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'Nights In' and your HouseHold Budget

Nights in refer to parties or get-togethers inside your home.

Nights In in detail

Nights in expenses typically refer to money spent on takeaway food and alcohol. As per a 2012 survey, 86 percent of British people preferred nights in on Saturday nights as compared to going out. Reason: they did not want to miss out on TV shows telecast on Saturday night.

Hosting four guests can cost between £50-150 for alcohol, takeaway food, snacks and soft drinks. As per the survey, nearly 50% of hosts prefer ordering takeaway food for their guests instead of cooking.

Example 1:

Suppose you live in Chichester, and you are hosting four people for a night in. You decide to order Chinese food from a restaurant named Confucius. A single soup may cost £2.30 to £3.30. Starters may cost as little as £2.90 for vegetable spring rolls to £28.50 for a whole Barbecued Peking Duck. Main course items of chicken, beef, duck, lamb, pork, prawns, scallop or fish will cost £5.95 to £8. Alternatively you can order from its set menu. A Finest Set Menu for four costs £60.00, Signature Set Menu for four costs £72.00, and Chef's Selection Set Combination costs £92.00. If you purchase alcohol from the market, a bottle of wine, Allegrini La Grola IGT 2009, can cost £18.07. Alternatively, a bottle of Berkeley Square Gin will cost £32.99.

Not all nights in have to be that expensive. You may choose to have a relatively economical night in.

Example 2:

Taking the same Chichester example, suppose you want to order pizza from a restaurant named Pizza Box. Pizzas are available between £10.95 for a single pizza to £28.95 for a combination of two large pizzas, two medium pizzas, 1 nuggets, 2 chips, and 2 bottles of coke. A box of Carlsberg Lager (20 cans of 440 ml) from Tesco will cost £15.00.

Girls Nights In

Nights in are a popular option among women. As per a survey of 2,000 women, 70% chose a night in over a night out. Some women may also end up spending on new apparel for a girls nights in. The survey indicated that more than 55% ladies purchase a new outfit for a girls night in, with some spending up to £100.

Nights In as part of the household budget

As you can see, nights in can sometimes turn out to be expensive. Sometimes guests or hosts can accidentally damage any household items, which can lead to additional expenses. You need to monitor the nights in expenses closely so that your overall household finances are in check.

You can check how nights in are impacting your household budget by using our household budget calculator.