Warning: this column is about to indulge in some major stereotypes. Once again, a gay man is about to provide some tested advice on entertaining in the home.

All joking aside, I am serious when I say entertaining at home is more economical, many times more fun and ultimately a richer experience than always going out to bars or clubs.

I say this with a disclaimer: I am not trying to infringe on local eateries and venues. We have a lot of talented chefs, cooks, bartenders and servers in town, so do not forget – budget permitting – to support our neighborhood purveyors of food and fun.

Now, here are some advantages to bringing the party to the apartment or house. First, you control the prices on the menu. Being a vegetarian, I find that most of the food I order out I could make better at home and for less.

Most often, I am paying for the dining experience with friends and the convenience of someone else cooking for me. However, my partner Travis and I have become quite adept at crafting novel menu items for our guests.

Take last Saturday night as an example. We hosted two other couples for homemade pizza. We made three kinds: a pesto pizza with tomato, mushroom and artichoke hearts; a dessert pizza with Gorgonzola, apricot preserves and a balsamic reduction; and a traditional red sauce pizza with cherry tomatoes and arugula.

We only spent $4.50 for the dough, $7.50 for the cheese and $5.00 for the arugula. The rest of the ingredients we had on hand, and the veggies and cheese we did not use are available for future consumption. Even at Porch Light Pizza, which makes great personal pizzas, you still pay $7.50 a pie.

The lesson here: cooking at home makes use of ingredients you already have, allows you and your guests to pool resources, and at the end of the night, you often have food for future use.

Second, the cocktail menu is both cheaper and up to you. I like a good Foundry cocktail on occasion – go in and see Rachel, she is fabulous – but that many French 75s add up. Especially at the height of summer, a bottle of Bandolero Gold Tequila and a bucket of mixer from Walmart save you far more for the same buzz. If you also entertain as often as Travis and I do, we tend to request donations for the festivities, with an emphasis on guests bringing alcohol more so than food.

Third – and this is often key for me – you command the playlist and the guest list. I love going out to dance, but I am often horrified by the playlist. In a town with a strong Greek culture, the playlists are often atrocious excuses for rap. I myself prefer electronic, since I find I can get better rhythms for dancing rather than creating friction. Even more importantly, you can prevent – or create, I suppose – the ravenous meat market of a Friday night bar or club.

Fourth, there are more opportunities at a barbecue or house party for actual entertainment and conversation. In-house, one has access to board games, movies, YouTube and Netflix. Many summer nights, there is nothing quite as sweet as coming in from a good grill and laughing at a movie or the heinous stupidity of YouTubers. Plus, one person in the group likely has access to Cards Against Humanity – it gives you insight into how twisted your friends are.

Finally, I encourage you to be conscious of your neighbors. Pullman, in my experience, lacks for neighborly friendliness. They don’t need to be your best friends, but extend to them the courtesy of informing them about your party and have the decency to invite them, too. In the end, the girl in apartment 23 might not be quite as awful as you thought.

Tyler Laferriere is a graduate student pursuing his master’s in economics from Phoenix, Arizona. He can be contacted at 335-2290 or by [email protected]. The opinions expressed in this column are not necessarily those of the staff of The Daily Evergreen or those of the Office of Student Media.