Cheap and Fancy Dinner Party Ideas

Dinners can be incredibly expensive, especially when they have to be fancy dinners. Luckily, there are a number of tricks for cutting the costs of a dinner party. Below you will find these tricks revealed in five categories: drinks, appetizers, salad, main course, and dessert. While using these tricks to prepare your fancy dinner, keep in mind that presentation is everything and that nice dishes, a few candles and a little classical music can go a long way.

For The Drinks: Unfortunately, at a fancy dinner you will almost always have to serve alcoholic beverages. Even more unfortunate is the fact that it is almost impossible to find really cheap wine that is still good wine so you will have to spring for the cost. Here are some tips to minimize that cost.

• Ask a guest to bring a bottle or two of wine so you don’t have to buy as much.
• Keep the wine bottle out of reach so people do not mindlessly refill their glasses with your expensive wine (This also helps prevent drunken guests).
• In addition to the wine serve other, cheaper, beverages like sparkling water or beer.

For The Appetizers: It is incredibly tempting to buy beautiful, expensive appetizers and therefore a lot of the budget for a dinner party ends up being used on this minor part of the meal. To cut cost, chose one or more of the following simple, cheap ideas.

• On an elegant platter arrange a few wedges of cheese (Bleu cheese and Brie are always favorites) and an assortment of cheap crackers.
• Serve French bread and an assortment of meats (such as salami slices) on a fancy platter.
• Serve olives in small bowls arranged around the pre-dinner gathering place.
• Make deviled eggs from scratch and serve them at the party.

For The Salad: Put together a simple salad with lettuce, cucumber, and tomatoes. While it may be tempting to add other veggies to the salad, it is rarely noticed. Do not toss the salad (by leaving the cucumbers and tomato on top, it looks like you have more variety). For the dressing, use a dressing mix (these are a lot less expensive then already prepared dressings and you can put it in a more elegant bottle).

For The Main Dish: The main dish, surprisingly, can actually be the cheapest part of the meal. To make your dinner cheap all you have to do is serve pasta. Pasta is a fancy, timeless dish, yet it is actually quite inexpensive. However, to keep the pasta dish elegant, follow the tips below.

• Avoid spaghetti, as this is a more common place dish, and instead go for a more unusual type of pasta.
• Do not use a white sauce. While a white sauce may seem more unique, it does not provide any color contrast and therefore is not as appealing to the eye.
• If you have time, make the pasta sauce by hand. It adds a personal touch to the meal and it often tastes better.

For The Dessert: Like appetizers, it is tempting to serve fancy, expensive desserts. Instead, choose one of the two ideas below.

• Strawberry Shortcake: You can use your own recipe for strawberry shortcake or follow these guidelines: Buy Bisquick pancake and follow the shortcake recipe on the back. Once the shortcake is prepared place it on individual plates. Right before you are ready to serve desert, put the plates into the oven for a few minutes. Then, cover each shortcake with a strawberry sauce (puree frozen strawberries and some sugar) and whipped cream. This fairly inexpensive dessert looks fancy and is delicious.
• Chocolate Volcano Cake. A number of brands make a mix for small chocolate volcano cakes that can be served to each guest. You can find them in your baking isle.