Friday FREAK OUT! Centerpieces

The Frugal Hostess knows what it's like to freak out. She once forgot to pack any panties on a business trip!  And she was no longer in her twenties!  Yikes!!!  Thus, Friday FREAK OUT! On Fridays, The Frugal Hostess will provide you with tips on how to deal with last-minute nonsense without freaking out.

You have planned the most awesome dinner party in all the land, with a delicious menu and a magnificent assortment of eccentric characters to entertain one another.  This party is gonna ROCK!

Wait.  Uh.  Hmm.

You forgot to plan a centerpiece for your table.  Time to FREAK OUT!

Except, there's no need.  Shake it off, pumpkin.  The Frugal Hostess has a bunch of great ideas for you.

Centerpiece ideas:


1.  Flower delivery.  This is the opposite of frugal, and TFH discourages it, but you might want to send yourself an arrangement of flowers that you can use as a centerpiece.


2.  Grocery store flowers.  They always have them.  The arrangements may not be the height of coolness, but at least they exist, and they are cheaper than the florist.

3.  Bedding plants.  This is inspired, and inspired by The Frugal Hostess's Yankee friends, The Joneses.  Fill an attractive (or ugly - really, who will know?) container with bedding plants.  They will look so pretty, and you can plant them in your garden the next day.

4.  Candles.  Seriously, you might think TFH is obsessed with candles, as often as she brings them up.  Well, folks, she is.  Candles rule!  They are the absolute cheapest and most impactful way to transform the way a table or whole room looks. 

5.  Wine corks.  Yes, The Frugal Hostess has an almost equal obsession with wine corks, but that's because a.) she drinks A LOT of wine, and b.) therefore corks are a good value.  They look nice filling glass vases or bowls, and they can be dressed up by mixing in some lemons and limes.  Yay, corks.


6.  Other inanimate objects.  Look around and see if you any of your weird sculptures or bookends can be repurposed as a centerpiece.  Don't be shy - really, you don't have anything else, so you might as well go for it.

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photo by melalouise

Friday FREAKOUT: Too Many Thank-You Notes

The Frugal Hostess once made the mistake of agreeing to write all of the thank-you notes for her wedding gifts, because The Frugal Husband’s handwriting is hard to read. Little did she know that he was totally faking her out and could pull out perfectly legible script whenever he wanted. She was sure that she would stay on top of them, writing a note each time she opened a gift, so that she would never get behind. Ah, such are the futile dreams of brides-to-be, drunk with power and crazed by marriage classes.

It is so easy to find yourself staring down a pile of unwritten thank-you notes. It happens to TFH every year, at least once or twice. Here’s the formula for facing up to your stack of stationery.

Step 1: Pour a glass of wine (or beer, or milkshake, or loose-leaf tea – whatever beverage makes you feel like something fun is happening).

Step 2: Commandeer the remotes. If you are writing the thank-you notes for your family, you get to watch whatever you want. Or listen to any music you choose.

Step 3: Make a quick list of the notes you have to write, listing the recipient’s name and the gift/deed for which s/he is being thanked.

Step 4: Write out all of the envelopes and put stamps on them. That way, you’re committed. You’ve already invested your money in these notes, so you might as well send them.

Step 5: Pick your three favorite people or gifts, and write to them first. Vary an adjective here and there – it really is tacky to write a form letter of thanks – and be sure to mention the gift/deed specifically. Here’s a sample:

Dear The Frugal Mother,

I absolutely love/adore/can’t live without the beautiful/hilarious/life-saving item you gave me for President’s Day [Getting that hint, The Frugal Mother? Let’s start a new tradition where you buy gifts for TFH on President's Day. Dig?] It looks/feels/smells great. Thank you so much for thinking of me/your kindness/your generosity. It was fun hanging out/skydiving/doing tequila shots, and I hope to see you again soon!

Cheers/Love/Best/Yours,

The Frugal Hostess

Please note: It is considered bad form (by whom? Not sure. Maybe just The Frugal Hostess?) to use the words “thank you” in the first sentence of a thank you note. Your note should read as though you are so overcome with the glory of the gift that you have to go on about it before you can get down to the business of saying thanks.

Step 6. OK, so you’ve written the first three notes. Since they were to the people you like the best, they were the easiest to write, right? So, don’t put them in their envelopes yet. Use them as guides for the rest of your notes.

Step 7. Pour another glass of wine, eggnog, motor oil, et al.

Step 8. Finish your notes, you lazy sloth.

Photo by scottfeldstein