When I first moved back to Australia after years living in Spain, I brought home an unexpected skill: how to hang out with friends without spending money.

Cash was tight while abroad, and most of my circle couldn't afford regular fancy dinners or big nights out, so we learnt to get creative — and often had more fun.

Here's how I've kept those low-cost, high-fun habits alive for years, even after returning home to a city where socialising often seems to mean shelling out.

Learning the art of frugal fun in Spain

I didn't deliberately set out to live frugally when I moved to Spain in 2013. But, having just launched my own business, work was patchy and I wanted to conserve my savings nest egg.

Plus, Spain was in the grip of a long-running property crash and recession. A quarter of the country was unemployed, and many were under-employed — including most of my friends.

So, we got inventive. We'd meet at the beach with a cheap bottle of wine and our ukuleles and play together until sundown. Or carpool to a nearby mountain range and hike for the day with backpacks full of sandwiches.

Picnic in the back of a ute? Why not. (Supplied:Koren Helbig)

To celebrate my 30th birthday, I threw a simple party at home with dozens of origami paper swans hanging from the ceiling — decorations we'd spent a fun afternoon hand-folding together.

Spain also has a brilliant culture of "third spaces" — areas beyond work and home, such as town squares, public plazas and street benches, where people of all ages gather to socialise late into the evening.

Because none of us had much disposable income, few ever proposed expensive plans. Our focus was usually on spending time together, rather than money.

Bringing it home to Australia

When I moved back home to Tarntanya (Adelaide) in late 2017, the cost of living came as a shock after Spain's comparatively cheap food and rent prices.

Catching up with old friends, the default almost always involved forking out — coffee dates, dinners out, drinks at a bar. All fun things to do, but a strain on my meagre budget.

So, I started suggesting alternatives, such as:

• Walks instead of brunch
• Pot-luck dinners at home instead of restaurants
• Visits to free exhibitions, music and art installations
• Trips out of the city to forage edible weeds
• Rummage sessions at op shops and thrift stores

Sometimes I'd explain that I was trying to save a bit, but mostly I'd frame it as wanting to do more creative things and see more of our city. If I ever ran out of ideas, I'd turn back to my well-thumbed copy of The Art of Frugal Hedonism.

Koren Helbig enjoys helping her friends make wicking beds in their backyard. (Supplied: Koren Helbig)

Pretty much everyone was immediately on board. Many friends were quietly feeling the same pinch and were happy to save a buck or two.

Free book clubs and music nights

Eight years on — and now with a solo mortgage to my name — prioritising thrifty fun has become even more crucial to balancing the budget while actively nurturing a solid friendship circle.

The key, I've found, is building a regular rhythm around shared interests. It reduces the mental load of planning new things and the tedium of finding space in someone's already-packed schedule.

For example, I take a weekly dawn beach walk with my best friend. It's locked into our calendars on repeat, and unless someone is dramatically ill, we walk — rain, hail or shine.

Koren Helbig counts book club as one of her cost-free connections with friends. (Supplied)

Three other friends and I gather on the last Wednesday of each month for music nights, sharing dinner and tinkering with simple song covers and harmonies. 'Permablitz' gardening working bees have also brought mates together.

And, every two months, my book club meets. We borrow library book club sets for free instead of buying our own copies and take turns hosting with plenty of snacks. That set-up has kept eight of us connected for almost five years.

My friend Nat takes this idea even further, organising regular "permaculture skill-share weekends" with like-minded Tasmanian folk who gather for free peer-to-peer learning on anything from verge gardening and bicycle maintenance to yoga, mending and wood carving.

The upshot of all this — beyond coin saved — is reduced consumerism and therefore a lower environmental impact.

Finding balance between saving and splurging

Of course, I still splash out now and then on tickets to the theatre or a gig, the occasional dinner out or a weekend getaway.

All this feels more manageable because, by consuming less as my default, I have more dosh for the things I truly value.

Spending less also helps me afford a four-day work week — giving me more time for hanging out with friends and family.

Making time is part of the challenge, but in today's cash-strapped economy, finding the money is too. 

Turns out I can ease the pinch of both by prioritising frugally fun ways to cut back without cutting out connection.

Koren Helbig is a freelance journalist and sustainable city living educator who practices permaculture and grows organic food in the backyard of her small urban Tarntanya/Adelaide home.