6 Tips To Plan An Affordable Dinner Party

Dinner parties are a great time when friends and family can bond with each other. However, the one who organizes the party has to keep several things in mind. The quality of food items should be excellent; the ambience should be perfect; the list of invitees should be ready on time etc.

6 Things You Should Keep In Mind If You Are To Plan A Pocket-Friendly Dinner Party

Organizing a dinner party may be fun, but the job is easier said than done. After all, you want your guests to remember your party forever. And the challenge doubles if you have to throw a memorable party, and that too on a budget.

Here are some easy tricks and tips for planning a fantastic dinner party on a budget.

1. Say No Fancy Invitations

It is true that formal invites set the mood for a party, but these days they have become pretty uncommon. Most of your guests will not mind if they get a warm invite over email or even a formal Whatsapp message.

Moreover, a digital invite is eco-friendly, and a digital card is a great way to show your personal touch in an environmentally sustainable manner. A digital invite is more affordable than paper cards; moreover, they can be preserved for eternity.

2. Go For An Affordable Decor

You do not need to book a fancy place to host your dinner party if you have a spacious apartment. However, you must clean the apartment and make it presentable before your guests arrive.

You can go for a DIY( do it yourself) decor instead of buying ready-made stuff from the market. For instance, you can attach handwritten notes with quotes for all your guests. Handwritten notes are a personal and affordable way of connecting with your guest.

You can use fairy lights to set the right mood. Make sure to remove the lights properly after use so you can use them for your next party.

If you are inviting a small group of friends or close relatives, you can manage the decor yourself. Always remember it is better to do the decor yourself than hire a professional agency.

3. Get A Dinner Set From The Wholesale Market

Wholesale markets usually sell goods in bulk quantities and at more affordable rates as compared to retail shops. Also, if you are hosting a dinner party, you will need more than one dinner set because a regular dining set serves around four people.

So if you are going to have around twenty guests, you will need around five identical dinner sets for your guests. Buying white porcelain dinner plates bulk is a good idea because white plates are timeless and complement a wide range of flavors.

Moreover, porcelain dinner sets are well known for their durability. These plates are non-porous, and they do not break easily. So if you invest in a porcelain dinner set, chances are that you will not have to buy a new dinner set any time soon.

4. Do Not Offer Multiple Drinks

Most dinner parties offer multiple varieties of the drink. But if you wish to stick to a budget, offering a single signature drink is better. Some of your guests would prefer alcoholic drinks, while others would love a mocktail.

So you can offer the same drink in a mocktail and cocktail form. For example, if most of your guests like a tomato-based drink, go for Virgin Mary and Bloody Mary. It is the same drink, just that the cocktail has an additional alcoholic component like Vodka.

Also, if you offer a single signature drink instead of a full range of cocktails/mocktails, you will not need a separate person to manage the bar.

5. Choose An Unconventional Menu

Your guest might be expecting a turkey if they are invited around Christmas, but you should ditch the favorites and go for an unconventional menu. Remember that around Christmas, everybody will be demanding turkey, so the demand for a good turkey will be high. So the market prices will be high.

In contrast, if you go for meat that is not your favorite for the season, you will save a lot of money. Also, you might even pleasantly surprise your guest. If they visit during winter, they will get the season’s favorite meat and vegetables at all places, but your menu will be different.

Also, select a meat cut that is cheaper, so a chicken drumstick is cheaper than a lamb piece for the drumsticks.

Sticking to simple, tried and tested recipes is a good idea. It is very tempting to opt for unconventional dishes because you want your guest to remember your dish for a long time. But going for a traditional dish may save both time and money.

Firstly, conventional dishes are usually made without any fancy ingredients that are expensive and difficult to obtain. Also, when you make an old dish, you do not have to try it several times before you succeed. The fewer attempts made to perfect a dish, the lesser the amount of food wasted.

6. Cook The Food Yourself

Also, to make things more intimate, cook the food yourself instead of ordering it from a fancy restaurant.

Having a limited number of items on the menu is also essential. Ideally, two starters, three dishes for the main course and two types of desserts should suffice for a family dinner. If you go overboard with the menu, you will only add to your menu, and your guests will end up feeling bloated.

Conclusion

It is possible to reduce the budget of your dinner party if you plan it correctly. You must never forget that a dinner party builds closer bonds and makes people grow fonder of each other. If you do not want to make the dinner party a status symbol, it is very much possible to plan according to a budget.

Your guests would probably remember an endearing meet-up more than a fancy piece of meat or expensive decor.