The Top 5 Benefits Of Staying In Friday Night

When 5 O’clock on Friday evening rolls around (if not sooner), you have a couple of choices. You could send a message in the group text and see what everyone has planned for the night if the text chain isn’t already going off with alerts, or you could pass on any plans and head straight home to hibernate for the evening. While spending time with friends definitely has its benefits, staying in on a Friday night may give you the rejuvenation you need after a long workweek.

With reasons ranging from financial to fitness, hunkering down at home over the weekend has multiple benefits. Time to break out your comfy clothes and find out the top 5 benefits to staying in this Friday night.

1. Saving Your Hard-earned Cash

It shouldn’t come as a shock to hear that going out costs money. Between Uber fares, movie tickets, or a few drinks at happy hour that inevitably leads to “where do you wanna go next?” questions, followed by the late-night pizza run, having a night out on the town can break the bank. What to do instead? No matter if you are living solo, with a roommate, or with a family, cooking at home is a great way to spend an evening. Whether it’s whipping up an old favorite you know by heart or cracking open a cookbook to try your hand at a new cuisine, spending time in the kitchen will save you money, no matter the dish.

Photo by Kristina Tripkovic on Unsplash

If you choose to imbibe in alcohol on the weekends, just know that bars and restaurants mark up their booze by up to 40% (sometimes much more!). Do your wallet a favor and drink the wine or mix a cocktail at home. Another fun way to spend the evening? Crafting fancy drinks and perfecting your bartending skills. You may turn out to be quite the mixologist! You’ll save tons of money over the years and start to impress any guests you have over, too. However, if you want to maximize your sleep tonight, have your one drink earlier in the evening so it doesn’t mess with your beauty sleep too much.

2. Better Snoozing And Snoring (Not Too Loud)

This benefit is almost a no-brainer! If you’re at home earlier in the evening, chances are you will go to bed earlier, too. While it’s definitely possible to get sucked into a Netflix binge that almost makes you forget what day it is (let alone what time), having a relaxing night with your comfy pajamas on by 8 P.M. will make it more likely to hit the hay at a reasonable hour. Want to increase the likelihood that you’ll get sleepy early? Cozy up on the couch with the Cotton Napper and let all the good feelings of serotonin wash over you. A full night of deep and restorative sleep awaits!

One small caveat: you may not want to alter your workweek sleep schedule too much. Our circadian rhythms, or our body’s internal clocks, like to have a similar wake and sleep cycle each day and night. That means going to bed and waking up within an hour or so of what you do during the week. This will ensure you don’t have symptoms similar to jet lag come Monday morning when that alarm inevitably goes off.

3. More Energy For All The Weekend Activities

You know when you have a full day of Saturday plans, but feel too tired to enjoy any of them? Maybe you want to spend the morning perusing your local farmer’s market, or you have a lineup of your kids’ soccer games to attend. Perhaps you just want to spend the day outdoors enjoying time with friends and family. So, let’s make sure you have enough energy to do all the weekending you want! The best way to ensure this is by getting enough sleep on Friday night (go back and read #2 if you skipped that one). The more time you spend in relaxation mode on Friday, the more energy you’ll have to be your best self on Saturday. No one wants to hang out with the cranky and sleep-deprived! Bonus points if you limit your screen time before bed in favor of books or a bubble bath.

4. Able To Be A Healthier Human

After staying out past midnight and perhaps nursing away a headache in the morning, how likely are you to go out and exercise on Saturday morning? (We’re thinking not likely.) Staying in on Friday night means that you could hit that 9 A.M. yoga class, jog in the park, or go for a long bike ride. In addition to improving your physical fitness, hanging out at home instead of going out will likely lead to healthier food choices as well. No matter what you order at a restaurant, a home-cooked meal will generally have fewer ingredients and fewer of the things we don’t want to have all the time (looking at you, excessive oil and salt). The way you start your weekend tends to be the way you’ll spend most of it. Meaning, if you start Friday off with wings and beer, chances are you won’t be craving a green juice come Saturday morning. The cravings can continue in an unhealthy cycle unless you kick it off on a healthy note. A home-cooked meal and herbal tea before bed will get you in the right headspace for an active and lively weekend.

5. More Time For Hobbies Or Side Hustles

At some point or another, we’ve probably all said the phrase “I wish I had time for that!”. Whether you are referring to reading more books, learning how to knit, or making some extra money building that side hustle, staying in on the weekends will magically give you back some of that free time you couldn’t find before! While sometimes catching up on your favorite TV show or movie is a nice distraction, we’d recommend to not spend the entire night with your eyes glued to your flatscreen. Spending some time on that hobby or skill you’ve always wanted to master will help you to be more well-rounded, relieve stress, offer new challenges, and give your mind a break from your typical day-to-day. And hey, maybe your little knitting hobby will turn into your side hustle, too!

Photo by David Lezcano on Unsplash

Are you convinced yet?? If so, we’ll see you next week feelin’ refreshed and lookin’ fresh. Happy hibernating!