I sometimes find my social calendar overwhelming. Because what I may lack in familial obligations, I more than make up for in friends. Good friends. Who, while they may not share my zest for frugality to the same degree, because they are just that, good friends, and awesome people, they support me in my money saving doings.

Cultivating a network of Social Capitol is time consuming. It’s also one of the most important frugal weapons in your money savings arsenal.

That’s four of us, with a fifth taking the picture, on vacation together. A vacation where we shared a rented house, owned by the family of one of our group. A vacation where we cooked meals together, used the family’s jet skis, and even their cars to participate in a variety of local, cheap or free activities. A cheap vacation. Cheap because of who my friends are, and because I like them enough to call spending five days in a house with them, a vacation.

It’s not just vacations though, it’s day to day.

I carpool with a friend to work, multiple days a week, saving me money on gas.

On Friday, we were able to throw a few items on to a friend’s dump run, using yet another friends truck. The same truck, we borrowed to pick up Goat Poop.

On Sunday, a group of us shared lunch together, as we share a meal together almost every week, taking turns hosting and providing the bulk of the food.

Two weeks ago, I went to a free play, because I have a generous friend who works for a local theatre. There are plans in the works to see a musical, on comp tickets, again because of my friend.

I’ve friends I thrift with, who know what I am looking for, and pick up things for me during their own thrifting adventures.

When friends were leaving town for the week, they offered me a bag of groceries that they didn’t think would survive their absence. Mostly veggies, but also some cheese, miscellaneous dairy, and a single egg. Between people, dogs and chickens we made quick use of all of it.

If I happen to request coffee cans and toilet paper rolls for garden projects, in they come, regardless of how crazy they may think I am.

They make blog suggestions, they proof-read, and even (in one case) provide my much needed technical support. That technical support is also able to build a solar light system for my impending chicken coop.

Yep, I know some good people. They are my frugal life support.

I hope I reciprocate their generosity appropriately. I pass along homemade yogurt and raspberry canes, jams, and pears, but no pickles (sorry!). I buy lunches out. I check in on houses and cats while they are away. I occasionally even drive the carpool to work. I probably don’t do enough for all these wonderful people in my life.

I’m not sure what I did to deserve them, or why they put up with me, but when I complain about social obligations, about being busy, busy on the weekends, I am failing to take into a account a couple things:

1) That I actually enjoy these people’s company. They are totally the family I choose.

2) They contribute in a very real way to the success of so much I do.

How does your very own ocial network save you money?