How to Host a Budget Friendly Friendsgiving | Tips for an Affordable Friendsgiving

This post is about hosting a cheap, budget friendly Friendsgiving.

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Friendsgiving is an amazing way to get together with friends before heading into finals season and off to winter break. Unfortunately, if you are hosting Friendsgiving, the list of items that you are expected to buy may seem monumental!

There are some easy ways that you can save big bucks when planning your Friendsgiving celebration. In this post, I show you my best tips and tricks for hosting the most budget friendly Friendsgiving as possible. This year, host an extremely memorable Friendsgiving without breaking the bank!

Here are 9 ways to throw a cheap Friendsgiving that will still create amazing memories.

Budget-Friendly Friendsgiving Tips

Make it a potluck

The largest chunk of change that you'll spend on a Friendsgiving celebration will definitely be on the food. To help combat this, simply make it a potluck! All of your friends will be able to bring their favorite dishes, and you can all sample other family favorites. Plus, you're saving tons of money by spreading out the expenses! Here are some simple and easy Friendsgiving table setting ideas to make your table festive.

Skip Decorations or DIY Them

Another big portion of your budget can easily go to decorations. You'll see lots of pressure to make your house Instagram perfect for this event. However, this can get way too expensive way too fast. If you're hosting a more casual Friendsgiving, go ahead and skip the decorations! Or, if you're more crafty, keep it budget friendly and DIY your Friendsgiving decor.

Make it a Thanksgiving Leftovers Party

If both you and your friends are on a tight budget, consider having Friendsgiving after actual Thanksgiving. This may seem counter-intuitive, but you usually can snatch some leftovers from the Thanksgiving celebrations you attend with your family. Then, you all can round up the leftovers you collected and have a (nearly) free Friendsgiving!

Keep it small and intimate

This tip is pretty simple - the more people there are, the more expensive it will get. If you will be buying most of the supplies for the party, it's a good idea to keep the party to your closest friends to cut down on costs. On our list of Friendsgiving game ideas, we have ways to have fun while still keeping budget in mind.

Related: Friendsgiving Decor on Amazon | Best Affordable Friendsgiving Decor

Get Turkey on Sale, Substitute It, or Skip It

Sometimes, a turkey is just too expensive to have - especially when you are trying to host the most budget friendly Friendsgiving. Sometimes, you can catch a turkey on sale right after Thanksgiving, so you might want to consider having your Friendsgiving right after the actual Thanksgiving day. If you can't find a turkey on sale, consider a different kind of meat, or just skip the turkey all together. With Friendsgiving being a secondary Thanksgiving, no one will be missing the turkey!

Food as Party Favors

A great way to make your Friendsgiving memorable is to send everyone home with some food! Buy some containers in bulk, and send everyone home with some leftovers and a container that they can keep.

Plan Early

You would be surprised how much money you can save just by planning in advance and keeping an eye on the sales. Whenever stuff goes on sale, you can stock up for your Friendsgiving celebration. Buying everything last minute will eat up a ton of your budget!

Don't Splurge on Snacks or Drinks

It may feel natural to make sure that you have tons and tons of snacks and drinks, but this can end up being a disproportionate amount of your budget. Have people bring their own drinks, and if you don't host your Friendsgiving as a potluck, ask them to bring a snack! Check out our Friendsgiving drink ideas for inspo on affordable ideas to make yourself or ask a friend to bring.

Go Generic

I used to be extremely partial to name brands, and think that they were inherently better. However, when I got off my high horse and tried out some generic brands, I realized that most of the time they were exactly the same product - right down to the ingredient list. Generic brands are extremely discounted when compared to their name brand counterparts, and usually are just the same, if not better.