10 Budget-Friendly Party Ideas

By lynnieb93

A night out may not be in the budget, but you don’t need to compromise on taste or spend a fortune to entertain friends with a fun night in!

Ingredients

• Make it potluck. Don’t be shy to make your casual entertaining a potluck buffet once in a while! As a host, provide part of the main course offering, wine and non-alcoholic drinks, and save on food costs.

Preparation

Step 1

Pick a casual theme and let guests have fun bringing a contribution – wines from around the world, an all-appetizer party, or bring-your-own-meat-BBQ. A variation of the potluck, this is a fun way to keep costs down on pricier entertaining fare like wine or meat/seafood.

Invest once in decor. It’s not necessary to use up cash or storage space on seasonal or trendy table design. Keep it simple with flowers or greenery from your garden or plant boxes. No plants? A simple white tablecloth with several candles and tea lights are clean and modern. A set of linen napkins or charger plates that you love deserve to be used more than once a year!

Skip the meat and entertain with a vegetarian menu. Vegetarian recipes are usually cheaper and, often healthier, too. Aim to shop locally for seasonal ingredients to save more. For fresh and very inexpensive entrees that feed a crowd, try cheese and spinach stuffed portabello mushroom caps; Anna’s Quesadillas, (without the bacon if you choose!); couscous salads like Tabbouleh or veggies with feta cheese; gnocchi with swiss chard and tomato sauce; or, a leek and feta tart (using thawed phyllo pastry).

Check your freezer and pantry and use what you already have on hand. Maybe you can cut costs by building a menu around something you already have, like a frozen soup or the appetizers that you forgot to bake during the holidays.

Choose easy appetizers and forget about pricy smoked salmon. Nibblies can be as simple and inexpensive as crackers with herbed goat cheese, hummus and veggies, or salsa and chips.

Make a weekend of it and shop once to entertain different groups of family or friends. Serve the same or a similar meal on two consecutive weekend nights, or a dinner followed by a brunch. You’ll save on the cost and stress of planning two events over a period of time, avoid leftovers, and best of all, enjoy catching up with more people in your life.