Frugal Fun

The implements of CatanNow that we’re clothed and fed with hundreds of dollars to spare, what should we do? Why don’t we have some fun with friends and—you guessed it—save even more money in the process?

Think about what you and your friends do for fun. How many of those things cost money? Pretty much everything, right? A movie for two costs at least $20—without popcorn. A ski trip to Tremblant for the day will set you back about $70, even if you get a free ride! (“What about Camp Fortune,” you ask? The only way skiing there might be worthwhile would be if they paid me.) And forget about going to the bars on the cheap, that’s probably the most expensive way to have fun.

But believe it or not, bar-hopping used to be my favorite thing to do with friends. It didn’t take too long, however, before I began to ask myself why I was spending so much money on hangovers. I never really had much game back then, either, but now I have about two dozen!

Note the absence of "Operation"

Board games, that is!

What do I love about board games? The tokens with their little bags! The expansions! The artwork! The way everything has its own little spot in the box!

And while I do enjoy a risky evening of world domination and the occasional pursuit of trivia, my favorite board games come from Germany. Not only are they super fun, games like Klaus Teuber’s The Settlers of Catan and Klaus-Jürgen Wrede’s Carcassonne are more inclusive than American games like Risk or Monopoly. A game of Catan will keep players playing to the end of the game, while Risk eliminates players throughout the game. There is nothing worse than hosting a board game night and being eliminated first: You become the beer gopher for the rest of the game, and if there’s no hockey game on you have to make nachos, too.

Me losing at Catan

The best thing about board games, whichever ones happen to be your favorites, is the value they offer: For the cost of a cheap night out ($35-$50) you can buy a board game and keep yourself entertained for the rest of your life. The cost of even a dozen games is still cheaper than a month’s worth of weekend bar-hopping. And once that month is up you can spend the money you’ve saved on two-fours and munchies to feed your friends on game night.

Entertain yourself with board games and become a TOTAL NERD CHEAPSKATE!

For a good time, check out the games published by Rio Grande Games and Days of Wonder.