For busy families, a dinner party is one of the most valuable social tools. It provides a way to experience some of that wonderful mixed socializing you remember from the parties of your youth without going out on the town and emptying your wallet. It’s a great way to mix up your social circles, make connections and have an evening of fun.
Of course, once you start thinking about how to pull this off, the amount of work seems daunting, and the bill quickly begins to seem daunting, too. How can you possibly host a meal without breaking the bank? And if you’re not busting your budget, how can you keep the dinner interesting and compelling?
Here are four outside-the-box strategies for creating a low-cost dinner party that will either outsource the work or offload the financial cost of the party.
[See: 12 Habits of Phenomenally Frugal Families.]
Plan the meal solely around a grocery store flyer. Rather than sweating out a big expensive meal plan weeks in advance, just grab your grocery store flyer the Sunday beforehand and scour it. Make it your goal to use as much as you can from this flyer to prepare the dishes.
This achieves two goals at the same time. One, it ensures that your costs are going to stay low because, well, most of what you’re using is on sale, and many of the items are actually loss leaders at the grocery store. Two, the additional constraint of trying to use mostly or entirely on-sale items is going to make you think creatively and come up with something that will surprise your guests.
Yes, the meal planning might be a little tricky, but some of the most creative solutions come out of clever constraints on that creativity, and the “flyer strategy” provides a constraint that’s also going to save you a ton of money.
[See: 20 Tips for Saving Money at the Grocery Store.]
Have a themed potluck that will intrigue your guests. One spectacular idea for having a low-cost dinner party is to ask guests to bring one side dish that’s meaningful to them and that they’ve always wanted to share with people.
Again, this potluck strategy achieves multiple goals. First, it’s going to save a lot of time and money for you since you’re offloading most of the meal preparation effort and cost. Second, the theme is basically pre-loaded with wonderful conversation starters, as you’ve transformed the meal into a giant get-to-know-you session. Third, you’re almost assuredly going to be exposing guests to new foods.
One tip: Have each person bring a slip of paper identifying the dish and any significant allergens or diet issues that may be involved with it. Is it vegetarian? Vegan? Are there dairy products in it? Nuts? You can also encourage your guests to write a sentence or two about the dish and what it means to them.
Do it outdoors at a neutral location. Another great approach to a dinner party is to hold it at a location that’s away from your home. Consider reserving a beautiful shelter house or meeting room at a local park for the dinner instead. Spend some time scouting out good locations with great views.
Again, this achieves two big objectives for your dinner party. First, the food expectation threshold is lowered, as the situation is constrained. You’re going to be fine with simpler fare when you do this kind of dinner party. At the same time, the guests will be blown away by the setting, the views and the space to move around in and out of the meeting place. The setting almost becomes the centerpiece here.
Obviously, this kind of planning does require some attention to the weather and other local factors, but this type of setting reduces the concerns about and costs of food while adding other factors to make up for a simpler meal.
[See: 12 Ways to Save Money on Food.]
Focus on something besides the food. A final strategy is to host a dinner party where the food is completely secondary. Have a “game night” where you’ll serve a simple meal, but the focus is on games. Have a “movie night” where the focus is on watching a film or two together instead of the food.
The key here is to take the attention away from the meal and onto another activity, which means that the meal is expected to be simple and light. Hosting a game night or movie night is the perfect opportunity to prepare a hearty soup and a few finger foods on the side or a straightforward family-style pasta dish. The food isn’t the centerpiece, but simply some nourishment for the evening to come.
The advantages of a dinner party are great. They provide tremendous social opportunities and an evening of incredible fun. The problem is that they’re expensive for the hosts and often stressful to plan. Changing the “rules” of a dinner party can often eliminate much of the expense and reduce your stress.
More from U.S. News
10 Money Tips for Family Caregivers
Check, Please: Paying the Bill in 6 Awkward Situations
10 Tasty Tips for a Frugal Thanksgiving
How to Organize a Low-Cost Dinner Party That Will Wow Your Friends originally appeared on usnews.com
