The Economics of Entertaining at Home

The only thing more frustrating than trying to figure out what to serve your family for dinner is trying to figure out what you’re going to serve at your dinner party.  It’s hard enough to feed a husband and a bunch of finicky kids on a budget, but when you have to feed other adults who actually know what good food is, and you only have a miniscule amount of money with which to do it, well, that’s the stuff nightmares are made of.

But it doesn’t have to be scary or expensive if you’re creative.  Taking turns hosting a monthly dinner party with your circle of friends is a great way to stay in touch and keep entertaining costs low.  (Whether or not you want to include kids in these parties is up to you.  If you do invite the small fry, they might have more fun hanging out in the family room under the supervision of a babysitter and a stack of the latest G-rated DVDs.)

When it’s your turn to entertain, don’t panic.  And don’t feel like you have to spend a lot of money in order for your guests to enjoy themselves.  Remember it’s the company that matters, not necessarily the food. 

That said there’s nothing wrong with serving something as simple as a variety of homemade pizzas.  In fact, you can make an event out of it by setting out pizza toppings and then allow everyone to make their own personal-sized pizza or let each guest pick a topping that you then put on several large pizzas.  (If kids are part of the evening, letting them make their own individual pizzas is a great way to make them feel included.) Use ready-made pizza dough found in the freezer section of the supermarket, and then simply gather your toppings (like pepperoni, shredded cheese, sun dried tomatoes, olives, mushrooms, etc.).  If you really want to get fancy, you can offer a selection of pizza sauces, such as traditional tomato, pesto, or Alfredo sauce.  Add a big tossed green salad and a bottle of Chianti and you’re good to go.

If your budget is really tight or you simply don’t have time to cut up bell peppers for a dozen people, then there’s nothing wrong with hosting a good, old-fashioned potluck dinner.  Offer to provide the main course and then ask your guests to bring side dishes and a dessert.  Most of the time when you invite people over for dinner they ask what they should bring, anyway.  Cutting back on the amount of food you have to prepare minimizes any anxiety you may have about entertaining.  When you’re getting ready to host a party, it’s a lot less stressful if you only have to focus on one dish. 

If you and your neighbors want to get to together, you might consider a progressive dinner party, where each course is hosted at a different house.  (This works best if each home is within walking distance of each other, or at most a ten-minute drive away.) Typically, you have hors d’oeuvres and drinks at one house, the main course at a second house, and dessert at a third home. (You can add courses and homes if more people would like to host.)  If there are lots of families involved you can assign each family to bring an appetizer, main course (or side dish), or dessert, and then have them serve it at the appropriate house.  Progressive dinner parties are especially fun during the holidays, as homes are festively adorned both inside and out, and walking through the neighborhood admiring everyone’s decorations is a good time all by itself.

Regardless of your budget, entertaining at home doesn’t have to be an expensive or high-pressure situation.  If you plan an evening that fits your pocketbook and your lifestyle, it can be a rewarding event that you and your friends will look back on fondly for years to come.  And when you get right down to it, isn’t that the whole point of getting together with friends and family in the first place?

Stacy Dymalski is a freelance writer, filmmaker, and stand-up comic. Her screen credits include co-writer (with Zack Van Eyck)/director of the feature film "Jupiter Landing" and writer/director of the web sitcom series "Hagnet."  Stacy learned about being a parent the hard way: she became one. A working mom, Stacy finds the humorous lessons in family life and then writes about them in magazines and books (much to the annoyance of her two sons).  Stacy recently co-authored 'The Vixen Chronicles' with Brandy Pinkerman: