The Best Ideas for a Girls' Night In

Moms enjoying a girls' night in

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If the last time you had a girls' night was at a college slumber party, you're long overdue for a night with your friends. While ladies' night out is always an option, it can be expensive and tricky to navigate logistics—especially if you have kids. Instead, consider a girls' night in to let off some steam and get a much-needed recharge.

Ideas for Your Next Girls' Night In

Here are 10 fun ideas to help you plan your next at-home night with your best girlfriends.

Spa Night

If the bags under your eyes serve as a cruel reminder of how little time you have to indulge in yourself, consider a spa night with the girls. Have the ladies come to your house for some much-needed mom pampering. Dress in pajamas or bathrobes and give each other facials, manicures, and pedicures.

Chick Flick Marathon

If your partner heads for the hills when you tune your TV to the latest tear-jerker, consider enlisting your friends as viewing buddies. Break out the tissues for your girlfriends and dim the lights. Spend the evening watching movies with people who appreciate the power of a love story and a good cry.

Retro Night

Dig into the closet for your Walkman, headband, and neon leg warmers. The 80s are a "totally awesome" theme night to have with your girlfriends. Or maybe the 90s are more your scene. Center your night around the hair, clothes, movies, and music of your favorite decade. If you choose a decade of your childhood or adolescence, ask your friends to bring their favorite photos and spend time laughing and reminiscing.

Book Club

If you and your girlfriends are bookworms, choose a book and enjoy a book club meeting with the ladies. Have girlfriends that didn't read the book? That's OK. Invite them over for free food so they can get out of the house, too.

Swap Stuff

Many moms swap kids' clothes, toys, and other goods to save money. But you can also swap fun mom stuff. Plan an entire night around swapping items you already own. Get new-to-you gifts such as clothes, books, shoes, exercise gear, cooking tools, or home furnishings, and find a new home for the stuff you're not using.

Game Night

Ditch Chutes and Ladders, Candyland, and other kids' games for one evening. Host a game night with girlfriend favorites such as Bunco, Uno, or What's a Dame to Do. Add some competition to the evening with a tournament that gives the top three players inexpensive prizes.

Fondue Fun

There's a reason fondue has been popular since 8-tracks were cool. Countless friendships have been formed over the melting pot. If you don't have one already, invest in an inexpensive fondue pot and scour the internet for a fun recipe or two. Choose cheese, chocolate, or both for a fun night in with fun, tasty food.

Cook Together

You're the star of Mom's Cooking Network and your friends are today's guests. Pick your favorite meal and ask your friends to help you prepare it. Then, you all get to eat when it's ready. You get extra hands in the kitchen and your girlfriends get to learn a new recipe.

Craft Night

Your friends have hidden talents. Some might know how to knit. Some may be masters at scrapbooking. Find one craft and identify the expert in your group who can teach it to the rest of you during an evening of creativity and chat. Alternate craft nights so teachers get to become students at the next get-together.

Tasting Party

Ask everyone to bring mini portions of their favorite dish and host a tasting party. Would you rather kick the fun up a notch? Host a wine tasting party. Pick your party theme, ask everyone to bring their favorite bottle of wine and pop the cork for an evening of fun. You can even make it a slumber party to make sure you don't have to worry about your gal pals driving home.

Hire a Pro

Tell the girls to put on their sweats and come over for a night learning from a professional. Everyone chips in to hire an instructor who will teach the group a certain skill. Need ideas? Consider a light-hearted lesson on belly dancing or a more serious lesson on self-defense.

Plan Your Next Girls' Night In

You'll quickly become addicted to ladies' night in so before the end of your night in, start planning your next get-together.

Have everyone bring their girls' night in ideas to a group discussion or get adventurous and have your friends write their suggestions on a piece of paper so you can randomly draw one out. Have fun!

By Apryl Duncan
Apryl Duncan is a stay-at-home mom and internationally-published writer with years of experience providing advice to others like her.