Maintaining a social life can feel impossible when you live in a city as stressful as Lagos. Finding a balance between work and fun is basically an extreme sport, especially if you are on a tight budget.

To help you navigate this, we thought long and hard to create this list of 6 suggestions. If you no longer want to be a hermit in Lagos, only leaving your house to go to work, then this post is for you.

1) Crash with a friend who lives close to your office:

There’s a feeling of peace that comes with living close to your office — even if you have to squat with a friend. This way, you don’t spend most of your life in traffic, giving you more than enough time to catch up with friends.

2) Attend free events:

There are numerous ticket-free events in Lagos that give you a chance to mingle in a nice atmosphere. Some of these events include; Eyo festival, Fanti festival, Lagos Trade Fair, Adire festival, GTBank Food and Drinks and more.

3) Splurge on Sundays:

The best time to have a traffic-free and budget-friendly outing in Lagos is on a Sunday. Most people stay indoors and everything is slow-paced and serene, which gives you a chance to fully enjoy hanging with your squad.

4) Go to parks with friends:

Freedom Park and Jakande J Tinubu Park are some of the places to have fun with friends and family. To have a great time, just grab a book, some board games, cheap snacks, mats, sunscreen and some cash.

5) Avoid public holiday outings:

They are simply the worst. The malls, cinemas, parks, beaches and everything in between are often packed with people — mostly wailing children — and everything is so much more expensive.

6) Be deliberate about parties you attend:

It’s not every owambe you should attend, considering how expensive they can be. Having to buy an asoebi, sew new clothes, get gifts and all that jazz should guide you towards choosing the most budget-friendly parties.