Hosting friends for the weekend is always a treat, but not everyone is up on the logistics. Sometimes it’s hard to find sleeping space for everyone, feed everyone, find parking or have everyone be ok with a billion people invading your home. With a little bit of preparation, it’s a snap! You only need to master 4 main areas to have a weekend visit become a simple (and inexpensive!) success:
1. Accommodations
If you don’t have a pull-out couch or futon, it’s definitely worth it to invest in an air mattress. We were lucky enough to inherit one in recent history that inflates and deflates practically on command. And it can sleep up to three 
Providing blankets wouldn’t hurt, either!
2. Food
It’s not completely necessary to cook every meal for everyone, but you can definitely reduce the expense of a weekend visit (bar tabs – yuck!) by investing in easy, filling meals that can accommodate 4 or more people – depending on your party size. My weapons of choice are a simple pasta with chicken, veggies on the side and for breakfast, pancakes and eggs are a quick fix for everyone! Total cost is less than $15 for all of the ingredients needed!
3. Parking Passes
Being in a big city poses the question of parking. In Chicago, all you have to do is go to the Alderman in your area and you can get 15 parking passes for $8. Anywhere else, you should definitely research the best option so that you have a concrete plan for when your guests arrive. Nothing is worse than spending 30 minutes trying to find a safe spot!
4. Basic Necessities/Toiletries
Traveling to someone’s apartment/house/condo for the weekend is hard enough when you have to bring several outfits and shoes and bags that may or may not be useful to you later, etc., let alone when you have to add towels, beauty basics, toiletries etc. to the mix. I like to keep spare towels around for my guests, obviously the standard paper products, hair appliances (blow dryer, flat iron, curling iron, etc.), spare blankets and a few common cleaning supplies wouldn’t hurt either. Spills happen! And these are all things you can definitely use even when you don’t have guests around.
It might seem like a lot – but I promise it’s not! It’s super easy and it makes everyone feel comfortable and at home. If you’re hosting, why not go all out? The clean up isn’t bad, either
