There is nothing more keenly felt when you're on a tight budget than the effect it has on your social life. For a while you might go out anyway and worry about the consequences later. But there does come a point when you find yourself having to say no to anything that might incur any sort of expenditure. And even if it's just popping round to a mate's with a bottle of wine for a chat and tv night the thought of buying that bottle of plonk might be enough to stress out both you and your bank balance.
Friends might think you are being tight. Truly, you are trying to survive. Be mindful that they may not understand the situation in the first place. If you haven't told them, how would they know?
There are ways of coping with being social on a tight budget. This link definitely has some useful advice from my experience on both cheap ways to see your friends and how to explain to them that the cash just isn't there to spend.
You have to be able to bite the bullet and tell people that costly evenings are out of the question without them thinking it's just because you don't want to see them. It may hurt your pride to tell people you're failing in the finances department but apparently they'll understand. Those that don't, don't matter.
I guess a lot of it depends on your social circle. I have friends at both ends of the financial scale. I have those whose idea of a cheap night out is cocktails and a 3 course dinner and those who'd be just as happy to pop over for a cuppa and a natter and nothing more.
Blindly spending cash because you think you have to, isn't going to solve anything but the rewards when you realise you're living within your budget or paying off your debts can be far more rewarding than that night out that leaves you worrying where all the money went.
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