People are finding new ways or re-discovering old ways to entertain themselves.
We are social creatures and need to lighten up occasionally.
If you are nervous, invite a friend to help or start out small.
Here are some ideas I know about having some fun: 1.
BYO (Bring Your Own)--Once when I was bored and my husband was out of town, I decided to throw a party.
Our local grocery store was having a special on lobster, one of my favorite foods, for $5.
99/lb.
So, I invited my friends and their kids and asked them to bring their own lobster and I would supply the salad, corn on the cob and cookies for dessert.
We had the best time! Do a "Bring Your Own Steak" or "Bring Your Own Kebab" or whatever.
Give prizes for the best looking entrée.
(Feed the kids cheap pizza while you enjoy your entrée.
) 2.
DVD Swap--Invite your friends and set up a table in your driveway or somewhere in the house.
Make ground rules such as: all DVD's to be clearly marked with owner's name, no more than six DVD's to be swapped, all DVD's to be returned in two month's time, etc.
Serve snacks, lawn chairs and see what develops.
3.
Tea Party--For my daughter's sixth birthday, she wanted to have a fancy tea party.
I let her invite four or five friends and we hit the resale shop for fancy hats and gowns.
Each girl had a budget of $5.
They had so much fun shopping! Then we came home, made drawstring bags to go on their wrists and had a sleepover.
The next day was busy making tiny sandwiches and cookies.
For the grand finale their moms had to pick them up wearing a fancy hat and we all sat down to tea.
It was great and cheap! 4.
Clothing Swap--Girls, especially teenagers are never happy with their clothes.
Invite a handful over and have them swap outfits.
Limit the number of swaps that they can make, decide if it is for keeps or not, and then donate the rest to charity.
The girls can sleepover, listen to music, and try on clothes until late at night.
A girl party that's easy! 5.
Game Night--If you have cards or games, invite a few friends over for game night.
The other day we played a dice game called "Farkle.
" Completely mindless but fun.
I love Scrabble, card games, Pig; just about anything.
Serve iced tea, cookies, or burgers and fries.
Whatever the menu, just have some fun with friends and famiily.
6.
Video Night--Depending on your stock of video games, it can be fun to swap or just have other people over to play with you.
My boys regularly do this with the Scouts and it is lots of fun.
Put a time limit on each game so that different players get a chance.
Serve snacks and let the games begin! 7.
Pot Luck Dinner--You can do this with your neighbors or with some friends.
Everyone brings something.
We usually divide up the alphabet into three groups: A-K brings entrees, L-T brings veggies, and U-Z brings desserts.
The next time switch: A-K brings desserts, L-T entrees and U-Z does vegetables and so on.
You can have one every other month or when the mood hits you.
In one neighborhood they do this as a group and appoint one house as entrees, another serves vegetables, and the last house is desserts.
The last house is generally where everyone ends up and the party really gets rolling there.
8.
Television Sport Party--In my old neighborhood one of the guys had a huge television in his garage.
Every time a major football game was scheduled, the garage door was flung open and the driveway and street were crammed with pickup trucks.
There were tons of men in the garage, all focused on the television (not a big screen).
The women were inside having some girl fun of their own.
9.
Dessert Party--After one year of marriage I borrowed my mom's Martha Stewart's Entertaining and had a party to celebrate our anniversary.
I made about twelve of her easier desserts and invited my friends over.
We had coffee, tea and dessert and more dessert! It was fabulous! With a little ingenuity or even a lame excuse, you can throw a party for very little money.
You'll have fun, and your guests will too.
Parties are good for the soul and for business.
Get started!