Getting together with friends is fun, and if you like to have good company, that means you need to occasionally feed your visitors. This does not always mean that you have to have a full on dinner party, but you should have some nice things on hand to give. After all, you are entertaining, not just “hanging out.” Luckily, there are a few things that you can do to keep entertaining from busting a hole in your wallet without looking cheap.
First of all, create your budget before you decide whom to invite. Figure out how much you can afford on your fete and then plan your guest list accordingly. If you spread out your entertaining, holding a small party once every couple of months, you can rotate through your friends without denting your bank account all at once. And if you do it on a budget, you can get away with spending less than 50 dollars if you are careful. Figure that you will spend between five and ten dollars on each of your guests. If you are serving alcohol, your figure will be closer to ten, and also if you are serving some expensive food. But if you want to keep it closer to 5 dollars per person, you should realize that when good friends meet, alcohol is not always necessary, and you do not always have to make a fancy meal.
After you have decided on your budget and your guest list, it is time to start planning your meal. There are many ways you can save. Obviously, shopping the sales will help you stock up on items you are likely to use for future entertaining, such as canned vegetables and frozen vegetables, meats (which you can freeze) and pastas. This way you are ready with food on hand that does not cost you anything at the time, and represents long term savings.
Use “bulk” foods that fill up your guests for not as much money. Pasta and rice dishes can be tasty and elegant, and they are filling. This allows you to serve less meat. Have a salad course and some bread (you can get a loaf of French bread and toast it yourself with a garlic butter of your own making for less than $1.50), or even have soup. You can make chicken soup at home with less expensive drumsticks and wings, adding vegetables (make it a spicy soup for tasty twist) and providing a filling yet tasty course.
Dessert does not have to be expensive, either. Pudding or custard in a wineglass, garnished with chocolate shavings, nuts, or coconut shavings tastes great and looks elegant. Dessert is a very easy thing to dress up without spending money: a sorbet scoop with sprig of mint, vanilla ice cream (a good brand — not store brand) with little cookies, or lemon mousse served inside hollowed lemons.
With a little planning you can make simple yet elegant foods that taste good for a very little budget. Entertaining on budget is not only possible; it is the best way to enjoy good food and good company.