Oh, the holidays—the season of gift buying, turkey dinners, and annual visits from parents and in-laws. If you’re feeling anxious about cash flow and keeping visiting relatives entertained, don’t worry. You’re not alone, and whether your relatives are coming to visit for a night, a weekend, or a week, we have five cash saving, parent-impressing ideas just for you:
1) Create your own city tour—Take your family or friends on a dumpling crawl of Chinatown or a trip to your favorite antique and thrift shops—show them what makes you love the place you call home.
2) Learn something—Do your guests have a passion for great food or a curiosity for the arts? Find a local sushi-making class or go to a museum—spend some quality time together, while enjoying things you already love.
3) Go see a show—Whether you live in the big city or in the middle of America, there are always dozens of plays, comedy shows and concerts to enjoy. Groupon, and Living Social frequently offer half-price tickets to events so you might be able to find some in your budget and be able treat your guests to a night out, for less!
4) Just ask—Before they come to town, ask what they want to see most—it will save you from spending money on things that don’t interest them, and give you a chance to budget for what they like most.
5) Take a break from hosting—As much as they love you, even relatives may want some alone time to explore. Give your guests the gift of local insight with a homemade city guide, detailing all the places they should go visit…or eat, on their own.
Do you have any other good ideas for ways to entertain family and friends for cheap?
If you like this post, you will probably also like:
How to Vacation on a Budget
How to Plan Now for Less Stressful, Happy Holidays!
Party On! (Without Breaking the Bank)
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Host most meals at home, it is much cheaper and you will have more fun enjoying each others conversation and company. You can freeze a lot of things in advance and pull out the night before to make the next day that way you aren't tied to the kitchen the whole time they are there.
ReplyDeleteThanks for posting! I'm hosting my first dinner party in two weeks! Ahhhhh!
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