Dinner Parties on the (Ultra) Cheap

1 Look to the East. While a French-inspired dinner might feel odd without a bit of fish or boeuf, countries with long vegetarian or semivegetarian traditions like India, Thailand, and Japan offer tons of budget-friendly nonmeat recipes. Concentrate on one central bean- or noodle-based dish, with multiple simple, colorful veggie sides.

2 If you do choose meat, stick to cheaper cuts like skirt steak, top blade roast, pork shoulder, and chicken thigh. Yeah, they might need a bit of extra attention and longer cooking times. But money can’t buy those deep, rich flavors. These are the types of cuts used in hearty Tuscan stews, Moroccan chicken, and apricot tagine, to name a few.

3 Eat family-style, with guests serving themselves from big platters. It’s more efficient, and makes big, budget-conscious stews and curries look homey, not sloppy.

4 Take advantage of ethnic markets. Some things I found at the Indian grocery store this week: three apples for $1. Two red bell peppers for $1. Papaya for 99 cents a pound. An eight-ounce bag of ground cayenne for $2.19. Latin American tiendas are great for onions, tomatillos, rice, and cornmeal. Chinese or Japanese markets sometimes have steals on fresh-made tofu.

5 Buy in bulk. Things like lentils, chickpeas, grated coconut, and rice are way cheaper out of the bulk bin at your local co-op or ethnic market. Spices too; rather than spend $13.99 on a canister of ground cardamom that will go stale before you can use it all, get a tablespoon or two for less than a dollar.

6 Make one simple cocktail, like vodka Gimlets, Dark ’n’ Stormies, or Mint Juleps, instead of buying multiple bottles of wine and beer. A $12 bottle of vodka will go further than a $12 bottle of wine. Take a look at this CHOW Tip on premaking cocktails before your guests arrive. You can go even cheaper by just making a cocktail base—Mint Syrup, say—and telling your guests to bring mixable libations like vodka and rum. Or buy the hooch yourself and tell your guests to bring the mixer of their choice.

7 Forget the florist. The afternoon before my guests arrive, you’ll find me slinking around the railroad tracks like a serial killer with a pair of scissors, looking for wild butterfly weed or scarlet Virginia creeper. In cold weather, a few shapely rust-colored leaves or knotty winter twigs look fresh and abstract piled in a series of contemporary bowls. Or why not just elevate your favorite small houseplant to centerpiece status: A cactus or a kalanchoe raised up on a pile of vintage books lends an offbeat vibe to the buffet.

8 Decorate the table and sideboard with found objects: antique milk glass, an old ice cream churn, colorful paper parasols. Or mix up vintage and modern dishes for striking effect. Check out this article on reinventing the table setting for inspiration.