Pro tip: my $14 thrift store chess set and a Tuesday potluck turned into the best cheap hangout I've had all year

Abby Black · 2026-09-30T00:05:05.533803+00:00

Honestly I almost didn't go to this potluck last Tuesday because I figured it would just be people standing around talking about their jobs, and I had exactly $14 left in my fun budget for the month. My neighbor Dana said bring something to share and a game, so I grabbed a chess set I got at the Goodwill on Lorain Ave for $6 and a pack of cards for $3. There were 9 of us in her backyard in Cleveland, and the whole thing cost me $14 total, including the $5 I threw in for pizza. What made it stand out was that nobody had their phone out because Dana put a dumb little basket by the door and we all dumped them in. We ended up playing chess and euchre on a folding table with a wobbly leg under a string of solar lights for almost 4 hours. Ngl I laughed harder than I have at any $60 dinner in the past year. My advice is keep a cheap game in your trunk, because the best nights are the ones you didn't plan and didn't pay for. Has anyone else had a random potluck turn into a regular thing, or does your crew flake after the first one?

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Pro tip: my $14 thrift store chess set and a Tuesday potluck turned into the best cheap hangout I've had all year | Cheap Thrills Hacks - Talk Freely