Now, who doesn’t love a good party? I love to have my family and friends over for “the big game”, a premiere of a popular TV show we all watch, or a holiday. Plus summer is around the corner. Whether its a small get together, my good girlfriends or a big family affair like a major event. As we all know the before and after the event can get stressful. What I don’t like about a good party is cooking all day or cleaning up all night after everyone is long gone. After a few go around and my “trials and tribulations” I’ve learned a few things I'd like to share with the “housewives” who love to entertain but hates the preparation and big clean up.
Plan plan plan then plan some more
I can not stress enough how important this is, this is a must. I can't imagine anyone putting together a small or big party get together without planning for it. Plan everything and I do mean everything. Make a list of who will be attending your get together. Are there any picky eaters? Does anyone have any allergies? This directly relates to your next list to determine the menu. Then plan the theme of your get together. Then plan the location is it a dinner party where the most approbate room be the dining room or is it a larger gathering whereas the back yard would be better? All of this planning will pay off, in the end, trust me.
Get started Early
Anything you can do beforehand, get it done beforehand. I had a 4th of July party three weeks before the party I started to buy my bottle water & soda I would be serving at the party, decor, serving trays, banking supplies and any for items that didn’t need to be refrigerated. This makes it not seem like a big deal but trust me it one less shopping trip you’ll need to make. One less thing you have to think about. Also buying everything or mostly everything you’ll need for your party at once can and will be costly. By speeding it out it won't hurt your wallet as much.
Food/ Menu
Now when I have a gathering I like to pick recipes I can make ahead of time. A few of my go-to part dishes are dips & salsa, veggie trays, pasta salads, potato salads, cheese platters to name a few. These are all thing you can make a day to two in advance leaving you time to concentrate on your main course & things that might be needed to cook the day of the party. Another good idea is if you throwing an informal gathering you can make it a potluck. This is a great way to get your guest involved & take some to the cost & pressure off of you. Another way to cut the cost of your party is to tell your friends to BYOB bring your own beverage. Instead of running around buying beer and or a few bottles of wine everyone can bring their own favorite on their own dime.
Plastic is your friend
Now don’t get me wrong using really beautiful dishes is & cutlery elegant however plastic is just fine by me. I have no problem using plastic cutlery, cups and paper plates. My mom turned me onto the plastic plates at Costco. They look surprisingly like real dishes and don’t break the bank. I always pick up some just to have on hand. Trust me you’ll thank me when your guest leave and all you have to do is throw away thing instead of running your dishwasher a few dozen times. Are standing over the sink for hours washing dishes.
Decor
I’ll let you in on a little secret the dollar tree/ 99cent store, and party city will save your life. Now like I stated before I love the plastic plats that look real but fake from Costco however if I’m throwing a theme get together these three stores are my go to. If a major holiday is coming up I hit the dollar tree. They always have holiday-themed paper plates, napkins and or balloons. I could literally get all my decor for a party of twenty for under twenty dollars, let that sink in. Party city is great if you want to color coordinate as well as buy those plastic reusable table cloths.
At the end of the day entertaining should be fun. Your guest, as well as your self, should be enjoying each others company. You should not be running around like a crazy woman or going into debt. I hope you little step help you plan you're next get together. Until next time y’all.