Not Made Of Money

One of the best parts of summer is the summer entertaining that goes along with this time of year. Longer days and warm weather make it easy to find time for these festive gatherings. I love getting together with our friends and family to relax and enjoy ourselves. Summer and entertaining just seem to go hand in hand.

The only downside to these fun parties is trying to entertain without destroying your budget. We all want to be good hosts, but most of us can’t afford to stock a limitless kitchen for our guests. Before you let your budget rein in your summer entertainment, check out these ideas to keep your entertaining budget under control.

Go potluck. The easiest way to keep entertaining costs down is to share them. If you and your family get together every weekend to share a meal, you don’t need to feel obligated to provide everything for your guests. Instead, why not split the responsibility? Ask a family member to bring beverages. Ask another to bring a side dish. No one will mind being asked to pitch in, and you’ll all get to share in the prep work.

Take turns hosting. We have a group of friends that we spend many of our summer evenings with. Their kids play with our kids. The adults are all friendly. Rather than forcing one family to host all of us again and again, we rotate locations for our get-togethers. We let our plans determine which house will provide the best setting. Our friends who have a pool are the perfect choice for hot, summer days. Our friends with a large television are the usual choice for watching movies.

Focus on fun rather than food. Food and drink doesn’t have to be the center of your get-together. Instead of having a formal dinner, why not invite friends over for a game night or a pool party? Make sure your party doesn’t coincide with a traditional meal time so that your guests will have time to eat. Then, you can just provide a few snacks. The odds are that your friends would rather enjoy a good time with you than a formal meal, anyway.

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