Getting out and meeting people over 60, without spending a fortune

If you'd like more company but worry about what it costs to have a social life these days, here's some cheering news. Some of the best ways to meet people over 60 are free or very nearly, and being over 60 unlocks a surprising number of discounts that make getting out cheaper than you'd think. A fuller diary needn't mean a lighter wallet.

The hardest part is usually the first step out of the front door. Once you're among people, the rest tends to look after itself. Here's where to start.

Free and low-cost ways to meet people

• Walking groups. Most areas have them, they're usually free, and walking side by side makes conversation easy for anyone who finds face-to-face chat a bit much at first.
• Volunteering. A charity shop, a community garden, a food bank or a local museum will welcome a few hours of your time, and you'll meet like-minded people while you're at it.
• Libraries and community centres. Reading groups, coffee mornings, craft clubs and talks, often free or a pound or two, and full of people who came for the same reason you did.
• Classes. Learning something, whether it's a language, watercolours or line dancing, puts you among people with a shared interest and a ready-made thing to talk about.
• Faith and community groups. Whether or not you're religious, many run social events, lunches and outings that are open and welcoming.

The discounts worth knowing about

Turning 60 comes with more perks than many people realise, and they add up to real savings on getting out and about. Exactly what's on offer varies by where you live, so it's always worth checking locally, but common ones include:

• Discounted or free travel. Many places offer reduced rail fares or free local bus travel for older residents, which makes days out far cheaper.
• Cheaper entry to museums, galleries, cinemas, theatres and National Trust or heritage sites, often with a senior or concession rate.
• Reduced gym, swimming and leisure-centre membership, which some run as sociable over-60s sessions.
• Discounts at many shops and cafés on set days, worth asking about even where they're not advertised.

If you're in the UK, official sources like GOV.UK and charities such as Age UK list what you're entitled to as you get older. It's worth ten minutes to see what applies to you.

When you'd like more than a friendly face

Getting out more is wonderful for company and confidence, and for many people it naturally leads to wanting something a little closer too. That's where meeting people online can help, because everyone there has already decided they're open to it, which saves all the guesswork. On 60 Singles you'll find people your own age nearby, and our chat and interest groups work rather like a club you can enjoy from your armchair, around walking, gardening, travel and more. It's often where an easy conversation turns into a proper friendship, and sometimes more.

If that appeals, our friendly guide to online dating over 60 shows you how simple it is to begin, and our piece on finding companionship later in life is a gentle read if you've been on your own for a while.

However you go about it, the message is the same and worth hearing: more company is well within reach, it needn't cost much, and the first step out of the door is by far the biggest one.