Terrible article: 5 Ways To Throw a Party Without Blowing Your Budget

This week, I encountered the most ridiculous article I've ever read on budgeting for a dinner party. 5 Ways To Throw a Party Without Blowing Your Budget, from The Kitchen was a lazy attempt to write about doing dinner on the cheap.

Idea number one was the obvious standby "throw a potluck," but it went downhill from there.

Bring your own booze (BYOB) (idea #3) can be a given depending on the demographic, and many guests show up with a bottle of wine anyway.

But the slippery slope just continued. Unless you're a starving college student, never ask guests to bring their own meat, china or flatware. What a lazy attempt at advice.

To make things worse, the site requires a login to comment, so I decided to use a different outlet to vent my frustration. I now present my own 5 ways to throw a (dinner) party without blowing your budget.

1. Avoid packaged foods. 

Pickle tray with hummus,
herring, pickled eggs and pickled beets,
and pickles

Yes, it's much easier to throw three dozen puff pastries from the freezer into the oven for 20 minutes for an appetizer, but they cost more. E.g., a home-made hummus with freshly-cut vegetables for dipping can be made from scratch for a fraction of the cost.

2. Use in-season fruits and vegetables.
That fancied-up fruit salad with strawberries and blueberries for dessert is going to cost much more in February than it will at the end of the summer.

3. Consider a vegetarian entrée.

Channa masala, a great vegetarian
choice for a large party.

An easy way to avoid paying for the boneless-skinless chicken breasts for 12 is to not serve them at all. There are lots of tasty vegetarian meals that can easily be prepared. Protein can always be found in other sources such as eggs, beans and tofu.

4. Consider a one-pot main dish.
Many one-pot main dishes (including some casseroles) combine your protein with other vegetables so the meat can go farther per-serving if you choose.

5. Include an inexpensive starch.

Chicken tajine with honeyed tomatoes
and chickpeas served on a
bed of couscous.

Offer potatoes, rice or noodles as the base for your meal to sit on. Whether it's Pad Thai, a stir fry, a curry, or a pasta dish, it's also an easy way to eliminate a side-dish.

What are your money-saving tips for throwing a dinner party?

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