Are you thinking of inviting people over for a small gathering, but you don’t want to spend a fortune? If this is the case, then check out my top tips for easy and inexpensive entertaining:
See what food is in your pantry and freezer and try to use that first – A lot of people think that they immediately need to run to the grocery store when they invite people over. While you can do this, you more than likely have plenty of items that you could just grab from your own pantry. If you do find some good stuff, plan your menu around those items and steer clear of anything new. This will prevent an extra trip to the grocery store, AND it will save you money on rebuying food that you already have.
Keep an area of your home dedicated to holding all of your party supplies – It could be a drawer, shelf or a complete closet if you have enough items. This one is major because all of your supplies will all be in one place. It will be very easy to see what you have, as well as help you identify any gaps that you may need to fill. Make sure to group like items together, so looking at everything is even easier. You will probably be pleasantly surprised at all of the supplies you find, especially because those are all items that you don’t need to buy – hooray! I would be willing to bet that you probably don’t need nearly as much as you think to host a nice party. 🙂
Try to reuse what you can from prior parties – Now that you have all of your stuff in one place, do your best to use those supplies that you have leftover from past events. Once you get into the habit of entertaining regularly, this will become second nature. What do you have left over from past parties? It could be anything from paper plates, napkins, drinks (canned or bottled), decorations, or anything in between. If you plan your party around those items, you won’t have to rebuy them AND you get to clean out space in your home (which is a total bonus, in my opinion).
Ask for serving pieces as gifts, so you don’t have to purchase them – If you don’t have a large collection of serving pieces or dishes, then start putting them on your birthday and Christmas wish lists. People oftentimes ask me how I have so much Juliska, and the main reason is because most pieces have been gifted to me over the years. The majority of my dishes were given to me from various friends and family as either a wedding, birthday or Christmas present. If you keep adding to your collection over the years, you can really start acquiring a lot of pretty items!
Buy non-holiday themed supplies so you can reuse them for multiple events – Don’t forget that red works for Christmas, Valentine’s Day and the Fourth of July! Purple and orange can work for both Halloween and Mardi Gras. Be creative, and try to use dishes in non-traditional ways. Try to buy holiday items that are a solid color, rather than those that are super specific (like a dish with a Christmas tree). This true for serving pieces, napkins, table accessories, etc. An extra bonus is that you also have less to store in your closets and cabinets! Most of my serving dishes are white, so I can use them for a variety of occassions.
BONUS – Don’t forget to keep a journal of the events you host! Most people spend way more money than is necessary because they don’t understand the amount per person they need! Dedicate a small notebook to write in after each event you host. Include the number of people who attended, what you served and the amounts. Try to capture everything that went well and even those things that did not. What food items were super popular that you could make more of next time? Was there something that nobody ate? This is good to know too so you don’t waste your time and money making it again at your next event. Try your best to roughly calculate how many drinks were served per person and about how much food went unused. This will help you get a better idea of how much to plan for the next time you entertain.
What ideas and tips do you have? Please feel free to leave a comment below, because I love hearing from you all. Thanks, and happy entertaining!
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