Shared Reading: Give Great Parties for Less

So I just got home from shopping for my DJ Hero party tomorrow and I realized something.  Throwing a party can be very expensive. Between food, beverages, paper plates, etc. you can easily spend a fortune. So how do you save money while enjoying your friend's company? Smart Piggy has a few ideas.

There are literally thousands of recipes available online that contain inexpensive, but tasty and nutritious ingredients. Dozens of Italian dishes cost very little to make, thanks to plentiful pasta and savory sauces.

Pair dishes with weekly sales on pasta and sauce to make great dishes that will feed an army. My family loves baked ziti and it's simple to make.  When pasta is on sale, we'll buy a few boxes to keep in the house.  Sauce is the other main ingredient that we can stock up on during a good sale.  The cheese and meat can't always be purchased on sale, but when paired with cheap pasta and sauce the entire meal is very reasonable.

Dividing the cost - by asking a few to bring the drinks, another a special dish, a third and fourth some dessert, and so on - cuts each guest's contribution down to modest size. Yet, with everyone pitching in, it isn't necessary to settle for plastic cups, chips, and cheap beer.

Pot-lucks are very popular because they allow friends to get together without anyone spending a fortune.

Read the full article at Smart Piggy.