Joelen from Joelen’s Culinary Adventures has so many practical and economical tips on her blog. When it comes to throwing get-togethers, she’s the one to go to for advice… and have you checked out the mouthwatering assortment of recipes on her blog? You’ll definitely want to take home leftovers if you go over Joelen’s house for dinner ;).

I asked Joelen to be our guest for Tips and Tricks Friday this week because she has great advice on how to host a fun and affordable dinner party. Speaking of being affordable, dining out is not! This is why I love Joelen’s Food Exchange idea so much! You can try new foods (almost like dining out) but you don’t have to pay extra! How does it work? Well… read on!

A great way to gather your friends and family for a dinner party on a budget is to make it a potluck! I host weekly potluck dinner parties often with some kind of theme and friends/family come over to share a dish to pass. We’ve found that this is a great way to: try a variety of dishes without all the time, effort and costs! Having a theme for everyone to use as a guideline for your dinner party makes it easier for you as the host and your guests to decide on what to bring. Perhaps you can choose a specific ethnic cuisine (Italian, Mexican, Asian, etc.) or maybe a type of cuisine (fondue, teaparty, picnic, etc)… either way, you can be sure that the table will include a wonderful spread for everyone to enjoy.

I’m an avid foodie and I organize a large cooking group here in Chicago called, What’s Cookin’ Chicago. Each month we host 3 potluck events including:

Chef Spotlight Dinners - potluck dinner event where everyone prepares a dish based on a specific chef or a group of chefs

Wine & Dine Dinners - potluck dinner event where everyone prepares a dish based on a specific cuisine where we match up with wine and drinks

Foodie Films Luncheon - potluck luncheon event where everyone prepares a dish based on the storyline of a movie, which we watch together after lunch

These events allowed our friends to get together and enjoy wonderful food and drinks on a budget!

Another budget friendly idea to eat on a budget during the week is hosting a food exchange or swap. My friends and I get together every month for brunch on the last Sunday of the month for our Brunch & Barter event. This event allows my friends and I to make a one large batch of a specific dish to share. Everyone decides on a dish they’d like to make, prepare it and package it up in entree sized (freezer safe) storage containers, enough for each person who will be joining us for brunch. We bring them with us to the brunch spot we’re meeting at and after our brunch, we talk about the dish we made and pass them out for everyone to take home. It’s a twist on the popular holiday cookie swaps many folks participate in during the holidays… only instead of cookies, we’re swapping entrees! These have been a great and delicious time saver and these days we don’t spend money on lunch as we used to!

For details on how to host a food exchange, you can check out my detailed post HERE!

~ Joelen
Joelen’s Culinary Adventures