worrying about unsatisfied palates and unfilled stomachs

Hosting a party is fun, but not when you have the responsibility thrust upon you, at the last minute. At such times, you have no inkling about how to get through the huge pile of stuff that you need to organize to make your party a success. You need to clean up the place, arrange for some good music, and of course, think of what you'll serve your guests.

Food is definitely the most important aspect of a party, and coming up with an elaborate food plan at the last minute is next to impossible. So, you have to make do with some quick and inexpensive ideas to fill that hungry bunch. we'll give you some ideas for party foods that are inexpensive and ridiculously easy to prepare and yummy to eat too!

Be it a small family party or a huge wedding party, there are many ways by which you can bring down the food expense, if you apply some common sense, have a way around people and have a naturally thrifty attitude.

Even if you don't, we will show you some ways by which you can come up with some delicious party food without spending a bomb. Just because it's a last minute, and low-budget party, does not mean you have to give up on the three courses. So, here are some easy ideas that you can use to fill those rumbling tummies with some yummy treats!

For a low-budget party, the best options for appetizers are as follows:

After those easy finger foods and other ideas, let us move on to the main course, that you can serve your guests. Here they are:

What you can do is, buy some frozen meatballs, and heat them thoroughly in the microwave. Poke them to see that they are soft from the inside as well. In the meantime, make a nice bowl of spaghetti, with a delicious tomato and chilly sauce flavor. Add the meatballs to the spaghetti, mix it properly, and just heat it once before serving.

A supermarket will do. Go get some frozen chicken wings and legs, or fresh ones, if you can. Marinate them in a delicious and spicy gravy. Begin to deep fry them, just as your guests begin to get hungry! Serve it with a yogurt and coriander chutney, to take away the extra spice!

Make a delicious cheese sauce first. Marinate and/or shallow fry the mushrooms, and then add them to the cheese sauce. Add whatever herbs and spices you feel will enhance the flavor. Good suggestions are chilly flakes, oregano, and coriander leaves. You can eat this with bread, or with ginger rice.

Now let's get to the most delicious part of the party; dessert! Don't worry! The options that we have here for some yummy desserts won't be heavy on your pockets at all! You'll read them, and realize that there really is much more to dessert than cakes, pastries, soufflés and truffles.

And now, the fun part. Before the party begins, fill up a huge container with a jelly mix that will mesh well with the ice cream flavor, and allow it to set, in the refrigerator. When it's time for dessert, simply remove both from the refrigerator, and serve the ice cream with dollops of jelly on it!

This is a delicious, simple, and cost-effective (for lack of a better word) option for a dessert. Have a huge pack of marshmallows at the ready. Then, you can either buy some molten chocolate, or actually melt chocolate bars by heating them. At dessert time, serve your guests, a plate of marshmallows, with a small bowl of choco-dip, to, well, dip in and eat.

Of course if you're not happy with any of these, you can still pick out from some of the options given here.

Now is it clear how easy it is to come up with tasty and low-cost party food ideas? So go ahead and plan the party. Since the food's been taken care of, you can focus your fretting on something else. Have fun!