For economic reasons, I can’t afford a big house to host friends.
But I could afford an apartment of 30 to 40 sqm inside a condo.
For those of you who also didn’t have the financial opportunity for a larger space, what tricks did you use to manage and keep social activities alive, like inviting friends for dinner or even doing something like a barbecue?
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For those of you who also didn’t have the financial opportunity for a larger space, what tricks did you use to manage and keep social activities alive, like inviting friends for dinner?
byu/crepuscopoli2 inFrugal
Posted by crepuscopoli2
10 Comments
I have a 1 br apartment. I converted the ‘dining room’ into a home office. Anyone who knows me knows I’d rather do literally anything else (such as spend the day at the DMV) than entertain. It’s just not who I am.
In terms of inviting friends over for dinner– we wouldn’t eat at my place and instead go to a restaurant. I budget for the social experience of eating out. And no prep work or cleanup after.
A bbq is not an option with no grill or yard. I’ve lived in a complex with communal grills before but wouldn’t trust them.
In the summer you could grill then eat on the patio.
Parks often have public grills and picnic benches.
Ask a friend if they would be willing to co-host. They provide their apartment, you bring the food.
I learned early that having more than 2-3 guests drastically reduces the depth of a conversation. Up to the point where subgroups are starting to form and several conversations are impossible to follow simultaneously. And for 2-3 guests I find place even in a tent.
If I am correct in saying your place is under 500sqft I wouldn’t be having people over. I once lived in 700sqft. It was only my fiancé and I and we felt like we had no space. I would be focusing more on activities outside the home. When you have people over in that small of a space it just feels awkward and crammed.
We live in an apartment. We have a dining table so we could have another couple over, but typically we just eat in the living room.
We don’t barbecue because that’s not allowed in our building, but we have game nights. If it’s a small crowd, I’ll do my meatballs in sauce and have an assortment of toppings and bread out for people to make their own meatball sandwiches. Pasta dinners are inexpensive and most folks like them, so my husband and I can whip those up on the fly.
We don’t drink alcohol anymore, but we have a pretty good library of mocktail ingredients, so we can make a fun beverage (or several).
Sometimes housing complexes and apartment buildings have spaces you can specifically reserve for parties. I attended a baby shower in one once and a birthday buffet in another. Alternatively, I have definitely attended parties where people had a tiny apartment and people just sat around on chairs or the floor eating and hanging out; occasionally they got an extra coffee table or something borrowed from a friend or free. These friends have to cool with being that casual though. I had one friend who lived in an apartment building where the bottom floor had access to the backyard. They simply made sure to make friends with those people so when they asked to have a party, it wasn’t a problem. There were a lot of unscheduled baked goods and whatnot offered throughout the year to specifically try to stay on good terms with them. And some people ask friends with larger places if they can host something at their house. If they say no, it’s no, but if you think the ask will be ok, then ask.
I live in a 350 sq ft apartment in New York. Love to host! I keep 3 different folding tables stashed around the apartment: one behind the sofa, one behind a leaning mirror, and one under the bed.
I can host dinner parties OR I can set them up around parameter of the room as food/drink stations and have guests mingle/mix while standing.
I’m unapologetic about using disposable, bamboo forks, plates, and cups. I don’t have the storage space for those. I plan my meals according to how much I can fit in my fridge and prepare on my counter.
It’s not perfect but it works.
With a studio I often went out to eat, hike, etc. A friend of mine who was also in a studio got a lot of mileage out of walk-and-talk in a local park. Depending where you live public parks are a good option for grilling as well.
Also make friends who don’t mind piling into a tiny living area to have a pizza and watch a movie. Good friends will understand.
Used to live in a Manhattan studio apartment.
Every square inch of that apartment was measured and planned, and most of the furniture did double duty. For instance the dining table was a double drop leaf table: most of the time it had one leaf up and served as a bistro table, but pull it out from the wall and raise up the other leaf, and it would seat four people. Kept folding chairs in the closet to seat guests. IKEA sells a double drop leaf table similar to that one I used to own.
Would often host friends for a weekend brunch. The arrangement was each person would bring something (such as a bag of juice oranges or a dozen eggs) and I’d use a bread machine to make fresh bread, a juicer for fresh juice, and make omelets.
Since the type of place you’re looking at would be a bit larger, here’s a pro tip: if a place has only one bedroom and you’re intending to entertain, then look for a place where the bathroom opens off the hallway. The privacy/comfort level is a little better when your guests don’t have to walk through your bedroom to get there.
I had a 600 sq foot place and routinely had 30+ people for parties (including children’s birthdays where half the attendees were feral children high on snacks), a dozen for dinner parties/family events, and 10 for game night.
Cook in advance so the stove top is cool and you can use it to set out the food.
Limit drink options to save space. Coffee or water or wine is more than adequate. You can also fill the bathtub with ice and canned drinks.
Use (compostable) paper plates and cutlery
Serve cookies and cupcakes for dessert so people can carry them around easily without plates
Clean the bedroom and use it as a conversation nook. It’s also good to throw on a movie to attract small children to one area
Cool the house off the morning of the party. If people are cold, they’ll huddle up and keep their jackets on and if an overpacked room gets too hot, you’ll never get it cooled down
Ask a friend or neighbor if you can stash stuff like floor fans, laundry hampers, and other large items during the party. Ideally in exchange for the use of some of their chairs
Smokers will save you because they’ll be in and out and not take up as much space. Make sure you’ve got cups/drinks they can take outside with them. It’s often worth providing joints or vapes to lure people outside
Just own the fact that your house is small and your friend group is large. If you aren’t self-conscious about it, no one will care.