SOURCE: Windermere

There’s nothing better than spending time with family and friends. When we’re sharing memories—or making new ones—we feel close to our loved ones and reaffirm our bonds to each other. If you’re the one hosting a get together though, the expenses of feeding and entertaining everyone can quickly add up.

Whether you’re inviting family over for a holiday celebration, hosting a birthday or graduation party, or just want to hang out with a few friends, we’ve got some tips to keep costs down while ensuring everyone has a good time.

Plan a Potluck

Perhaps the simplest, and most obvious, way to keep food expenses down when hosting is to ask your guests to contribute. Consider splitting up assignments by first letter of last names. For instance, last names starting with A-H bring beverages, I-P bring sides, Q-V bring salads, and W-Z bring desserts. This works well for holiday gatherings, but only use the letter assignment system if you’re not hosting a lot of family members who share the same last name!

Gather for Games

Board games, charades, or Pictionary using an easel are fun for all ages, and no one expects a full meal while you’re playing. Games can create a fun theme for birthday or anniversary parties, too. Provide a few snacks, beverages, and the games themselves and you’re all set.

Make It a Movie Night

With streaming services and inexpensive rentals like Redbox, having friends over to watch a flick is an easy and affordable way to spend time together. Supply the popcorn (and maybe a few of your favorite kinds of candy) and you and your guests are in for an evening of fun for only a few dollars. Movie nights are a fun idea for older kids and teens as well. Whether you want to turn it into a slumber party is up to you!

Bake up Brunch

There are a million ways to use the relatively inexpensive grocery items like eggs, potatoes, and pancake mix to whip up a delicious brunch. Egg casseroles or quiches with fresh veggies are easy to make ahead of time and can expand how many people a few eggs can feed. Hashbrowns or home fries are instant crowd pleasers. And who doesn’t love pancakes?

The best thing about brunch is that you can serve it anytime. Whether your invitation list consists of early risers or sleepy heads, anytime between 9:00 AM and early afternoon is perfectly appropriate.

Shop Your Own Supply

Using what you already have stocked in your fridge and pantry is not only less spendy than a big store run, but it’s also handy if a party comes together at the last minute. Fruit, crackers, and cheese can quickly turn into attractive and tasty appetizers. Any kind of protein, rice, some beans, tortillas, and cheese can turn into a make-your-own taco bar.

Scope out the Sales

If you’ve got enough of a head start, planning the food and beverages you’re going to offer at your shindig around weekly or seasonal sales can save a pretty penny. Keep an eye out for grocery store circulars, coupons, and online ads that offer special deals on party favorites like soda, chips, and crackers. Shopping early can also pay off for big holiday meals. For example, many stores sell frozen turkeys weeks before Thanksgiving for a fraction of what you’ll pay for a fresh turkey the week of.

Serve a Signature Cocktail (or Mocktail)

Stocking a bar can easily become your party’s biggest expense, especially if your guests expect premium booze. Instead of purchasing all the bar staples and several varieties of beer and wine, create a signature cocktail (or mocktail) that only calls for a few ingredients and that you can make in advance. Sangrias, mojitos, and margaritas are great in big batches. A simple sorbet punch is a sure winner for the mocktail inclined.

Leave the Music to Us

Setting the tone with music is key to a great time. Windermere Real Estate has several playlists ready-made for your event. Choose one based on the vibe you’re going for from dinner to pool parties.

Follow us on Spotify

We hope these ideas help inspire you to host a gathering of your loved ones soon!

SOURCE: Windermere

SOURCE: Windermere

Whether you want to use less energy to reduce your carbon footprint or your monthly costs, there are plenty of easy ways to conserve the electricity and natural gas you’re using in your home. Energy conservation can be as simple as closing your curtains, changing a light bulb, turning down your thermostat, or closing the fireplace damper. Many of the most inexpensive solutions quickly pay for themselves in conservation, which you ultimately benefit from when you get your power bill.

Do Your Chores During “Off Peak” Hours

One of the biggest ways you can conserve energy is to take advantage of “off-peak” hours. This is a step that everyone can take because it simply involves shifting your use of major appliances, such as ovens, washing machines, dryers, and dishwashers, to a time when the demand on the power supply is lower.

Check with your power company to see if they have peak hour rate changes and adjust your schedule as you can to do your laundry and dishes during the off-peak times.

And when it’s time, upgrade your large appliances to Energy Star products for the most efficient and use of your power.

Small Changes in Your Laundry Cycle

Another way you can save energy is by washing your clothes in cold water and only running full loads. This reduces the need for your machine to heat the water and has the double benefit of keeping your clothes in good condition for longer, further reducing your textile waste when you don’t have to replace your clothes as often.

To speed up the clothes drying process, add a dry towel or two to your machine to soak up excess moisture. Another option is wool dryer balls which not only help clothes dry faster, but you can also add drops of your favorite essential oils in place of single-use dryer sheets, which cause dust build up in your dryer vents and add to the landfill.

It’s also important to keep to a maintenance schedule with your washer and dryer. Clear out the lint trap after every load and make sure the dryer hose and vent are clear. Clean the filter on your washer once a month to keep things running efficiently.

Heating and Cooling Tips

Heating and cooling systems account for almost half of home energy consumption but luckily there are several easy ways you can reduce your home’s demand.

Conventional measures, such as setting back your thermostat, are effective at lowering your energy use and costs. In fact, the Department of Energy estimates you can save 10 percent on your power bill if you turn your thermostat temperature down by 10 degrees for eight hours a day. Here are a few ways you can reduce energy consumption and save money:

1. Experiment with the temperature that you’re most comfortable with to determine if you can keep your thermostat set to a lower temperature.
2. Set a schedule on your thermostat to change the temperature of your home when you’re asleep or not home, in the winter set it lower, in the summer set it higher.
3. Close your blinds and shades to keep the air from escaping through the windows, and to keep the sun from heating up the air inside your home.
4. Keep the fireplace damper closed unless you have a fire burning. Leaving the damper open can cause drafts and heat loss throughout your house.

It’s also important to keep your HVAC system clean and maintained. Change your furnace filter frequently, clear out any dusty ducts, and keep the air in your home clean with air purifiers. Doing so will enable your heating system to run more efficiently and be more cost-effective.

Update Your Lighting

It’s estimated that lighting accounts for 15 percent of your overall home energy bill, so another way you can conserve, other than turning the lights off when you leave a room, is by using energy-saving light emitting diodes (LEDs).

LEDs use about 90% less energy and last up to 25x longer than incandescent lightbulbs. They’re available in a number of shapes, sizes, and tones, making it an easy replacement for almost any bulb in your home. When shopping for LEDs, look for those with the Energy Star label on them—this ensures that you’re purchasing a product that has been approved by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE).

SOURCE: Windermere