Fun-Packed Thanksgiving on a Budget

Fun-Packed Thanksgiving on a Budget Are you staying on campus over Thanksgiving break? Whatever the reason, you dont have to feel like a misfit – just throw your own fun-packed â€Å"friendsgiving† party and invite everyone else whos not going home for the weekend. If money is an issue, you should know that having a bigger budget does not mean having more fun! In fact, the low-budget DIY atmosphere of it all might bring you closer together. If youre sneering, remember that this holiday is about being grateful for what you have. Invite Everyone You Know – and Dont Know If all the people you regularly hang out with are away, turn to social media! Use the Facebook group for your campus to find others who are staying at school for the holiday, and message them to see if theyre down to spend the evening with other â€Å"orphans†. Use that number to approximate how many people are coming, and, hey, maybe you can get away with hosting this thing at your dorm room. Whats Your Budget? If it turns out that more people are interested than you think you can accommodate, consider asking them for some money – not literally charging at the door, but a small donation, whatever they can, to help out with the cost of food and refreshments. Add that to the money youre putting up yourself, and you have your budget! Heres how you should distribute the money: 70% on food, drinks and all the paraphernalia like cups, paper plates and utensils. The rest is for entertainment purposes. Decide on the Menu Whats Thanksgiving without stuffing your face? If you have access to a proper kitchen, youre in luck and can plan to cook all the Thanksgiving staples youre used to having at home – mashed potatoes, turkey with cranberry sauce, and all the rest. Contact the other â€Å"orphans†, and see if theyd be able to volunteer to help you cook the food. If you dont have the resources to cook your own food, make use of your local supermarkets catering. Its going to be more expensive than cooking your own food, but you need to eat something, right? You also have the option of only buying the essentials on your own, and making the dinner a potluck affair. If youre going to throw a potluck, though, you might have to reconsider asking them for money in the first place – both is going to be a bit much. If potluck is the way youre going to go, it might also make sense to make the party BYOB. Buy some small amount of refreshments on your own and dont forget the ice. The rest is up to your guests. If youre planning to have turkey, youre going to have to buy one on your own. Its very large and will probably end up being the most expensive thing on the table, so dont count on anyone else to bring it, unless, of course, they say they will. Games and Activities If you have access to a television, youd better set it up wherever youre having the party ahead of time. Thanksgivings nothing to the football fans if not a chance to watch some TV while eating traditional foods. For those who dont want to just sit and stare into a screen, get some games set up. The football fans might like to play a quick friendly match after theyve watched the game. For the rest, think of something you can do sitting down, since, if everythings gone according to plan, everyone will be too stuffed to move anyway. If your first thought is board games, reconsider. Board games are wholesome fun for the whole family, sure, but youre college students, for goodness sakes! Choose your favorite drinking game, and leave Scrabble for the kids. Dont Forget to Have Fun After all this planning and budgeting and preparing, you should let yourself relax. Dont designate yourself the role of being the one to tell everyone to use coasters. Let go and have some fun yourself. Make some friends, make some jokes, do something embarrassing youre going to remember with horror for the next five years, and then remember fondly as a part of your college life.