This post is part of my ongoing series on hospitality.

While you can certainly show hospitality on paper plates (I encourage doing this often!), it actually becomes more cost-effective over time to invest in some great dishes and serving pieces for showing hospitality.  Here are my top picks for the basics!  (I won’t call these essentials because you don’t have to have them in order to practice hospitality… but they are nice to collect over time!)

-Dishes
To start with, buy enough to serve as many people as your dining room will hold.  (Work up to this over time if money is tight.)  For me, this is sixteen.  Sixteen people in my dining room is totally pushing it, but we’ve done it twice (once for a ladies Bible study dinner and once for a youth Christmas party).  I recommend and use white Corelle dishes.  I bought most of mine at an outlet store before we got married and the rest were a gift.  I have two patterns (plain white and white with a raised swirl design), and no one cares that they aren’t a perfect match (I actually like the look!).

-Silverware
Buy enough to serve as many people as your dining room will hold.  We received lovely flatware as a wedding present, and it is one of our most-used gifts!

-Glasses
Buy enough to serve as many people as your dining room will hold.  I’m still working on getting up to sixteen matching glasses, but I have twelve that match plus another similar set I could use in a pinch.  I like the $4.79/6 red wine glasses from IKEA.  They are lovely for serving ice water and they are SO cheap that if one breaks it’s just no big deal.

-Bread basket
Useful for chips, bread, rolls, or buns, this can be as simple as a basket from the dollar store lined with a napkin, or it can be something fancier (handmade basket, fabric liner, etc.).  I just use a simple basket lined with a colorful paper napkin.

-Serving platters
I’ve been collecting white serving platters so that I would have the appropriate sized plate/platter to serve food on.  I love getting serving pieces as gifts, so I’ve acquired some that way as well.

-Serving dishes
I was blessed to receive a whole bunch of beautiful white serving/casserole dishes when we got married, so I definitely put those to work on a regular basis!  Dishes with handles are great for serving meals family-style.

-Water pitcher
I like to leave the water pitcher on the table so that refills are easy.  I have several beautiful pitchers that are appropriate for almost any gathering.  I also have some plastic pitchers for more casual gatherings.

-Cloth or paper napkins
We use cloth napkins all the time at home, so I often use those when we have company too.  But because some people aren’t used to using cloth napkins (and it causes parents of kids to stress out a little bit), I often use cute paper napkins too.  This is a fun way to add some color or seasonal inspiration to your table!

-Trivets
I use swirly “wrought-iron” trivets and green woven trivets to keep hot dishes off the table.  The woven trivets are useful for passing dishes as well, since they can act as a potholder.

-Tablecloths
Depending on your “style,” tablecloths can be a nice addition to your hospitality collection.  I have a really
long table, so it’s a little harder to find tablecloths that are long enough.  I have a few in neutral colors that I use regularly (the white one is my favorite), but I don’t always use a tablecloth.

-Decorative items
I like to have a pretty centerpiece on the table that is appropriate for the season and the occasion.  I usually just utilize items I have on hand (candles, vases, a pretty cloth napkin, etc.).  Sometimes I can afford to get some fresh flowers for the table.  Of course, if you garden, you can use flowers more often than I can!  In the fall I will use a pumpkin and some beautiful leaves.  I like to bring in holly or evergreen branches in the wintertime.  Get creative using what you have, but also watch for clearance sales after holidays when you can pick up pretty seasonal items on the cheap.

Here are a few of my favorite places to shop for the above items:
-IKEA (glasses, paper napkins, candles, vases)
-Ross (serving platters and dishes, tablecloths, decorative items)
-T.J. Maxx (baskets, serving platters and dishes, decorative items)
-Marshall’s (serving platters and dishes, decorative items)
-Home Goods (paper napkins, baskets, serving platters and dishes, pitchers, decorative items)
-Target (silverware, cloth napkins, serving dishes, pitchers, decorative items)
-Dollar Tree (baskets, woven trivets, some seasonal decorative items)

Where are your favorite places to shop for these hospitality basics?

This post is part of my ongoing series on hospitality.

For our family, sometimes the biggest challenge to showing hospitality is our limited budget.  I have to be creative in order to feed our family healthy meals each week, and sometimes I wonder how I could make a “company-worthy” meal without spending any additional money that week.

I have found time and time again that God meets our needs and allows us to give to others of our resources and time.

I love these verses in 2 Corinthians 9:

“God loves a cheerful giver.  And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work.  As it is written, ‘He has distributed freely, he has given to the poor; his righteousness endures forever.’  He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness.  You will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way, which through us will produce thanksgiving to God” (7b-11).

The point of these verses is that God will give us what we need and bless our generosity towards others.  Everything we have belongs to Him anyway, and cheerfulness in giving also applies to cheerfulness in showing hospitality.  Let’s give freely of the blessings God has given us!

The truth is, as we discussed briefly before, our guests don’t expect us to serve prime rib.  The best way to make our guests feel comfortable in our home is to treat them like family.  Lately as we have had friends and family over, I’ve tried to make “normal” meals that our family typically eats, not extravagant recipes that cost a fortune and have me cooking all day.

On a practical note, here are some things to keep in mind when showing hospitality on a tight budget.

• Serve inexpensive foods, such as pasta or rice, but serve them in a delicious way (i.e. stuffed shells or a cheesy rice bake) and make plenty.  
• Try making an easy bread recipe (this one is impossibly easy) and keep the bread basket filled throughout dinner.  Or buy French bread from the store and serve that.  
• Make a big salad that is large enough for everyone to get seconds.  
• Other inexpensive recipes are soups of various kinds, chili, and spaghetti.  Cooking any recipe from scratch (instead of using frozen or canned convenience foods) will help keep the cost down (i.e. homemade spaghetti sauce vs. jarred).  
• Serve vegetables and fruits that are in season, or stick with canned/frozen veggies.  Canned green beans are inexpensive and taste great when cooked all day with a few pieces of ham.
• Serve water instead of soda or tea.  I almost always serve guests water when they come (often with lemon or lime), and no one has walked out as a result.  😉  I always serve brewed coffee during dessert, but the cost of that is minimal.
• Develop a repertoire of meals you like to make for company, and then shop for non-perishable ingredients for those meals when things go on sale.  
• It’s okay to not serve dessert, if that isn’t something you can afford to do.  On the other hand, there are a lot of easy and inexpensive dessert recipes which are fun to serve company (homemade cookies or brownies are always popular).  Try not to go overboard on an extravagant (expensive) dessert.  A trifle made with angel food cake or pound cake, fresh berries, and whipped cream can be lovely yet frugal.
• If your guests offer to bring something, say yes!  It’s okay to be specific and ask if they would like to bring garlic bread or a tossed salad.  

What are your best tips for showing hospitality on a budget?