Top 10 Reasons to Entertain with a Picnic - Thrifty Thursday

Hosting a picnic is a wonderful frugal way to entertain that offers many advantages to the savvy host or hostess. With a little creative thinking, almost any meal or celebration can be turned into a picnic. After all, what was the first Thanksgiving?

I've hosted romantic picnics in idyllic settings, marathon-long beach parties, casual lunches and brunches for small groups and huge crowds, raucous tailgate parties, midnight stargazing rendezvous, and casual snacks consumed at highway rest areas during road trips. Regardless of the occasion, a picnic always makes the day a bit more festive and memorable.

So what are the advantages of turning your party, event, or even romantic dinner for two into a picnic? Let's count the ways:

1. You don't have to go crazy cleaning the house because no one will ever see the house.

2. Not only do you not have to clean your house, there will be no "day after" mess when the party is over.

3. Nothing at your home will get broken and the carpet won't get stained.

4. The neighbors can't complain if things get too loud.

5. You don't have to worry about how to get those last straggling guests to finally leave your house and go home.

6. If your space is too small to accommodate a large crowd of say 3 or more, the sky's the limit with a picnic. Just pick a park, beach, or other location that's as large as your guest list and go wild.

7. Picnics are a wonderful way to entertain when your home might be less than ideal , ie: you live with your mother, you live in a dorm, your 8 room mates own 12 Rottweilers, etc., etc.

8. No leftovers! One of the tips for successful picnics is to make enough so that everything gets eaten.

9. Don't forget travel. With picnics you can entertain anytime, anywhere. A picnic is a great way to thank hosts for their hospitality while traveling, or have an intimate romantic meal in an exotic setting. If you want to get romantic, nothing impresses like a picnic.

10. Picnics can save you money! It's generally cheaper to have a picnic than eat out in a restaurant, and a public park is certainly cheaper than a rented hall for a larger gathering. Picnics can also make for a cheap date that comes off as anything but.

Need Picnic Recipes?
Click here for the FabulousFoods.com archives of picnic recipes -- you'll find tons of creative recipes that are all easy to pack and tote along.

Thrifty Thursdays is a blog event created by my fried Amanda Formaro from Amanda's Cookin' blog. I've agreed to participate, so look for a frugal themed post here each Thursday. In addition to reading my posts, be sure to visit Amanda's blog for a round-up of all the thrifty home and cooking tips and recipes that came in this week from folks around the blogosphere.