Nowadays, celebrating holidays with close friends gives us an opportunity to grow and explore. When it comes to hosting “Friendsgiving” for the first time, it comes with a budget. Like Thanksgiving, everyone arrives at someone’s house to celebrate the feast and to have fun. Learning and understanding more about how to budget helps maintain your financial goals in life. “Friendsgiving” is about having friends over before Thanksgiving with family, and building friendships. This is a guide on how to host “Friendsgiving” on a budget. I had hosted “Friendsgiving” at my parents’ house before, and I invited my friends over to socialize since everyone was coming from different schools and spending time with their families on actual Thanksgiving day.
Step 1: Planning for “Friendsgiving”
If you’re planning to host your “Friendsgiving,” be sure to create a budget list beforehand. What I mean by making a budget is to create a list and to be sure to plan the date before Thanksgiving as well. When you have your budget list, double-check everything that you have to be sure everything you need is there. When it comes to hosting for the first time, it’s definitely a relaxing atmosphere where you and your friends can enjoy each other’s company. Let your friends know to bring over whatever food that you didn’t account for in your budget, or any other supplies needed. Looking back on my first time hosting a “Friendsgiving” celebration with my friends, the most important part about “Friendsgiving,” above all, is to plan the date, time, and location for hosting. You can also decorate the table with candles and other decorations within your budget to make it a more relaxing atmosphere.
Step 2: Let Your Friends Help You
When hosting a “Friendsgiving,” everyone brings something over, whether it’s from the grocery store or something home-cooked. Make it more like a potluck so you don’t have to be responsible for all the cooking. Whether you’re making turkey or a plant-based “tofurkey,” as my family calls it, if you want your friends to bring some items to add to the turkey, let them bring whatever is a good compliment to the dish. Also, when it comes to drinks, they can bring their own to the event to make it cheaper.
Step 3: Choosing a Recipe
As for cooking, it’s great to cook something for your friends. If you’re cooking, research recipes for dishes you would like to try out, and find a local grocery store that’s within your budget, instead of highly expensive items. Find the right recipe to cook that inspires you the most. It’s important to understand how to manage your time throughout preparation before the date. There’s a possibility for everyone, including yourself, to set a goal, including financial goals.
The ultimate goal of “Friendsgiving” is to hang out with friends and have fun! Most of all, life is short, but creating memories is one of the best parts of life, and events like “Friendsgiving” are the perfect opportunity to make memories with your friends.
Editor’s note: the Her Campus at Pace editorial team also contributed to this story.