There's a lot of pressure during the holiday season - and at Thanksgiving in particular - to throw the most extravagant, impressive dinner parties possible. This can leave many of us torn between holiday entertaining and our bank account. But there are definitely ways to throw a fun holiday dinner party without going overboard. Here's how...
Conscientious Entertaining: How to Spend Less Money this Holiday Season
Set a Budget
Before you go to the store, make of list of everything you need to buy and their approximate prices. Don't forget to include spices and pantry staples, any disposable tableware you may need, and decorations. Prioritize what you need and cross off any extras if your budget feels too high.
Last but not least, stick to your list and your budget when you go to the store!
Ask for Help
There's nothing shameful in asking family and guests to bring a side dish or dessert to share. This takes the pressure off of you and shares the cost of the meal among everyone.
Personally, we also feel that it's ok to ask for money - as long as it's done in a tactful way. Adding a note at the end of an invitation saying "We'd appreciate a contribution of $10 toward the meal" is a friendly, subtle way of asking for help. You could also give people the option of either helping pay for the meal or bringing their own side dish.
Don't Cook a Thanksgiving Turkey
Some might consider this sacrilege, but we think it could be a smart idea. Buying a turkey for a large family gathering can start costing you upwards of $40! Think about roasting a few chickens or making a nice pot roast instead. If this doesn't sound feasible, consider this:
Cook a Smaller Thanksgiving Turkey
Most sources recommend one pound of uncooked turkey per person as an estimation for what size turkey to buy. But instead, you could buy a turkey half that size and then supplement it with a small cooked ham or extra side dishes. That way everyone still gets a taste of Thanksgiving Turkey and goes home happy.
Check the Farmer's Markets
Most markets are getting ready to close for the year and farmers are selling their end-of-season produce for cheap. We've seen several stands with discounts on bulk purchases, like $5 for 5 pounds of brussels sprouts or 2-for-1 deals on squash. If you stock up on these vegetables now, many of them will last you through Christmas.
Save on Decorations
If you're the decorating type, skip buying everything new and head to the thrift stores. You can often find nice table linens and last-season's decorations for significantly less than new.
Decorations are another place where you can ask for help. Guest can bring a bouquet of flowers or let you borrow a favorite table runner for the evening.
Also don't forget edible decorations like apples and squashes! Fall fruits and vegetables make beautiful centerpieces when arranged in a nice bowl, and then they become meals for your family after the party is over.
What other tips do you have for saving money while entertaining during the holidays?
Related: Conscientious Cook: How to Start Saving Money this Weekend
(Image: Flickr member jenn jenn licensed under Creative Commons)
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Conscientious Cook, Tips & Techniques, Holidays - Thanksgiving, Holidays - Christmas, Holidays - New Year's, Entertaining, Frugality, Etiquette, Holidays - Hanukkah, food costs, saving moneyRelated Links
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Not to sound offensive or anything, but I think it's horribly tacky to ask for money. If you can't afford to host, don't. Asking people to bring side dishes and such is better, but I generally would only ask if they offered first.
view Tiamat_the_Red's profile
I agree. I feel like when you're hosting, you're taking on that part of the deal. But guest always offer to bring something...I usually ask people to bring a bottle of wine since those costs can really add up faster than the food.
view Khakigrl's profile
I agree that it's tacky to ask for money. I even think it's tacky to ask for money if someone asks what they can bring. I sometimes ask people to bring pre-dinner snack food, like olives or cheese, or to bring wine. Both of those can be pricey and are easy to bring. Don't ask a friend who's always late to bring pre-dinner snacks, though.
view vera in dc's profile
I agree with the other three readers, asking for money is tacky. I think it's only okay to ask people to bring a food/drink item or entertainment of some sort like a dvd or board game.
view atxgirl's profile
The thought of buying a smaller turkey seems quite silly. Most grocery stores do loss leader pricing on the turkey to the point that upgrading from a 14 to a 20 pound bird costs less than five dollars.
Looks like so far it's unanimous; If someone invited me to their dinner party and then asked for ten bucks, they would receive from me a raised eyebrow and a polite declination in return. Charging guests turns it from a dinner party into a restaurant.
view Cosmic Jester's profile
I'm going to be the first to agree with the post, and say that it's perfectly fine to ask your guests for a contribution. If that will deter people from coming at all, then they must not really want to come in the first place. Do they need free food to entice them to hang out with friends?
It's something that has definitely made me wonder about some friendships and helped me to decide who to invite in the future. I've found that the majority of people are happy to chip in, and I host dinners weekly- I'd be broke if I had to pay for it all myself, and we'd all be disappointed if we didn't get together so often. The head count for Thanksgiving is 15-17, and the cost will come to about $10 a head, including drinks, appetizers, a 22 pound turkey, every side dish imaginable, and dessert. None of us could afford to foot that bill, so should we just stay home instead?
Either way, if it's an event that you want to be at, but you don't agree with the host's philosophy, just suck it up and remember, "When in Rome . . ."!
view FeastinginthePNW's profile
I TOTALLY DISAGREE with most people here.
If you throw a dinner party once a year (like some other friends I have), alright, it’s maybe tacky to ask for money.
I host all the time though, I have people come over all the time (once or twice a week). I can’t afford paying for all of that. So, should we rather all sit at home and not enjoy each other’s company because it’s supposedly “tacky” if everyone chips in?
Of course I’m not going to invite someone and then ask for money once they are there. You tell them ahead of time. And in my group of friends, everyone knows to bring their own drinks and to chip in.
We’re having Pre-Thanksgiving this Saturday with about 17 people and everyone is bringing $10. It’s going be awesome!
view BavarianGuy's profile