Dogs and Socializing on a Budget

From LoveToKnow Dogs

I have to give credit for this week’s tips to a new friend of mine. We were talking about how to have fun going out with our friends on a budget, with our dogs and yes even our husbands and children. Unlike the good old days where many of my friends had live in nannies or had standing babysitters or had their dogs in weekly doggie day care, budgets have been cut and times have most definitely have changed! What to do?

Dogs are a great excuse to meet someone new.

Brainstorm on Party Ideas

Ideas just began to flow and as they did I had to go and get a pad as these were just too good not to share with my readers. I honestly have to say, as I am newly single, I feel some of these are going to make meeting new friends safer and easier for myself, who believe it or not is very shy when I am not hiding behind my boys.

In the past I have spoken about looking into the idea of having a birthday party for your dog or even a baby shower for a new puppy welcoming them into the family. This is where the idea goes deeper and most definitely creates an outlet for you and your family. Here is where you need to be creative in how you set it up. It is all about what your lifestyle needs are at this moment. This is what is so great with this idea; it is ever evolving with you, family and friends.

How Dogs can Help You Socialize on a Budget

Here is the basic principle of the idea. Let’s say you need to have a "Mommy Day" but the simple fact is, a babysitter is now out of the budget. Take a look at which of your friends have friendly dogs and children who all play well together. They do not have to be the same age, they just have to all play well because the idea here is to find a nice kid and dog friendly park. If you cannot find that, see who might volunteer their back yard in exchange for everybody else bringing a treat for kids and dogs. Now create an E-Invite that states exactly what you are trying to achieve. For example it could be "Mommy's Day Off," or "It's Five O'clock Somewhere, let's get together with our dogs and kids, take a big time out and have some fun!"

The best part of this is the dogs will love the running and socialization until they drop. The kids will do the same and yes moms, you all will chat have a nice glass of wine or water or tea whatever it is you want. All of you can take turns to keep eyes out, but talk to relieve stress and come up with ideas to help each other and make a date to do this again.

Another idea is "Date Night". Yes husbands, wives, boyfriends, girlfriends and so on and you can set this up in a few ways. One Friday night I will take your dogs and child or children, if this is your case and then on Saturday night, you will take mine. Or if it works better for you, say the following week you do the swap. Try it with a few of your friends and their dogs. The whole idea here is to create a way to have fun. With spring here and summer around the corner, now we can be outside again and make use of our back yards, parks and beaches.

Try a picnic, hikes, lunches or games for kids and dogs. To do this, you want to be sure you have a long table covered with craft paper. Again, very inexpensive and everybody chips in. The children can collect the paper at the beginning of the day and after lunch when the adults want to just hang out, and the dogs are napping from all that hiking and running, the kids can create keepsakes for each family.

Putting it Together

Here is a quick list of ideas and things you will need in order to get the ball rolling and see if any of your friends are on board.

Decide who will do the E-Invites
Decide the type of party you want to have
Decide on a budget and how much each person will chip in
Will this be kids and dogs or just dogs
If there will be kids, decide on activities
Take turns watching dogs and children
Never limit yourself; try for a different location or theme each month
Try to mix up your friends and neighbors so you are meeting new people and networking at the same time
Keep it light and friendly; never pressure anyone
Have fun!