Frugal Entertaining

Photo by Olena Sergienko on Unsplash

Do not be afraid. Seek out opportunities to show hospitality Romans 12:13

I recently saw a post on social media where a young married woman was lamenting that she couldn’t practice hospitality because of rising food costs. The young woman was asking advice on how she could continue to invite others into her home. She mentioned that she had guests over (often to spend the night) several times a week.

This post caused me to stop and think about how we have practiced hospitality in our home over the course of many years and the many financial situations we have found ourselves in.

In the early days, we would do potluck. We would provide the meat and our friends would bring a dish to pass. I remember when we adopted our son and daughter and the social workers along with their foster parents came for lunch. We had hot dogs and macaroni and cheese. It was a dinner to celebrate kids after all. We ate on paper plates on the deck while the kids ran around and checked out their new home and forming relationships with their new brothers. It was perfect.

Hospitality by definition is the friendly and generous reception and entertainment of guests. We can easily do that on a budget. Stock up on ingredients to make your signature dishes when they go on sale. Pasta frequently goes on sale, keep a package or two of ground beef and cheese in your freezer. You can even freeze the cottage or ricotta cheese. I recently found some cottage cheese on deep discount because it was nearing it’s best by date. I scooped that up and put it into my freezer. When you make one meal, make 2 and put the extra in the freezer.

There are a lot of really good freezer meals that you can make and have waiting for company. A quick search on the internet will give you more than you can sample!

You can even use leftovers to feed a large crowd. When my kids would show up at the house with a bunch of friends I would scour the fridge first to see if I have anything I could throw together as a casserole. A bowl of spaghetti, fry up some ground beef, add a jar of spaghetti or pizza sauce and top it with cheese. Pop it in the oven to warm through and there you go. Having bread or a quick roll recipe that you could add extends the food and helps to fill hungry tummies. Potatoes and rice are other ways to fill stomachs and stretch a meal. Add a vegetable and you’re set.

When people come to your home, they are really there to see and spend time with you. So do that. Invite guests into your kitchen and let them help. I find it so much easier to talk when my hands are busy.

Hospitality doesn’t have to happen in your home either. I’ve gotten to know people better by running errands with them or driving them to the doctors or some other appointment.

We have to remember that hospitality is more about our spirit than our stomachs. We want to build relationship, that is where the investment comes in. Spending time with each other. Finding a way to connect. Allowing the messiness of relationship to fill your life. This is hospitality.