10 Cheap Parties to Host This Winter
Huge banquet dinner in some regal hall.
As temperatures and personal budgets continue to drop, going out for dinner and drinks this winter looks to be becoming a very “sometimes” activity. As the nesting experts at Apartment Therapy always tell us though, we can do the same thing at home, better and for less. Before the winter doldrums kick in, let’s take a look at their listicle: 10 Cheap Parties to Host This Winter.
- Dinner Party: Cooking for a group can be great fun (and cost efficient), especially with Apartment Therapy’s tips for cooking a full meal on a schedule. They also offer simple table-dressing suggestions that the less decoratively skilled among us will find very handy.
- Cocktail Party: Instead of cocktail bars that look and feel like well-appointed living rooms, why not turn your space into a customizable cocktail-swirling spot? Stick to a few drinks and some finger foods and your bar will be the most affordable in the land.
- Buffet-Style Potluck: The classic low-cost foodie get-together. Just make sure you pick a host with a big enough oven and table for last minute heat-ups, preparations and presentation.
"Invite me to your movie night, or else..."
- Movie Night: Although this tradition was co-opted by TBS for their Dinner and a Movie cooking show-cum-crappy movie showcase, it’s still a great solution on a quiet night, and immediately provides the food and drink themes. If you’re watching Forrest Gump, open with shrimp cocktail end with a box of chocolates. If the evening’s fare is Hustle & Flow, serve domestic beer and soul food.
- All-White Party: Until I read Apartment Therapy’s description on this one, I was really worried it was something else and that I was discovering something horrible I’d somehow missed about my favorite crafty design site. Decorate with white for an appropriately stylish winter look, maybe even serve White Russians, but don’t feel obliged to serve only white foods.
- Holiday Brunch: Cheaper, and more cozy comfort-inducing than most evening meals, this one is a great option for those cold winter weekends when staying indoors with company seems like the perfect way to spend an afternoon. If the day goes really well, you can even extend the fun into the evening with…
- Game Night: It doesn’t involve watching pro sports in the hushed blue glow of TV, and it doesn’t have to include strip poker (though I suppose it could be worked into the schedule between charades and scrabble), but getting some friends and drinks together around a table or board game (with snacks perchance?) is a fun dinner party alternative. And here’s a good conversation starter:
- Craft Party: As DIY becomes the dominant mode of gift-making and craft production, parties like this will only get more popular. Supply the materials and some finger food, ask friends to bring the drinks. Perfect for troubleshooting a long-dormant project, you’ll also come out of it with a fun craft item to cue your memory to good times.
- Wine and Cheese Party: Channel French consumption patterns for a night of rosy cheeks and generously-heaped crackers. Ask your friends to bring wine and source some tasty local cheeses (or vice-versa), do some minimal decorating and clear off the coffee table.
- Swap Parties: I guess I immediately assumed “swap” was a synonym for “swing” and figured this was another brash suggestion from the typically gentle writers at Apartment Therapy. Then I read their explanation and it all made sense. It’s like a garage sale where you barter and trade with your best friends. Just make sure you invite friends with good taste. Of course, if you do want to throw a swinger party, you’ll need this:
The soothing, mustachioed sounds of suburban swinging in the seventies.
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