There are many ways to entertain your family and friends without spending a fortune. Below are some easy, healthy and fun ways to entertain on the cheap. Just because money is short doesn't mean you have to give up entertaining.
Getting together with your friends and family is important as we're all in this together whether you're a millionaire or you've just lost your job. We need the support of those we know and love during these times. Give of yourself wherever you're called. Don't forget to include someone new in your life.
• One of the cheapest ways to entertain is to invite your friends to bring their favorite dish for a pot-luck dinner. You provide the dishes, silverware and hot and cold tea. Cheap and fun!
• Another fun way to entertain is to invite your friends over to play your favorite card game or board game. Cheap treats like hot potato skins with a dollop of sour cream topped with slices of green onion satisfies everyone. You can use the scooped out potato as a breakfast potato pancake or as mashed potatoes your next meal.
• Get together once a week with your own family for an outing or picnic at a local park. Kids love this and it's easy and very inexpensive.
• A brick of cream cheese with hot pepper jelly on top is a real winner with the crackers of your choice. Great appetizer to take to a friends home.
• Have a puzzle night with your family. Let the kids choose which one to put together.
• Pour wine in a box into a lovely decanter rather than purchase expensive wines. Your guests will never know the difference - try it!
• Check out the 'free days' at your local museums or zoo.
• Take advantage of offers you get in the mail. Couponing has become a hot habit for a lot of us.
• Visit your local library for books, magazines and free movie rentals. Also check out the kids reading program and story times for children.
• Set up a taco bar with tomatoes, lettuce, avocado, onions, grated cheesed and tortillas for your friends. Make your own salsa. This is a good place to use the box wine trick. Easy and fun! Or ask your guests to bring a variety of beers.
• Invite several friends and/or family over for a special showing of your favorite old movie. Serve lots of popcorn.
• Hollow out a round sourdough and fill with spinach dip. Use the pieces of bread as a dipper. Cheap, easy and a crowd pleaser.
• Grab neighbor kids and hold a mini-Olympics. Come up with all your own competitions -- the wackier the better.
• If you love the latest movies, got to the matinees for a huge saving rather than an evening showing. Same goes for plays you enjoy.
• Check for free concerts, plays, and other live family entertainment in local parks.
• If you want to eat at an expensive restaurant, go for lunch rather than dinner. The menu is usually the same, but the prices are often half.
• Have a dessert party where everyone brings a dessert to share. You provide the coffee, tea or flavored water. How about some iced coffee?
• Triscuit crackers (or any other cracker of your choosing) with cheddar cheese melted on top and a jalapeno slice on each one. - yummy! Put a dab of pesto on top of the cheese out of the oven - heaven!
• Ask everyone to dig a grillable out of the freezer, thaw it, and bring it to the party to share. Assign the buns, side dishes, and drinks to the guests and you'll have an instant party for little cost.
• Tip: flavor tap water with washed mint leaves. Bruise several leaves in the bottom of a pitcher and fill with water. Also try a lavender flower to flavor.
• Go fly a kite!
A great ice-breaker is to have written out words on slips of paper like, name of animals, types of food, authors, etc. You define the category and when each guest arrives, they pick out of a hat a word they can't see and you scotch tape it on their back. Each guest will now have a word on their back that the other guests have to act out so it can be identified by the guest with the word. This is silly but really a fun time especially if your guests haven't met each other.
Another cost cutting idea:
Did you know you can watch your favorite TV show on your computer at this website: http://www.hulu.com Now you can delete the cable bill entirely.
Fuel your passion...Ignite your imagination...Inspire greatness!
Beverly Rose grew up hearing about the Great Depression from her parents. They were products of this enormously hard time but grew out of it by learning various tips from their friends and neighbors how they could still entertain with little money. She offers this article with love.