Post-lockdown socialising without breaking the bank

If the thought of checking your bank balance is making you feel a little bit queasy right now then you're not alone.

Planning loads of nights out felt like a good idea when we were in lockdown, but it seems like we've forgotten they're actually really expensive.

"I just can't believe how much I'm spending, I spent like £100 sat outside one bar," Maddie Ainsworth tells Radio 1 Newsbeat.

"I thought that would be outrageous if I was doing that two or three times a week."
The 23-year-old goes out in her hometown of Preston or sometimes Manchester. slotpg

"Everyone's got that motivational speech at the ready, saying 'you never know when you'll get your life taken away from you again', how can you say no to that?"

She says because of lockdown, all her friends are now a lot keener to go out and spend their money.

"I think normally you'd have pre-drinks at your house and you'd save money doing that," she says.

"But now you're paying for your night out start to finish, aren't you? I used to be a bit tight anyway and take a hip flask out with me because the mark up on drinks is insane."

She says she can't wait to socialise indoors this weekend for the first time to celebrate finishing some exams at work.