So it's Saturday morning and you've either decided to—or been cajoled into—hosting a cocktail party tonight. It may be last minute but the good news is you've got plenty of time to get it together.

Alcohol: The most important part of any cocktail party is the alcohol. Figure that most (good) guests will bring a bottle of wine so take that into account when considering how many bottles of wine to buy. Decide if you want to have beer in addition to wine. Finally, add a fun touch to your party by becoming your own bartender, which can mean setting up a bar to provide your guests with a slew of cocktail choices. For a cheaper and easier option, you can create one signature cocktail. The easiest way to do this is to mix up a large batch of your drink (think punch bowl or pitcher size) so that your guests can help themselves and you won't have to be bothered to continuously mix drinks once the party starts. Additionally, serving a signature cocktail will save you money as you won't have to provide all different types of alcohol and mixers. Easily made drinks include sangrias (which you can personalize by adding different kinds of fruit), punches (try experimenting with different juices, such as pomegranate and pineapple), and mojitos and margaritas.

Food: The food you serve at a cocktail party doesn't have to be fancy but it should be easy to eat. The easiest way to take care if the food is to go to an inexpensive store such as Trader Joe's or Costco for one stop shopping. Buy only food that can be quickly heated up in the microwave, popped in the oven, or served as is. Choosing this kind of food will help keep preparation to a minimum. The following food is simple and perfect for a cocktail party:

• Chips and salsa/guacamole/hummus
• Veggies and dip
• Cheese and crackers
• Nuts
• Olives
• Edamame
• Pretzels and dipping mustard
• Any frozen appetizers you can find such as spnaokopita, mini pizzas/quiches, and eggrolls

Plan to go to one grocery store only. Though it's a good idea to have a sense of what you want to buy ahead of time, be flexible. For example, if you have your heart set on eggrolls but the store is out of them, explore what other frozen appetizer options there might be. Be creative. If there's a sale on frozen pizzas you can always cut them up into bite sizes. See what's on sale and go from there. Plan to get whatever ingredients you need for your cocktails at the grocery store too.

Plates/Napkins: Paper plates and napkins are the way to go because they require no washing at the end of the night. Stores like Target have a great selection of inexpensive and fun plate/napkin combos that can spice up any party.