13 Ways to Feed Your Friends Well... Without Taking a Bite Out of Your Holiday Budget
Written by e-Mom. Follow me on Twitter. Subscribe in a Reader
Written by e-Mom. Follow me on Twitter. Subscribe in a Reader
1. Serve bubbly cocktails by mixing bargain champagne with fruit juice. You can make “poinsettias” with cranberry juice or “pomegranate fizz” with pomegranate juice.
2. Serve sliced baguettes with affordable domestic cheeses instead of imported cheeses and fancy crackers.
3. Another easy appetizer: Order pizzas half an hour before your guests arrive, and cut them into bite-sized pieces.
4. Go retro when it comes to hors d'oeuvres: Serve the things your mother used to put out like sour-cream-and-onion-soup dip, and cream cheese and chutney on crackers.
5. Host an international cocktail party instead of a full-blown dinner. Ask each of your guests to bring a plate of appetizers from their family’s country of origin.
6. Or, host a brunch and serve egg dishes. Much more affordable than steak, you can feed frittata or an egg souffle or casserole to a crowd for just a few dollars.
7. Have a girls only lunch party. Invite three close friends over for cheese fondue. Toss a simple salad, and serve lemon ice-water to go with.
8. Host a Spanish-themed dinner party. Make the paella yourself and ask each guest to bring one ingredient to make Sangria. (Alcohol-free recipe.)
9. Pasta, rice, and soup are examples of “bulk” dishes that serve as a base for a relatively small amount of pricier meat or veggies.
10. Keep your sweets simple by scattering sliced orange segments and chopped dark chocolate bars on a special platter.
11. Host a banana split bar at your dessert party. Provide ice cream, hot fudge, maraschino cherries, and lots of homemade whipped cream. Ask guests to bring their favorite chopped nuts and sprinkles.
12. Ignore all the holiday-themed merrymaking. Find a friend with a December birthday and offer up something simple and familiar—cake and ice cream!
13. Limit your guest list. It seems obvious but the fastest, easiest way to pare down your budget is to invite fewer people.
2. Serve sliced baguettes with affordable domestic cheeses instead of imported cheeses and fancy crackers.
3. Another easy appetizer: Order pizzas half an hour before your guests arrive, and cut them into bite-sized pieces.
4. Go retro when it comes to hors d'oeuvres: Serve the things your mother used to put out like sour-cream-and-onion-soup dip, and cream cheese and chutney on crackers.
5. Host an international cocktail party instead of a full-blown dinner. Ask each of your guests to bring a plate of appetizers from their family’s country of origin.
6. Or, host a brunch and serve egg dishes. Much more affordable than steak, you can feed frittata or an egg souffle or casserole to a crowd for just a few dollars.
7. Have a girls only lunch party. Invite three close friends over for cheese fondue. Toss a simple salad, and serve lemon ice-water to go with.
8. Host a Spanish-themed dinner party. Make the paella yourself and ask each guest to bring one ingredient to make Sangria. (Alcohol-free recipe.)9. Pasta, rice, and soup are examples of “bulk” dishes that serve as a base for a relatively small amount of pricier meat or veggies.
10. Keep your sweets simple by scattering sliced orange segments and chopped dark chocolate bars on a special platter.
11. Host a banana split bar at your dessert party. Provide ice cream, hot fudge, maraschino cherries, and lots of homemade whipped cream. Ask guests to bring their favorite chopped nuts and sprinkles.
12. Ignore all the holiday-themed merrymaking. Find a friend with a December birthday and offer up something simple and familiar—cake and ice cream!
13. Limit your guest list. It seems obvious but the fastest, easiest way to pare down your budget is to invite fewer people.
Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by this some have entertained angels without knowing it.
(Hebrews 13:2 NASB)
For more list posts, join the Thursday Thirteen bloggers here. Also, I guarantee you'll improve your homemaking skills when you visit the clever Mommy bloggers linked at the Works-For-Me-Wednesday weekly carnival.
Related Sites
• Rachel Anne's inspiring blog, Home Sanctuary
• Liz's delicious blog, Hoosier Homemade
• e-Mom's site, Susannah's Aprons
Photos: ra64 & pshab (Flickr) Mommy LifeBonus Below: Impress your guests! Here's a frugal way to light up the exterior of your house... ("Ditto")
What’s missing? Can you add to this list?
9 Comments:
Last week we had friends over for a Mexican dinner. We put our electric griddle in the dining room and made a make-your-own quesadila bar. We put out tortillas and all the toppings and served it with Spanish rice. So easy and not too expensive either.
Great tips. It's amazing how quickly costs add up when entertaining.
love the ditto! that's hilarious!
thanks for the great tips!
I loved the tid-bits on holiday hosting! Thank you! I love having people in my home it is fun to serve for guests. I also got a HUGE hoot out of the "ditto" Christmas lights. I would like decorate like that myself, but since we live in the country, I'd need one heck of a string of lights for my arrow! Ha! Thank you again for your post!
Oh I love this list! My husband and I like to keep things simple. I have a Dec birthday as does 2 nephews, my youngest, a sister and a best friend. SO......when we entertain, we tend to do it Open House style and only invite close friends and I also order veggie platters and fruit platters from our local grocery store where the prices are much cheaper than buying all the veggies/fruit and then spending the time cutting and arranging. for $20 I get a lovely veggie platter including dip!!
April: Your Mexican dinner sounds fabulous! :~D
Jillconyers: So nice to meet you. :~D
Amydeanne: Glad you got a good chuckle from this. :~D
Jaime: So you live in the country? Where?
Faith: Happy (early) birthday. Do you serve a birthday cake along with your affordable veggie platters? :~D
I have always loved that old-time onion dip ;) And what a super dessert idea, to put out a platter of orange segments and dark chocolate pieces -- that way people who want to be healthy, can, and those of us who don't . . . well, we could just scarf down the chocolate. Thanks for sharing the good ideas.
When my boys have their sleep overs, I need to come up w/ cheap & easy ideas to feed hungry teens in the morning. Eggs! I've made some amazing egg dishes for them. I also make a cheap sticky bun for the sweet teeth in the group.
Thanks for the many new ideas!
thanks for the great tips!
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