We got invited to a New Year's Eve party! I am excited because, well, it's a party! But now I have to figure out how to use the food I bought for this week to make something to bring to share. Everyone was asked to bring something to share, and there should be enough food that we can skip dinner and eat at the party. But since I've already spent this weeks food money, I am going to go through what I have and see what I can make.
Being invited to a party and asked to contribute is always tough when we are on a budget. There have been times we have had to decline an invite because we couldn't contribute or couldn't afford to go out. That really stinks. It's hard too when you really want to go but are afraid what you bring will be looked down on. We have a desire to bring things at the same level as other people, and it can be really hard as some snacks are more expensive than a whole meal! Here at home we eat off brands and generics, but when we go somewhere, there is this pressure to show up with name brand things. Some people in our lives, it really doesn't matter what we bring as long as we show up, but other circumstances we are kind of needing to fulfill an expectation. With some of my people, I feel like I can be honest and tell them times are tight, but there are times when that is not the right path to take. We don't get invited out very often, it seems like people don't really do that anymore, so I hate having to decline. Hopefully when one of those events is on the calendar, I have enough time to either save up extra money, or to shop for ingredients as they come on sale.
There have been times when we have been invited out to a restaurant for a get together and because we couldn't afford for both or all of us to go, one of us has gone and the other has been "sick" saving the cost but still accepting the invitation and fulfilling the social obligation. The hardest thing to do though, is to stick to our guns and turn down something fun because you just cannot afford to go. I'm sorry that that happens.
There are tons of ideas all over the internet for budget conscious things to take, here are some ideas for inexpensive contributions to a carry in that I use regularly
- Deviled eggs
- Pasta salads
- Homemade cookies/brownies
- Homemade bread/corn bread
- Baked pasta dish, can be meatless
For this party, I am expected to bring a heartier kind of contribution, so I took inventory of what I had in the kitchen and in the end, I decided to swap tonight's dinner for Sunday's and make as many Lentil Biscuit Cups as I have ingredients for, I hope people like them as much as we do and that a vegetarian offering will be welcome.
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