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What to do when your friends’ plans no longer fit your budget

When incomes in a friend group grow apart, social plans can become a source of financial stress. Here’s how to stay connected without piling on debt.

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Q: My husband and I have been together for five years and our daughter is now 18 months old. I went back to work part-time, which made sense for our family, but it also means our household income is lower than before the baby, and our expenses now include a hefty amount for daycare. My friend group has been close since high school, and I love them like family. The problem is that our social plans have gotten more expensive over the years with events, cottage weekends, and birthday celebrations at restaurants where the bill always seems to land somewhere between $80 and $100 a head. When it was just me working full-time with no kids, I never thought twice. Now I’m quietly dreading the group chat. I’ve been putting some of it on our credit card just to avoid having to explain myself, but I know that’s not a solution. I don’t want to drift from my friends, but I also can’t keep spending money we don’t have. How do I handle this? — Leah

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