Summer Seafood Supper for Under $100

I like to entertain, but these days, it's so hard to keep things to a minimum cost-wise. You can't even go to McDonald's without spending $20 it seems. So when we decided to invite new friends over for dinner, I was determined to have a lovely evening without breaking the bank. My goal: feed four people and create a tablescape based loosely on a theme for under $100. Here's how I did it:

I was really struggling for inspiration on what to fix for dinner. I had all the ingredients for Key Lime Pie, which is a super easy dessert that I can make in advance, so after confirming that our friends didn't have shellfish allergies, I used inspiration from our Sunset Shrimp Fest meal in Key West last summer while planning my meal...

I set up our bar with hurricane vases (I saved some that came free with delivered flowers so that now I have a matching set) partially filled with sand and seashells. Then I placed candles in the sand. After setting the table in white and turquoise to capture a summery, island feel, I picked up three small metal pails from Michael's and put them in the middle of the table with red seafood cracker tools hanging off of them. I placed a small metal tub on the other end of the bar to use for icing down beer and wine. I have a magnetized bottle opener, so that was convenient to simply place on the tub for easy opening. I already had most of these supplies on hand, so the only items purchased were the pails, tubs, and seafood crackers. Total cost for decorations: $50

I made my Lucky 7 Layer Dip with a basket of chips for an appetizer, and set these up on the bar with the drinks. For dinner, I filled one of the pails on the table with steamed shrimp and another with steamed crab legs. The third pail was for the shells. I wasn't sure about quantity (too little food is never good) but I was not trying to spend a fortune on seafood either. I asked the clerk at the seafood counter, and he recommended two pounds each of shrimp and crab legs for four people. I placed my order for pick-up just before my guests arrived, and paid my $20 bill in advance. That's right, only $20 for four pounds of fresh seafood steamed to order! I also placed small bowls of cocktail sauce between each couple for dipping. As sides, I picked up an order of Hawaiian Macaroni Salad from a local restaurant ($5) and made my grandmothers summer cucumber salad. Total cost of food: $30

By offering only beer and wine, we were able to spend only $15 on drinks, bringing the grand total for the evening to $95. And we still have left over chips, dip, and drinks for snacking today...not to mention that now I have some decorations on hand for my next beachy-themed dinner party!