Having your own home gives you ample opportunities to entertain. While hosting a party in your home might seem stressful, having people over can actually be a simple and affordable way to spend time with family and friends. To learn more about how to entertain within reason, read on for five fundamental tips for throwing a budget-friendly get-together.
1. Host a Potluck
If you're planning to have a meal with friends, consider hosting a potluck where guests bring a dish or drink instead of you having to prepare food for everyone. By making just one or two dishes yourself and having guests bring other items along with their preferred beverages, you can save on the cost of food and cooking supplies. A potluck will not only help save you money, but you'll also be serving guests a well-rounded, diverse meal that everyone contributed to. Choose a dinner theme and coordinate it in advance with your guests. For entertainment, choose games or activities that keep with the theme.
2. Use Household Items as Decor
Rather than spending extra money on party decorations, use items you already have in your home to decorate table settings. You can use candles, seashells you've collected at the beach, fruit or gourds, and leaves – simply toss them into large glass vases and you’re set! You can even hollow out fruits and vegetables to use as candle holders, serving dishes, or ice buckets. This is also an easy way to create simple party favors or incorporate the season in decor for a holiday dinner.
3. Use Your Own Flatware and Dishes
Don't spend extra money on silverware or disposable dishes for a party at your home. While they might seem more convenient for cleanup, disposable dishes and silverware are simply an added and unnecessary expense. Even better, if you entertain often, buying a cheap set of silverware to be used at parties will make up for the cost of buying disposable cutlery.
4. Plan a Family-Style Meal
Instead of greeting guests with a plate full of the finest cheeses, dried fruit, and nuts - opt for a family-style meal to welcome guests to your home. Some fantastic family-style meals that you can prepare for your guests include pasta, braised meat, tamales, hearty soups, and fresh seasonal salads. By making items in bulk, you won't have to worry about a multitude of small dishes to prepare in advance and you definitely won't worry about running out of food. Even better, if you encourage guests to participate in a family-style potluck as pointed out in tip one, you'll be able to save even more money by having guests contribute to the fun -- and the menu.
5. Make Ice in Advance
If you're planning to entertain during the summer or are serving refreshing beverages, you'll also want to have ice on hand to make sure they're cold. When entertaining, many people choose to buy bags of ice in bulk to fill ice buckets and cups. However, you can save a bundle on every party by making your own ice. Use your refrigerator's ice maker to make ice in advance, and fill a separate ice bucket over a couple of days to ensure that you have enough for all of your guests. Alternatively, if you don't have an ice maker in your freezer, use ice trays and start several days in advance.