Hey Rebecca. What worked for me was choosing two recurring, free spots and becoming a regular. The library is a goldmine in small towns: board game night, language exchange, author talks, and volunteer shelving put you in the same room with the same people each week. Parks and rec often has pickup sports or low-fee classes.
in my town the Sunday 9 a.m. soccer on the high school field is open and friendly. If choices are thin, start a tiny weekly walking group that leaves from the library at 6:30 p.m., print a one-page flyer, pin it to the library board, and post the same invite in the town Facebook group. Repetition does the heavy lifting because you skip reintroductions and move straight to real conversation. To move from chat to friend, follow up fast and be specific. I text something like, "Good to meet you at game night. Want to walk the river path Thursday at 6? I'll start by the gazebo and do 40 minutes." Low-cost invites that work: a co-working hour at the library quiet room after work, a grocery run together with coffee from a thermos on a bench after, or cooking a simple chili at your place with them bringing bread. After the second hang, set the third on the spot and make it recurring, for example, "Wednesdays work for me. Same time next week?" Expect some flakes and keep a short bench by inviting two people to the same walk when you can. Three shared meetings in three weeks is my rule of thumb for momentum, and once you hit that, the invites start flowing both ways.
Co-signing the regulars idea and I’d add a fixed-shift volunteer gig - food pantry, community garden, or community theater tech - because doing tasks with the same crew each week turns small talk into real conversation fast. For momentum, stack a tiny add-on right after the event (a 20-minute walk or a quick grocery lap) and give it a name so it feels like a thing. When you swap numbers, reference something you talked about and send a simple calendar hold; it cuts flaking without making it feel formal.
