Cheap date for eight

To me, the “green lifestyle” isn’t just about recycling and riding the bus (better yet, riding a bike!). It’s also about simplifying your life. It feels like more and more people are finding happiness with less, rather than giving into the urge to over consume. Sure, Americans are still tuning into television shows like “The Real Housewives of Orange County,” where the real-life “stars” wear $40,000 watches and host million-dollar weddings. But that lifestyle seems more cartoonish than anything anymore. The New York Times had a fun article this week on how to throw a winter wonderland dinner party on a budget. The reporter teamed up with big-time New York event planner David Monn to host a dinner for eight new friends (I love that he reached out to new people, building that sense of community so many of us seem to be longing for). The decorations included snowflakes cut from computer paper and the main course was a twice-baked potato (not your basic twice-baked potato, though). The final bill was $238.40. Be sure to click on the article’s slideshow of photos from the party. Gorgeous. Die-hard greenies won’t like the fact that Monn bought some decorations at a dollar store, and it would have been nice if those snowflakes had been cut from paper scraps or other repurposed materials. But what do you think? Is this a direction your family is headed? Does $238.40 for a dinner party for eight sound like a steal or a splurge? Do you have any tips for hosting holiday parties for less? Photo credit: Rob Bennett for The New York Times