- ILV
How to Entertain on a Budget with Goodwill
No matter how much money my family did or did not have, my mom always took the time to prepare home-cooked meals, and serve them on some type of china. While our dishes weren’t fancy (there was a holiday set that received regular daily use for almost a decade), I appreciated the touch of formality they added to each meal. When I am mindful of how I am eating, I enjoy my food, and usually end up eating less.
Goodwill has an incredible selection of inexpensive glass and crystal-ware.
For my everyday dishes, I use a Japanese-made set. A set of 8 small plates, 8 large dinner plates, and 8 teacup plates, and 8 small plates cost something like $5! I really enjoy seeing the delight on people’s faces when they come over and see my dishes, and it reminds me to appreciate them. I have never shared my secret until now!
I think that at $0.20 champagne glass beats a red solo cup any day.
Goodwill is also a great source for your next dinner party. I always see cute, interestingly-shaped glassware that would be a hit for a birthday party or get-together. Depending on the color of the sticker, they can be as cheap as $0.20! I think that at $0.20 champagne glass beats a red solo cup any day.
I once went to a barbecue, and when I asked the host if I could borrow a glass for water, they said that they didn’t want to lend me a glass for fear that the other guests would take and potentially break all of their glasses. I thought to myself…if this person knew of Goodwill, they would never look at loaning glassware the same way again! So get thee to a Goodwill, ASAP!
As a student, I’ve also come to appreciate the virtue of move-out specials. You would be amazed how many great free dishes (not to mention furniture and TVs!) that undergraduate / graduate students are willing to give away for free , just to get it off their hands.
I inherited a lovely set of CB2 serving dishes from the previous tenants in my apartment. So if you live in an area with a large student population, I recommend browsing Craigslist, or keeping an eye out for any furniture on the sidewalks 😉