We really enjoy having people over for meals and also cooking meals for those who need them but after an unprecedented few weeks of serving others and hospitality before we left for North Carolina, I’ve noticed its taken quite a toll on the grocery budget. When we have people over I love cooking things I wouldn’t normally make and serving dessert, etc. Food is a love language in my family and cooking special things is a way I am used to saying that someone is special.
So I’m looking for ideas for being hospitable on a budget and other methods of coping with the practical expense of loving others, without losing the character of hospitality. Anyone?
I like serving spaghetti because it’s super cheap and almost everyone loves it. Might sound boring, but there you have it.
(btw, I’m sorry this is so long!)
I so identify with food as a love language, and Jay and I also love to host family/friends regularly, plus it seems we are always bringing meals to someone with a new baby, illness, recent surgery, etc. But you are right: sharing of food with others does show up in the budget!
I have found there are ways to make less expensive food “special” for company, though of course you will still spend more than if you are just feeding your family. A few of my standby ideas (nothing radical, really) are:
1)A homemade soup for the main course – so many options here, and all our guests have loved this meal – homemade soup is a rare treat to some.
2)Serve a pork loin or 1/2 pork loin (we can get this cut for $1.79 pound on a regular basis at Tom Thumb/Randalls). This is an elegant meal, low in fat for a meat, so even guests who must adhere to a stricter diet can partake, and again, there are endless possibilities for different preparations to fit the various seasons. Round out with modest yet tasty sides that fit the budget.
3)We love to serve wine with meals for guests too, so we have looked for, and found a couple of pleasing, yet pretty inexpensive “vintages” we can enjoy, but not feel like we are being irresponsible about purchasing.
The other thing is that my hubby is wonderful about reminding me that from all we read in the Bible, generosity and serving others is over and over again encouraged and even commanded by God, with promised blessing: see Prov 11:24-25. This is of great encouragement to me!!
I have done soup several times both at home and for new mom-pregnancy-whatever meals and cider brined pork loin is almost always our choice in the fall. Great minds must think alike!
Here’s the menu that’s almost always served if you come to our place in the fall (and never unless someone else is here, so it’s special to us, too!)
cider brined pork
mixed green salad with pear and walnut
mashed sweet potatoes
bread (homemade rolls or italian bread from the store)
dessert (apple coffeecake with caramel frosting these days)
I guess I could do green beans sauteed in butter and garlic instead of the mixed green salad and save a few dollars right there. They always go over well…
Probably the only solution to this that doesn’t change the character of hospitality for me is to serve more super-cheap meals to the family to free up more for others.
You could sub your dessert for an apple cobbler. That’s a cheap and easy, yet tasty dessert. You could also nix the walnut, though I know it would make the meal less tasty.
Hi Kristen,
I check your blog pretty regularly (I’m a friend of Mrs. Cumbee), but this is the first time I’ve been inclined to comment. The budget and food/hospitality topics are nearly always on my mind, so my ears perk up when others discuss it.
I’m a newlywed, with a 4 month old (read: poor), but enjoy having people over as well. The working solution I have is what you suggested: have a shoestring budget the rest of the time. I spend most of my budget energy cutting corners and creating meals that are cheap but nutritious for our family, so that I don’t have to do that for guests. This does not mean that my family gets scraps. It’s just that my husband and I both like giving guests better meals than we get. So, in order to do that I 1) shop at several different stores, looking for sales and best deals; 2) buy lots of ground beef and whole chickens; 3) use beans around once a week in a main dish; 4) buy in bulk and freeze for later use. These are all I can think of, but I’m sure the older women that I listen to have said other things.
Also, what really seems to help me is to have a separate category in our budget for hospitality. That way I know exactly how much I have to work with in one month and won’t over-obligate myself to meals for others or having people over. What I really like, though, is that when I’m planning a meal for guests it seems like sooo much money, since it’s completely allocated for them. :)
(Sorry this was so long!)
We do the same thing – we love to have folks over, and the hit supper, despite our trying pricier menus, has been baked potato soup. It’s super cheap.
A luxury we have in Louisiana is distinctive food. Seafood can get expensive, so we don’t do that often, but andouille gumbo and jambalaya are faves…people pack our house for Adrienne’s jambalaya (a dish which is one of the thousands of reasons I married her ;-) She makes it for my birthday every year).
Another inexpensive food we’ve found is a sandwich roll – sounds icky, but baked and sliced, it can make a nice presentation.
And our entertaining dessert winner is just dump cake – cherry pie filling, crushed pineapple, butter cake mix on top, drizzle melted butter and chopped pecans on top and bake. Top with ice cream and it’s even better.
If you want recipes, holla back! But I also hear you about the serving cheap stuff to the fam, and saving good stuff for entertaining…we do that, too. Oh, but people also make frequent requests for and pack in for Adrienne’s red beans and rice – can’t get much cheaper than that!
You could alway just have people over for dessert, coffee, and games – that saves a lot of money.
