Social planning, HALP!

[TheOldWolf]

So, in the coming new year I intend to be more social, one eensy little problem. I don't know how.
Whoops.
It's not as bad as it sounds, I can go out and have a general chat with a random stranger and that's all fine and dandy.

It's a case of I'm often loathe to spend money, on anything.
My question is, for those who have a social life that revolves around going out and playing host, how much do these cost for you on average?

If I want to have guests over whats a good way to entertain them outside of going "I own a TV, pick something to watch.", any party games to suggest or general things everybody loves to play, what sorts of food should I as host provide. If I'm doing a semi-open invite event, what's a good way to ensure the safety of myself as a home owner while making my guests feel comfortable?

Any feed back on the topic of "being a good socialite" will be greatly appreciated!

Humbly,
-The Old Wolf.

[Adagio]

Well... Most of the times I was social. It was at a mall, with me and a friend or 2... I usually covered my own expenses. Or covered someone elses because they came a long way to see me, or covered mine at some point... In these cases. Usually under R200...

But thats not what you're asking is it?

[Leeward]

Ooh I know this one! But I'm falling asleep right now so I'll answer in the morning.

[TheOldWolf]

Hmm. Under two hundred for an outing. I had thought maybe R60 was expensive.
But doable with a bit of budgeting and careful use of money.
Thanks Adagio!

[Leeward]

All right! So. Entertaining doesn't have to be costly to be fun.

Something that usually works very well is a bring-and-braai. For that you only need to provide the basics: seating, firewood/charcoal (cost depends where you buy), a few soft drinks/mixers like coke or sprite, and if you're feeling generous some drinks like a case of beer or a box of wine, but if you can't then specify BYOB to your guests. Otherwise something my mate and I love to do with our friends is take turns hosting dinner parties, which is a great way to expand your culinary repertoire. For a larger number of people, one idea we had that was a big hit was getting some pizza dough from Panarotti's (yes, they sell it, for like R10/kg) and making our own pizzas. Just roll it out on a floured surface and line an oven tray with it, and top with whatever you want. Typically that'll be some tomato paste first, then grated cheese (mozzarella/cheddar mix is good), and then some other stuff. You'll need a lot of cheese though, so budget for that because cheese tends to be dear. All the other toppings are generally fairly cheap, for example you can get deli meat offcuts from any butchery, or even smoked salmon offcuts from Food Lover's Market at R25/100g, which is enough for at least 2 pizzas.

Games like 30 Seconds and Cards against Humanity are my favourites for all-round laughs, but if you're in a more nerdy crowd then something like Settlers of Catan or Dominion is good too; avoid MTG unless you specifically want to do that and several guests have decks. A movie is always good for those who like to stay late or sleep over. Horror movies are good for groups, especially the "so bad they're funny" ones.

As for safety, I don't think that'll be an issue if it's only a semi-open invitation (i.e. friends and friends of friends only), because if anyone breaks something you can always get hold of them via the mutual friend. Just use common sense, and monitor the inebriation levels carefully. If anyone gets too rowdy, don't feel bad throwing them out. It's your home, your rules. And obviously if you've got people sleeping over make sure they know about your home security so they don't trip or disarm it accidentally, or leave a gate open or something.

[TheOldWolf]

Thank you very much you two!
I shall use this to plan a social thing!