Friends-giving is a fantastic tradition for friends to get your friends together all in one spot and have some fun. Whether it be a small group of friends or a huge gathering, this dinner party can be quite costly. This is a quick guide on how to plan an affordable party that you and all your friends can enjoy.
The menu
The star of Thanksgiving: the food. This is the time for everyone to show off their best culinary skills and make enough food to feed a small village. However, this part can get pretty costly.
The biggest expense to look out for is the turkey. The turkey itself can be pretty costly, and that’s before all the butter, seasonings and stuffing. Typically, a low quality 15 lb turkey can cost as low as $15 at your local grocery store. The better-quality meat, however, can run up to $4 a pound at a butcher shop or organic grocery store. If you want a larger, better turkey, the best option is most likely for everyone to pitch in on the cost.
Additionally, it’s best to leave the turkey to someone with experience cooking a Turkey. A poor tasting main dish can absolutely kill the vibes of the Friends-giving dinner. Although it’s not the worst thing that can happen, it’s certainly not the best. So, do your research to make sure that the biggest part of the dinner is the best it can be!
As for the rest of the meal, it’s always best to divide and conquer to stay on a budget. There can always be lots and lots of different foods at the function. Some of the classics include: mashed potatoes, sweet potato soufflĂ©, stuffing, gravy, macaroni and cheese, cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie, pecan pie, bread rolls, cornbread, salad, ham, green beans, deviled eggs and soooooooooo much more.
None of these dishes need to be 5 star meals. Everyone deserves to eat good food at Friends-giving, but you don’t need to spend a fortune on gourmet marshmallows and fancy cheeses. Simple ingredients can always taste good, and they can taste even better with the seasonings you already have in your pantry.
If you and your friends don’t want the traditional Thanksgiving menu, it’s always fun to mix in some fun, cheap dinner foods. Someone can bring a bucket of chicken nuggets or a giant plate of nachos. This celebration doesn’t need to be a cookie-cutter Thanksgiving dinner. Get creative with it!
the drinks
Drinks are probably the most expensive part of a Friends-giving. Whether it be cans of soda, bottles of Malibu or a festive cocktail, you can easily spend $30. Skipping this step will save you and your friends tons of money. However, you don’t need to skip the drinks to stay on a budget.
Similarly to the menu, you can always decide to assign one or two people to supply the beverages for everyone. While all the other guests spend their time preparing the sides, proteins and desserts, you can spend all that time gathering the ingredients for a tasty cocktail.
This can be as easy as Vodka Cranberries or Margaritas. You can also get a little creative with it, and provide a new drink that your friends haven’t seen before. A great example for a cheap, yet tasty, thanksgiving drink would be this easy pumpkin pie inspired cocktail:
2 Cups Irish cream
1/2 Cup vanilla or pumpkin pie vodka
4 Cups of milk
1 Can of pumpkin puree
1 1/2 Teaspoons pumpkin spice
Top with whipped cream and cinnamon
Another great option is to make the drinks a group effort, or BYOB. All guests can come together and gather the ingredients for a variety of cocktails or one giant punch bowl. In this case, I’ll recommend a simple Thanksgiving “Jungle Juice” recipe:
2 bottles red wine
4 cups ginger ale
3 cups cranberry juice
2/3 cup Fireball
2/3 cup whiskey
2 cups frozen cranberries
1 orange, sliced
1 apple, thinly sliced
The venue
Finding a venue for Friends-giving is the easiest part. Hosting at your house or even in a nearby park is an inexpensive and lovely place to gather. Decorating in these spots can also be quite easy with pavilions or indoor areas. Although it’s fun to decorate, it can be a little pricey. There’s a couple options to have a super cute venue without breaking the bank.
Option one: Use what you have. There is no shame in leaving up your old halloween decorations for Friends-giving. Keeping out all your fall decor might be the perfect solution to decorating. Save on paper plates and utensils by using reusable dinnerware and washable napkins.
Option 2: the dollar store. All your nearby dollar stores have the same decorations as any other store but for a fraction of the price. It may not feel glamorous, but it can be a lower price and equally as cute. Imagine spending $20 shopping at other stores versus $20 in any dollar or thrift store. You have so many more options and can even get more decor.
Option 3: Borrow from friends and family. I guarantee that someone in your family has a bin filled with festive decorations. Not only are they free to use, but they can be used for years to come.
It’s essential to pick a venue with plenty of space for activities. This is most likely the cheapest part of planning a Friends-giving. Some easy and free-to-low cost activities that I’ve always participated in are watching the Macy’s parade and dog show, playing football, watching football, corn hole, three-legged race, sack race and making your own hand turkeys.
The possibilities are endless! Activities are an easy way to start conversation and help any solo guests to get to know the other attendees. All of these free options are a great bonding experience and make great photo opportunities.
