Kind of thing · 4 ideas
Classes & workshops
A one-off class gives an evening a beginning, a middle and something to take home. Pottery, cooking, a library lecture, a language meetup. You don't need to be good. Being bad at something new with other adults is the appeal.
- Typical price
- Library talks free. Meetups free. Pottery $45–75 per session. Cooking classes $60–100.
- How long
- Ninety minutes to three hours.
How to do it cheaper
- Public libraries run free lectures, workshops and craft nights every week.
- Community colleges have cheap one-night continuing-education classes.
- Meetup groups are free; the organizer usually picks a cheap bar or a park.
- Studios discount the first class or a taster session.
- Go with one friend and split the materials fee where that's allowed.
Works for
The ideas
$45–75
2 h
Classes & workshops
A one-off pottery class
Two hours, a wheel, a lump of clay, and something lopsided you'll keep forever.
- Best when
- Weeknight evenings or Saturday mornings; book a week ahead
- Cheaper
- Taster sessions are cheaper than a full course. Hand-building classes cost less than the wheel.
- Skip it if
- You want to be good the first time. Nobody is.
- Bring
- Clothes you don't mind. Short nails help.
$60–100
3 h
Classes & workshops
A cooking class
Three hours, a shared stove, a menu you'd never attempt at home, and dinner at the end of it.
- Best when
- Friday or Saturday evenings; weeknights are cheaper
- Cheaper
- Community centers and grocery stores run classes at a third of the price of culinary studios.
- Skip it if
- You wanted a quiet dinner. You'll be chopping onions with strangers.
- Bring
- An appetite and a container for leftovers.
Free
1–1.5 h
Classes & workshops
A free library talk
A local historian, an author, a beekeeper. An hour in a quiet room learning something you'll bring up at dinner.
- Best when
- Weeknight evenings, 6 or 7 pm
- Cheaper
- Free. Everything the library does is free. That's the point of it.
- Skip it if
- You need it to be exciting. It's interesting, which is different.
- Bring
- A library card, so you can walk out with the author's book.
Free
2 h
Classes & workshops
A meetup for something you already like
A language table, a board game night, a photography walk. Strangers with one thing in common and no small talk needed.
- Best when
- Weeknights; most groups meet weekly or monthly
- Cheaper
- Free to attend. Buy one drink at the host bar; it keeps the group welcome there.
- Skip it if
- You'll bail at the door. Message the organizer first; they'll look for you.
- Bring
- One question to ask the first person you talk to.