The frugal holiday host

Part of the fun for holidays like Christmas is the opportunity to visit relatives and friends and spend quality time with them. As a child, it was a joy going from one uncle’s house to another, sometime with my mother and siblings. We also received visitors during this period – a lot of them. About 80 percent of the times, these visits were unplanned.

An aunt you have not seen for who knows when suddenly appears on front door and marches in as soon as the door is opened. Other times, your mother barges in with old friends; she insists you must meet and entertain too. By the time the “goodbyes” are over, your wallet is crying red. With the effect of the recession hitting many people’s income, budgets for the 2016 holiday may be tighter and less than what it used to be. But you do not want people visiting your home to think you are cheap – that is normal.

We got some answers for you on how to achieve this and limit surprise expenses. Get down to business by making an itinerary for the holiday. Plan the activities you will be engaging in on a day-by-day basis. For instance, plan meals for each day to avoid eating out. However, if you intend taking some special guests out on a special meal, scope out the restaurants beforehand. You can reduce the selection to two restaurants and give the guests the opportunity to choose one out of the two.

If eating out is not in the itinerary, then plan fun activities for each day they visit. Fun activities could include staying indoors, renting a movie and snacking on healthy fruits you put together before hand. For guests that are crazy about football, plan to take them to see a match at the local football field if there is any going on. You pack a little picnic for everyone. Carefully plan your meals. Avoid less complicated dishes and go for affordable but healthy ingredients that can feed a lot of people. If you have time, you can start buying the extra ingredients over the course of several weeks so your budget does not take a hit from extra mouths to feed all in one week.

Do not wait until the guests arrive and inform you they did not come with toiletries. Stuck up the guest room ahead of time with items like tissue papers, shampoo, conditioner and body wash. You do not need outlandish holiday decorations. The truth is they only get noticed on the first day of arrival, when the guests settle in, they are distracted by more important things like catching up on all the hot topics you and them have missed. Besides, your over decorated house may constitute an impediment if the guests are to arrive with boxes.

Also plan the events you will be attending with your guests. During the holidays, a lot of relations get married, retire, do thanksgiving, celebrate new wealth etc. There is always the possibility that you will be invited to many of these occasions and you will not be going alone. Do not intend to impress your guests.