Low Cost Dinner Party

Many people enjoy entertaining. And many people would enjoy entertaining, if they just had enough money. The good news is that nearly anyone has enough money. Throwing a fabulous dinner party can be done for a very little money with a little planning, and the recognition that most of your friends do not need lobster and steak to enjoy an evening with you.

The very first thing to do is to decide on a budget. Before you make the guest list or make the menu, you need to figure out how much you can spend on the dinner. You will probably spend between $5 and $10 on each guest (you can keep it closer to $5 with your food and drink choices). After you know how much you can spend, then you create your guest list. If you are worried about whom to invite, you can host a party a month, or every two months. This way you can avoid taking a big hit to your bank account all at once, but still rotate through all of your friends.

Meal planning can be a bit of a challenge, but if you keep comfort foods in mind, you can usually save a great deal. If you know that you will be entertaining regularly, you can purchase some items (like canned or frozen vegetables) in bulk when they are on sale. Buy meat on sale as well and freeze it. Then, when it is time to throw your party, you are already mostly stocked, even weeks or months down the road. If your budget does not allow you to buy in bulk, you can still provide a great meal at a low cost to yourself.

Dishes considered "comfortable" and that are "bulky" are good to serve. Additionally, you can serve your meal in courses if you like. Starting out with a soup and salad (red leaf lettuce and romaine are usually inexpensive and make a classier salad than iceberg lettuce) course, with some sort of bread, will fill your guests enough so that they won't mind smaller portions of meat and vegetables in the entrée. Soups thickened with potatoes (faux creamy) are great starters that are both elegant and filling. Additionally, creating a chicken soup with less expensive wing and drumstick cuts provide excellent flavor while being filling at the same time. Make it a spicy soup for a more unique and elegant flavor.