Stress-Free Vegan Cocktail Party

The Topic: Hosting a vegan cocktail party on the cheap with VN Editorial Assistant Hilary Pollack

The Dish: Don’t let limited funds get in the way of your urge to throw a swanky soirée. Cocktail parties are a great way to bring your friends together, and offer the pleasantry of social lubrication without the liability of an apocalyptic house-destroying kegger. Better yet, they’re effortless to veganize and make pocketbook-friendly. The next time you have reason to celebrate—moving into a new apartment, getting a promotion, spaying your cat—why not let the good times roll with some vegan hor d’oeuvres and libations? Here are some low-cost ways to party like it’s 1999, 2011-style.

Potent Potluck
Since the dawn of time (or at least since 16^th century England), potlucks have provided a great way to project the appearance of a gracious host when in actuality you can sit back and let your guests do most of the work. Attendees are generally happy to throw together a dish or two as long as you provide a venue, some tunes, and at least some of the booze.

Thrifty Thirst-Quenchers

Barnivore is a great resource for finding out which beer, wine, and liquor is vegan-friendly. Keep it simple with one or two specialty cocktails so that you don’t have to buy tons of ingredients.

• Concoct easy, delicious homemade sangria and serve it in a giant crystal punch bowl (you can find them at thrift stores and they really dazzle). Sangria is super versatile and hard to mess up; you can use almost any variety of fruit and experiment with adding brandy, vodka, or white wine instead of red.
• Mint juleps are perennial crowd-pleasers, especially in the summer, and require only a few modest components. Offer rum as well as bourbon and you’ve got yourself—and your thirsty guests—a mojito option.
• Vegan White Russians are a stellar pick if you are perchance throwing a Big Lebowski party. Just don't get too riled up as the evening draws on—remember, aggression will not stand.

Apt Appetizers

You don’t need to slave over the stove for hours in order to produce tasty, satisfying bites.

• Bruschetta is refreshing yet filling, and you probably already have at least half of the six ingredients for this recipe waiting in your pantry. 
• Everyone loves butternut squash. This is a scientific phenomenon, like gravity. How about whipping up Butternut Squash-White Bean Croquettes that cook in only 15 minutes? 
• (Vegan) cream cheese roll-ups are kindergarten-simple, but look and taste surprisingly sophisticated. I include cilantro to add some herbaceous goodness.  Or, turn up the heat with Cream Cheese Wontons. 
• If you are truly, devastatingly broke or short on time, just go with store-bought guacamole, chips, hummus, and warm pita. These staples never disappoint. 

Here We Are Now, Entertain Us

Depending on the size of your party, you may want to indulge in some merry decorating and activities. Goodwill and Salvation Army are always overflowing with cheap crystal goblets if you want to create an air of prestige in your abode. If you have a working fireplace, throw an eco-friendly Duraflame log in for a romantic crackle. Music is also of great importance to achieve your desired ambiance. The Smiths’ Meat Is Murder or Moby’s Animal Rights are thematically appropriate options, or you can go with Andrew WK's Party Hard if you seek carnage. 

The Final Word: Being a killer host or hostess doesn’t have to come with a high price tag. An hour or two of prep time and a few simple drinks and snacks are all you need to set your roof on fire (figuratively). Skip the bar scene and bring the fun to your own domain, without emptying your funds or your fridge.

Photo via Copykat. 

Wardrobe Makeover

The Topic: New Clothes for No Cash

The Dish: With May already speeding along, it'll be officially summer in no time. For this lady, that means the Cocktail soundtrack on repeat, extra naps on the beach, and new, summery clothes. While the first two are pleasantly free of charge (because who doesn't own that piece of musical mastery already?), the last bit can take a little work to keep cheap. But guess what? It isn't hard, and I can save some much-needed money—a girl's gotta eat (burritos).

The easiest way to score free clothes—and I know you've heard this before, but seriously—host a clothing swap. Invite your stylish friends over, have them call their stylish friends, and so on, until you have a big game of clothes-swapping telephone going and your apartment is full of people and their fancy duds.

Once everyone shows up, closet rejects in tow, kick off the evening with some cheap snacks. (May I suggest some Spicy Sweet Chili Doritos and a bottle of Charles Shaw Shiraz? Go classier, if you must.) Help organize the articles by clear-cut categories (shirts, jeans, dresses, muumuus—the usual), and finally let the shoppers loose—watch those Doritos-stained hands! From here, it's up to you how to handle it. If it's just a few close friends, take turns picking and choosing favorites. If you've managed to wrangle in 20 style-hungry women and men (you're so popular!), working out a ticket system might be better to avoid wine-fueled fights over last year's designer top.

If there are clothing leftovers, guests can either collectively decide to donate them to a local charity, or each person can take her or his leftovers. If you have extras and want to try and make a little cash, hit up the resale shops in your city, such as Buffalo Exchange, Plato's Closet, and Crossroads. Keeping your earnings as store credit earns a bit more, so if it's truly new clothes you're after, this is a win-win.

The Final Word: Not having any luck with resale shops? Check back for a very special guest post on how to get the most cash for your cast-off clothes!