I did a fellowship for my Bible study where I brought the chili and they brought toppings, sides, drinks, desserts. But I did ask them to chip in a buck or two for the chili. But that’s a little different…
We’re having six-can chili with all the fixins (corn chips, sour cream, shredded cheese, bread) for guests this weekend. It’s inexpensive, healthy (unless you end up with more fixins than chili) and easy. AND it goes well with beer (which has been more expensive than wine for us these days :-/ ) I’ll have iced tea on hand for the non-beer drinkers since I just can’t imagine pairing a wine with chili.
We’re having pecan pie (using leftover Thanksgiving dessert ingredients) and yogurt pie for my pecan-allergic little one: mix 2 containers of yogurt with 12 oz cool whip, pour into crust and freeze. yum!
I second Brad’s mention of jambalaya and red/black beans and rice. We go through a lot of it around here too.
Kristen, this is a great question and you’ve got great comments. We just had our dinner/prayer group over last night (30 people). I had two soups (Turkey and Hearty Hamburger) to choose from, rolls, wine and water and brownies for dessert. Brad’s potato soup sounds wonderful. Soup is filling, comforting and inviting.
I might be strange, but I’ve always been attracted to “peasant food” – beans, rice, grains. The basic bread – cheese- wine combo is a unfailing classic that can be used as a nice appetizer to fill our your guests, so, theoretically, you could serve smaller main dish portions.
We live 5 hours away from a Trader Joes, so we buy cases of “Two Buck Chuck” Cabernet Sauvignon when we’re there. We find that many of our friends prefer a White Zin and we try to keep a good supply of that.
Blessings on your efforts.
Horray for Two Buck Chuck! Although where we buy it in Va (near the in-laws) it’s Three Buck Chuck, I believe because of liquor taxes.
i find that if i serve home-made bread or rolls, and homemade jam, it doesn’t matter what else i serve. everyone is happy. however, eric and i agree that we just need to take the cut and eat rice and beans an extra time a week for when we share our table and it cuts into the food budget.
i’ve been reading in “more with less” how we don’t need to expect fancy meals with lots of meat to show hospitality. i’ve also discovered this month that everyone has such a different idea of what foods are special. i roasted two chickens [mitford style] two weeks ago when a family came over, and they were amazed. the easiest meal, in my opinion, was a real treat to them. she only roasted one a year or so. it was as special as turkey to them.
to each their own!
We’re also big fans of Yellow Tail Shiraz, (which is more like 6 or 7 bucks, not 2) for a relatively inexpensive, but great wine. The Jacob’s Creek and Little Penguin labels are good bargains for good wines, too.
I’d have to admit, Adrienne’s RB&R is the best and soooooooo simple. Just takes some patience when you’re smelling it all afternoon. And if I can make it tastes good, anybody can. And you don’t have to make it hot.
Great ideas, everyone!
Thanks!
Hey, y’all have great ideas. One option, have breakfast food when you entertain. Unless you do mimosas or something like that, you won’t even need to serve alcohol, and most breakfast food ingredients are inexpensive. It is a nice change.
I think it is important to keep the spirit of things in mind. Our family was invited to dinner at a home once where the wife (and mother of five) served up pizza and a tossed salad. It was basic and easy, but it gave my mother so much comfort to see that entertaining didn’t have to be fancy. At the time my mother had 4 children under the age of 6 at home.
Nice meals are lovely and truly show you have put time and love into the meal. But cheap and easy meals come with conversation and fellowship that is equally as rewarding.
On a different note, a great cheap way to entertain is to throw a ‘bring your favorite hors d’oeuvres to share’ party. I did this in college once and it was a big hit. It allows you to have a large number of people over with minimal expense and work.
Oh…
Fajitas are a great cheap meal. Rice and refried beans on the side with some corn muffins and fresh fruit.
Just an FYI– they’ve opened a slew of new Trader Joe’s in and around the ATL recently. It’s 3 buck chuck, here, but still cheap. You could always come pick up some when you come through….or visit. ;)
I love this topic!
For dessert, sorbet can be really cheap and is totally elegant. I’ve made it a variety of ways, including: (a) buy a big can of peaches in heavy syrup, (b) blend, (c) freeze.
Meats suitable for braising are usually way cheaper than those suitable for roasting, and who can resist a braised roast?
Nothing says “love” more than chicken and dumplings, in my opinion.
Quiche, baby! Particularly as a take-over meal.
And speaking of take-over meals, when we had Ryan, the first person to bring us dinner was the Episcopal Bishop who used to live across the street … homemade macaroni and cheese with V-8 that his daughters made according to his mother’s recipe (his wife was in Africa at the time) (I should have gotten the recipe but didn’t) and a scrumptious green salad that had a yummy homemade garlicky dressing and homemade croutons. It was fabulous, and a gesture of love we will never forget. Mac and cheese! Cheap!
I feel the same burden. We love to entertain. I have actually just started a blog with this in mind.I have also found that cutting costs during the week seems to be the way to go. We have a pasta night and a beans and rice night each week.
Oh! My blog is feastingideas.blogspot.com.
Julie