Tara Noland hosts dinner parties at her Calgary home at least once a month, plus for almost every Super Bowl and much more often over the holidays.

Entertaining at home instead of shelling out for pricey restaurant meals is often the advice given to people looking to reign in their spending. A full-blown dinner party with multiple courses, decorative centrepieces and signature cocktails can seem costly, but food bloggers for whom hosting is old hat say itsa国际传媒檚 possible to do for about $10 a person.

sa国际传媒淚 think planning ahead is key,sa国际传媒� said Noland, who just celebrated the seven-year anniversary of her blog, Noshing with the Nolands.

The Calgarian starts to think about her events weeks in advance.

sa国际传媒淚 think one of the worst things is having a dinner party and yousa国际传媒檙e not participating in it because yousa国际传媒檙e in the kitchen cooking.sa国际传媒�

Preparation can also result in savings if you scour for sales at grocery stores or even dollar stores for decoration.

Frozen turkey or chicken that can be slow cooked is easy to snag at a discount, said Idriss Amraoui, a 29-year-old in Montreal who runs the blog Broke Foodies.

He also suggests using cheaper and versatile frozen vegetables that can be whipped into a starter, like soup.

Itsa国际传媒檚 not necessary to do multiple courses though, and appetizers are often just a bonus when Amraoui hosts.

Entertainers can avoid being saddled with the whole food bill by asking guests to contribute a specific dish or turning the event into a potluck. In the event of the latter, Amraoui stresses guests must be aware itsa国际传媒檚 a potluck before theysa国际传媒檙e asked to commit.

sa国际传媒淚 wouldnsa国际传媒檛 tell you, sa国际传媒楥ome have dinner at my house,sa国际传媒� and then tell you, sa国际传媒榃ell, can you bring your potato salad?sa国际传媒檚a国际传媒� he said.

Lisa Boltonsa国际传媒檚 secret to affordable entertaining is creative grazing boards. The food stylist selects one killer cheese and loads of seasonal vegetables. Shesa国际传媒檒l slice a fresh baguette and one artisanal salami into thin pieces to make them last longer.

Even dessert can come atop a board. Rather than buying a whole cake or baking something elaborate, Bolton opts to set out some chocolate bars, strawberriesand other treats.

A beautifully crafted board also eliminates the pressure for decor, she said, as it functions as a centrepiece.

If hosts want to serve a full meal instead, she suggests looking at brunch instead of dinner.

sa国际传媒淓ggs are pretty affordable,sa国际传媒� she said, though she tends to gravitate to a big bagel spread.

The biggest budget item though, depending on the crowd, may be alcohol. All three foodies estimated they could pull off a budget-conscious dinner party for $10 a head or less with the caveat of imbibing coming at an extra cost.

They diverge on the appropriate hosting etiquette to tackle that problem.

sa国际传媒淚f yousa国际传媒檙e hosting, yousa国际传媒檙e hosting,sa国际传媒� said Bolton of her mindset. She tends to stick any bottle of wine brought by a guest into her cellar for future use.

Instead, shesa国际传媒檒l serve one bespoke cocktail that can be diluted with juice to make more.

Noland also creates a cocktail that shesa国际传媒檒l serve guests right away, but said itsa国际传媒檚 OK to designate the event bring-your-own-beer or give guests inquiring what they can bring a specific type of alcohol, like a bottle of white wine.

When Amraoui hosts, he finds it important to have at least one bottle of wine on hand, but said the expectation shouldnsa国际传媒檛 be for the host to supply an open bar.

sa国际传媒淚 think that the guests usually without even asking will bring a bottle or two and you will end up with more alcohol than you need at the end of the evening,sa国际传媒� he said.

Aleksandra Sagan, The Canadian Press

Like us on and follow us on .