it just so happens that you don’t.

Don’t worry, there is still hope! I’ll teach you how to make friends even if you don’t go out as often as you may like.

You see, there are plenty of activities you can do with your colleagues which don’t require much money. I’ve personally tried quite a few, and I’ll share them with you here.

How to Make Friends At Work (On a Tight Budget)

1.Be the Chef Of The Day. Every now and then, I would bake some goodies and bring it to the office. You’ll be amazed at how people – who normally wouldn’t even make eye contact with you – open up as soon as there’s food to be shared. Maybe it’s because it’s free. Or maybe it’s because they’re just flat-out amazed I baked something edible. Either way, it makes for a memorable experience. And who knows? Others may encouraged by your example to share their home cooking too.

2.Save those leftovers. Who said spending time with your colleagues during lunch involves actually eating out? Whenever I want to catch up with people over lunch, I usually pack food from home (leftovers are awesome for this) and invite them to do the same. Yes, this takes a little more planning upfront. But you’ll save a lot of time and hassle by not having to rush to and from the restaurant. As an added bonus, I can focus more on catching up with the person and less on rushing through the meal.

3.Who doesn’t love a show and tell? If making food isn’t your thing, then perhaps sharing something you love to do outside of work may be a way to go. Perhaps you’re into soap-making, or woodwork, or making decorative pins. If so, then you can bring a few items to give away as gifts or to display at your office. Try it! You’ll find out quickly that this is a great conversation starter.

4.Battle for poker supremacy. Playing poker – or any other card games for that matter – at work with my colleagues is easily one of my most enjoyable times at work. Of course, we don’ t play for money (and you probably shouldn’t either). Without money in the equation, everyone can just relax and have a good time. You can also play chess, checkers, or whatever else that strikes your fancy. Just do stuff together.

We aren’t even close to finished yet so keep on reading for more fun and inexpensive ideas to make friends with the people you work with.