Holiday entertaining on a budget

Hey there! I’m Jess and I blog at Jess Loves This Life. My little corner of the internet is dedicated to all things fun and crafty! One of the biggest things I focus on is crafting on a budget. I am two months away from becoming a Mrs. and as a young couple planning a wedding, my fiance and I like to be really mindful of how we spend our money. With that being said, I LOVE entertaining people. I love themed parties, fun little details, and the holidays of course. Today I thought I’d show you a fun way to bring some festive cheer to any guests you might have over the next few weeks, without breaking the bank. Everything I used was picked up at my local Trader Joe’s for under $20.

Make people think you’re really fancy with these cranberry and mint ice cubes! I started off by boiling some water, letting it cool and spreading it among an ice cube tray. Boiling your water is really important when you’re making these, otherwise they will look cloudy once they’re frozen. Then, I simply popped in a cranberry and a little mint leaf and let them freeze for a few hours. I served them with a little bit of mineral water, but feel free to use these in a cocktail or plain tap water.

This kind of looks like a Christmas wreath to me, which makes it 10 times more fun and festive! I started off by lining my plate with spinach and basil. Then, I placed a small bowl of olive oil and pepper in the middle for dipping. I followed that with a few cherry tomatoes and mozzarella cheese slices on the sides. Really simple, but delicious! I mean, cheese and tomatoes, YUM!

This is a fun treat if you’re having a few friends over for a movie night, or triple all the ingredients and take them to a holiday party to share! My favorite thing about this is how quick everything is to put together. Time is so valuable during the holidays, am I right? I hope you get a chance to make these sometime this month!

PS: Like the striped coasters in this post? They’re a budget friendly DIY on my blog! You can check them out here.