If you’re living apart from family and loved ones, you may have opted to host ‘Friendsgiving’ this year — a Thanksgiving gathering of your chosen family away from home.

If it’s also your first time cooking for multiple people, you might regret volunteering to host. It’s a lot of pressure to organize a perfect get-together for your friends. But don’t worry — you’ve come to the right place. Read on for an ultimate Friendsgiving checklist, guaranteeing nothing is forgotten, and everyone has a fantastic time — including you!

Plan Your Menu

First, plan your menu. Whether you’re going for the usual turkey dinner, or you’d like to try something more creative, having a strict menu can keep your plans — and finances — on course. Just be sure to ask your friends for any allergies or dislikes before you finalize plans.

Budget Accordingly

Let’s face it — when browsing those foodie websites, it’s all too easy to go overboard. This is especially the case if you’re cooking a big meal for the first time. You might find yourself buying a lot of food because you aren’t sure how much you need for the number of people at your table. You can also indulge in a lot of extra treats, gourmet items, or vintage wines to impress your friends.

Setting a budget can help you ignore these temptations to overspend. Stay on track, and don’t deviate from your shopping list by creating a strict budget. Keeping the designated amount in cash is an excellent visual way to know what you have and what you’ve spent.

Have a Backup

With finances in mind, have a backup ready in case an unanticipated emergency pops up. Yes, emergencies can happen, even around the holidays.

In fact, unexpected household issues are more likely to rear their ugly heads at this time, as you’ll have more traffic in and out of your home. Rowdy guests can break things, your plumbing can go haywire, and your much-needed oven can refuse to work at the eleventh hour.

In addition to a healthy emergency fund of savings, a credit card or line of credit can provide the funds you need to pay for the emergency repair of an oven or other such household emergencies that put a damper on your day. Just make sure you consider this list of dos and don’ts for each before applying for a line of credit. These tips help you borrow with intention, in a way that protects your budget from the cost of borrowing.

Draft a Timeline

These tips may sound like Friendsgiving is becoming a military operation and taking the fun out of preparations. We promise — it’s not. A timeline is a good way to plan out your morning, so you’re as prepared as you can be before your friends arrive. It can also keep you on track once they’ve turned up and your home is full of fun distractions.

If all goes well, all this extra planning up top means you get to spend more time with your friends, not furiously cooking in the kitchen by yourself!

Prepare in Advance

If you’ve been savvy with your menu, there will no doubt be some elements you can prepare before Friendsgiving. Dessert is the easiest course to prepare in advance. However, you can also cook certain casseroles the day before to free up space in your oven for the turkey. You can also prep ingredients for dishes that must be prepared fresh. For example, you can peel and quarter potatoes, keeping them submerged in water in the fridge until you’re ready to make your famous mashed potatoes.

Do as much as you can the night before so the majority of the day itself is spent warming up and serving. Once again, these tips get you out of the kitchen, so you can spend more quality time socializing.

Don’t Be Afraid to Delegate

If you’re still overwhelmed taking on the mantle of host, don’t be afraid to ask your guests to chip in in some capacity.

A potluck is an excellent way to enjoy as many dishes as possible with as little effort as possible. After all, one person isn’t responsible for making everything on the big day. Rather, everyone shares the responsibility by bringing one dish to the party.

If your friends are game to do a potluck this year, consider assigning people certain courses or dishes. You don’t have to designate each person a specific recipe. This step is just to make sure you get a good variety of dishes without any overlap. After all, a Friendsgiving where everyone accidentally brings mashed potatoes wouldn’t be very nice.

If others offer to bring along a food-based contribution, ask that it’s as ready as can be when they arrive. Turning up with a half-ready dish can truly skew cooking times while taking up valuable countertop space if they still need to chop and stir.

If you have a long guest list, not everyone will need to bring a prepared dish. You could also put one friend in charge of the drinks menu. Invite creativity by suggesting a fall-themed cocktail (and mocktail), a complementary wine, and an excellent after-dinner nightcap.

Another way to delegate is by asking a friend to organize transportation for everyone, so there’s a designated driver before and after the festivities commence.

The Takeaway: Be Prepared, But Remember to Enjoy the Holiday

Ultimately, when you’re with a good group of friends, it doesn’t matter what you eat or drink. So don’t put too much pressure on yourself to curate the perfect holiday. If the turkey takes a little longer than you’d hoped, or the mashed potatoes are a tad lumpy, all will be forgiven with good wine and laughter.

Remember this as you sit down with your budget and cookbooks. Sometimes, a basic yet home-cooked meal is better than any elaborately fancy Thanksgiving!

The post Hosting Friendsgiving? Hit It out of the Park with This Checklist appeared first on All Perfect Stories.