Friendsgiving has grown in popularity over the past few years. This occasion is a great time to give some good, quality time to your friends. This can be an important time for many groups of friends, especially since the next few weeks tend be spent with close and extended family, which might not leave a lot of time for those you tend to spend more time with in your everyday life. Friendsgiving doesn’t mean that you have to spend even more money to celebrate during this already busy time of the year. There are actually a few tricks to help make your Friendsgiving a blast without amping up the budget. So, enjoy an occasion with friends without having to deal with the typical holiday fiascos when you keep these ten tips in mind.

1. Use Your Leftovers
If you’re hosting your Friendsgiving celebration after Thanksgiving Day, then you’ve already done yourself a huge favor. You can easily use some of your traditional Thanksgiving leftovers to make a boatload of exciting new dishes. There are so many ways to do this, so if you’re not sure where to start then you might want to begin by looking online. You might also want to try to come up with some of your own ideas that might be repeated year after year. If you’re celebrating prior to Thanksgiving, then you can still use some of your typical leftovers to make new dishes. They may not be as festive, but no one will mind because they’ll be having so much fun.

2. Host a Potluck
When it comes to hosting a Friendsgiving, you don’t have to put all of the work on yourself. Your friends won’t mind pitching in, especially since most will know how much work goes into hosting such an event. So, you might want to make your invitation a potluck occasion. Of course, in order to organize the event properly, you might ask people to bring certain dishes or have them report to you about the dish they will be making. This will help prevent people from bringing several of the same pie, or having a dinner table filled with sides and no main course. Potlucks are a great way to learn new traditions too, which will help everyone learn more about each other. You should also make sure some people are bringing drinks to the event too. You can even request everyone bring a bottle of wine to help make the occasion a bit lighter.

3. Bring Out the Games
Hosting a party can be tough, especially when you’re bringing a bunch of different people together that might not know each other as well as you would hope. One of the best and cheapest ways to get rid of awkwardness is to pull out the games. Cards are one of the easiest ways to break the ice and can make your party last from the afternoon until late into the night, because everyone will be having so much fun. If you’re really into livening things up, then a game of charades can keep people laughing for hours on end. Board games are another option that usually keeps a surprising amount of people happy. Of course, you can also look up classic Thanksgiving games to make the party even more festive or to add a fun twist on some of your favorite games.

4. Binge Watch
Adulting is hard, which is why a lot of people might be happy just to sit around and binge watch some shows or movies during your Friendsgiving celebration. Of course, if you have friends with similar interests, then this option is probably always on the table, because it’s so hard to keep track of all of your favorite shows on your busy schedule. So, make a plan to binge watch a show or two while you all pig out on good food and enjoy each other’s company. If you’re good on shows, then there’s always an assortment of holiday movies to binge watch to help everyone get into the spirit of the season.

5. Ditch Tradition
Although you probably plan to have a traditional Thanksgiving meal with family this year, this doesn’t have to spill over into your Friendsgiving plans. Instead of having a turkey and other autumn favorites, you might decide to follow the crowd’s cravings instead. For instance, you can easily have a taco night that everyone will appreciate. Ordering some pizza is also a great option. As long as you have fun with your friends and show that you’re thankful to have them in your lives, then you’re already having one of the best Friendsgivings around. You might even add some traditional foods to this mix like turkey tacos, or a Thanksgiving pizza.

6. Get Crafty
One fun way to kill the time at your Friendsgiving is to have everyone get together to make some crafts. This can be a fun thing to do while you’re waiting for the meal to finish up, as you can easily put a project down to eat or prepare more dishes if you need to. There are lots of crafts you can do during this time, including scrapbooking. You might also want to get a jump start on some holiday crafts. You can easily make these to give as gifts for this season too, or you simply might want to work on holiday décor. If kids are present at the celebration, then there is a wide assortment of cheap and fun crafts to help them with. You might also print out coloring sheets to help keep them busy while the celebration continues. If you’re not sure which crafts to do, or which will be budget friendly, then look online for a few ideas as you’re bound to find a few crafts you’re going to fall in love with.

7. Sing Carols
This time of the year is the perfect time to warm up your pipes for holiday caroling. If you and your friends love to sing, then break out the instruments and get ready to belt out some of your favorite songs. You can even carol around the neighborhood to add even more fun to the occasion. This should help get everyone in a festive mood and will add a touch of charm to your celebration. Of course, you can always sing your favorite pop sings as well just to keep the vibe going. If you’re feeling creative, then add festive lyrics to your favorite chart toppers and have your friends sing those songs. You can even make a competition out of it to see who can get the most creative.

8. Simplistic Desserts
Making desserts for Thanksgiving can be a real headache. Items like pies and special cakes can take up so much time and concentration that you might not want to bother with them twice. Not to mention, they can really cost a fortune to make. Instead of putting yourself through this trouble twice, you might want to keep things simple. For instance, just make some cookies for dessert. You can even have guests decorate them to add to the fun. Apart from that, you might also consider just candies. These items can all be sent home as party favors too, so you won’t be too tempted to each a lot of sugar in the days after your celebration.

9. Decorate for Christmas
If you want a little help getting your holiday décor up and running, then now is the perfect time to do it. Your friends will probably have a blast helping you decorate, which will also help everyone else get in the spirit of the season. You may even have your friends make a special ornament to go on your tree, which will help everyone remember the special occasion. It is fun to see what everyone comes up with, as far as the decorations they create, and where they end up putting them in the home. Above all, this is a great bonding experience that will help everyone leave the party with a smiling face.

10. Light Drinks
Many Friendsgivings actually end up being adult oriented, which tends to mean drinking is involved. You don’t have to fret about the high cost of some alcohols though. There is actually many drinks you can make that are actually quite light. This can really come in handy if your party is in the day time and people can only have one or two drinks before they need to sober up to head home. Light drinks also prevent any problems that might occur from heavy drinking. So, look around for light recipes that will help stretch your budget farther, while keeping your guests satisfied and safe.

Friendsgiving can be one of the best holidays to celebrate during this time of the year. It is important to spend special occasions with those you love, even if they aren’t your family. So, kick back and have an easy going Friendsgiving that won’t leave your budget wondering where you went wrong thanks to these ten celebration ideas.