A college student’s guide to a quiet night in
College is a time of chaos where you spend all day in classes, doing homework and going to work. Then you spend all night and all weekend having a social life, partying, exploring the town or even going out of town. Sometimes what you need is a quiet night in by yourself or with friends.
But what, pray tell, will you do that is affordable, fun and easy to do? Alas, do not fret. Here is your guide to a quiet night in.
Get cookin’
Themed movie night
Let’s start the list off with a classic: movie night. It’s always fun to chill with friends and watch a movie, but there are also ways to spice it up. For instance, you can play dress up and come as a character from the movie you’re watching.
Or, you can attempt to make the food and meals that relate to the show or movie. For example, if you’re watching Ratatouille, try your hand at making the dish and experience the flavors right alongside Remi.
You could always put on the Bear while cooking dinner and say “Yes, Chef” to Jeremy White. Or, you can go back to the basics and put on a cooking show to make a meal that would impress Gordon Ramsay.
Fine dining
Any good night in requires snacks, so the second inspired idea is to cook or bake. Have some friends come over and each cook part of a three-course meal.
You can make a simple appetizer, a delicious dinner and even a little something for dessert and then sit down and feast. Kick start the night with some chips and guacamole then make tacos. Or, if you’re feeling like Italian food, whip up a salad and cook some pasta. You can make the noodles from scratch or just buy a box depending on how challenging you want the night to be.
Another activity for your night in is to make and decorate cookies, cakes or cupcakes. You can bake or buy the dessert and get creative with frosting and sprinkles. To up the ante, you can make a decorating competition and see which person creates the best treat.
For inspiration on what to make, check out local blogs such as Edible San Luis Obispo, The People’s Kitchen of San Luis Obispo and even the Food Bank for recipes and resources. You can choose recipes based on ingredients you already have or you can set a budget and hit the grocery stores to buy food.
Get crafty
Jewelry
If you aren’t feeling the food options, you can turn to a craft. Making jewelry is another great way to spend a night in. Get yourself some beads, string, wires or anything else that might look good on your wrist, finger or neck and get to work. When the night’s up, you’ll have some new pieces to show off.
Painting
Keeping with the creativity, having a paint night never disappoints. No matter your skill level, it is always fun to splatter some paint on a canvas and create a masterpiece. Explore alternatives to a canvas and use an old record, a blank tote bag or anything you have lying around.
You can also aspire to be one of the greats and level up your evening to a Bob Ross paint night. Find a Bob Ross painting tutorial on YouTube and see who can mimic Bob best.
Michaels is a great place to get supplies for all art activities, and you can buy materials in bulk for $10 to $20 depending on your price range and needs. Located in downtown San Luis Obispo, Art Central is another craft store that supports local artists and has a broader range of supplies than Michaels.
Vision boards
A quiet night in is the perfect time for some reflection, so perhaps you need to make a vision board. Raid the newsstands, get some magazines and manifest your future by creating the best vision board of all time.
You can create a vision board for the next year of your life, your next vacation or even something for the upcoming quarter. If your vision board lacks vision, you can collage pictures and words that purely make sense together.
One of the best places for supplies for this task is the library — there you can pick up some old magazines for your next project. For the board, you can use pieces of cardboard or go to Michaels or the Dollar Store and pick up a poster board.
Get social
At-home karaoke night
Maybe your quiet night in isn’t meant to be so quiet and instead is meant to be filled with you and your friends’ lovely singing voices. Host a karaoke night and see who has the best pipes and who can or can’t hit the high notes.
You can even play “guess the karaoke song” where you choose a random song for someone else and they have to try and guess the song and then sing the words from memory alone. Have your friend choose a song for you and play the karaoke version with the screen facing the audience so they can see the words, but the singer can’t. Then wait and see how long it takes the singer to recognize the song and remember the lyrics.
You can elevate this night by using a microphone (or something resembling one) and give your friends a free concert.
Presentation night
Another classic go-to is presentation night. While this idea does require some time and preparation, it is an activity that can easily be done for free. Have everyone create a slide show on any topic and spend the night delivering your presentation and arguing over its content.
Topic ideas can include each person’s theme song and why, what dog breed they would be, where you should go for summer break, who would survive the Hunger Games or who’s most likely to.
Game night
What would be a good night in without playing a game or two? Whether you’re playing board games or cards, you can’t go wrong.
You can also make things more interesting by playing Jeopardy, Family Feud or even creating a Kahoot about the people in your squad. You can create your own categories and find slide templates that are easy to use. Lifewire provides many options for free templates and makes a pro/con list for each one to help you decide which modality is best for your needs.
Another option to spice up your game night is planning a murder mystery night. Bring game night to life by playing Clue in real-time. You can dress as different characters, create your own backstory and try to find the killer. If you’re feeling like a writer, try writing your own script and plan the best murder mystery ever written. Or, if you’re looking for something simpler, check out the Pro Party Planner website for a list of free instructions, invitations and themes for your game night.
