First, you need to decide how much money you can reasonably spend on this occasion. Ask yourself how many guests you would like to have over, and what kind of meal or snacks you plan to serve. Then, make a detailed list of what you’ll need to buy and of the approximate cost, and see if you can afford it all. So, you realize you’ll be busting your budget? Not to worry. You can do one of two things, either pare down your guest list or modify the type of event you’ll be hosting.
Don’t want to remove anyone from your invitee list? Then here are a few money-saving alternatives to the typical dinner party:
Brunch
Dinner is usually the most expensive meal to prepare when you’re having guests over; think snacks, starters, main course, dessert and alcohol. On the other hand, brunch fare consists of relatively inexpensive foods and rarely is alcohol served early in the day. So, by substituting brunch for dinner, you’ll be able to feed everyone at a fraction of the cost.
Potluck
Potluck dinners are interesting since they allow you to offer your guests a wide array of foods. Best of all, this type of meal won’t cost much more than a regular meal would since everyone will be bringing part of the feast. You might, however, find it helpful to take note of what people will be contributing, just to make sure you don’t have too many repeats of the same dish.
Appetizer-Only Dinner Party
Appetizer-only dinner parties are part of a growing trend, and it is easy to see why. They are festive and original and, if carefully planned, they can help you reduce the cost of preparing an evening meal. You can easily find a variety of simple, delicious and economical appetizer recipes on the net. And if you want to spend even less time and money on your appetizer-only party, you can share the expense by making it potluck-style.
Game or Movie Night
Spare yourself the trouble and cost of making a meal altogether by inviting your friends to a game night or a movie night. All you’ll need to provide are a few snack foods and drinks. Here again you can save money by having friends pitch in.
Yes, it is indeed possible to entertain friends while on a tight budget. All you need to do is be non-traditional and maybe modify the way you would normally do things. If you do this, a good time is likely to be had by all, and no one will be the wiser.