Six Ideas for Entertaining Without Extraordinary Spending!

• Potluck it!

Yes, in fact make it the theme of the night!  "Make Your Own Pizza Night" and everyone brings a different ingredient, you provide the crust, sauce and oven!  Win bragging rights for the most creative ingredient, best tasting pizza, etc...You can also have a fried rice night or a salad night, anything where there are lots of ingredients!  Or just let everyone bring what they want.  The site SignUpGenius.com is great for organizing a potluck.

• Have an Exchange!

Another idea is to host an exchange of some sort.  A cookie exchange is a popular one.  Everyone knows ahead of time how many people will be in attendance.  Each person bakes a certain amount of his/her favorite cookie so that each attendee takes some home with the recipe provided.  You get to sample homemade cookies and bring some home to share! A clothing exchange is another idea. Invitees bring gently used clothing to exchange with each other. Bring an item, take an item. Anything not taken can be donated to charity afterwards. 

• Play a game!

For $1.99, you can download "Heads up" on your tablet or phone, even kids can play this game.  The video it records is worth the money alone for double entertainment.  Have you played Left, Center, Right?  This is a super fun game and all you need is three die.  Google the instructions.  Play with quarters and the game will go on and on! You can also host an "Unwanted Gift Exchange".  We all have that gift that we received and it gets stuck in a closet somewhere. Who says it has to be Christmas to play, play it anytime of the year! Last but not least, a deck of cards is always a good time, betting encouraged but not required.

• Take a Trip Down Memory Lane!

Break out old photos/videos to share! Its always fun to go back in time and remember when! Dated clothing and hairstyles usually become fodder for laughter.  You'll be saying, "Dang, I was skinny then!!!"  But, this is only fun if everyone can see. Make your photos into a slideshow and hook it up to the big screen TV or projector.  

• Create a "Mommies Only" Area!

Sometimes moms just want Quality Time with their girlfriends!  Pick someone's house where there is ample space and have a mommy sleepover!  Tell your friends to arrive in their comfy pj's, enjoy a kid-free, spouse-free night where everyone can be a kid themselves! Have some cheese, crackers, fruit, and wine, or offer a dessert bar and get ready for a night of distraction-free adult time!

Or ask everyone to pitch in and hire a sitter for the night, maybe one who has a job at a kid gym or something like that so they really know how to occupy the kids. Kids can stay in a separate room with food and all their needs met in a different area, leaving you all kid free.  It doesn't hurt the wallet too much if the cost is distributed.

• Bargain hunt for a Mom's Night Out!

My friends and I tried our first paint night at a local restaurant last year. It cost us twenty dollars each. We found a deal on Groupon.  We have also been able to enjoy food at a discount by buying restaurant.com coupons and the like. Do you know someone who does makeup? Invite them over for a lesson with the girls!  Do you know people who need to put in their hours to become a masseuse or beautician?  Volunteer yourself and your girlfriends and make a party out of it!

Have an idea to share, please comment below!