Written By Chloe Shepherd

Its 5 o’clock on a Thursday and you had the day from hell at work….where do you go to forget about your horrible boss and vent to your girlfriends??? Happy Hour of course!

Happy hours are growing in popularity and have become the after work staple for most working women and men. Happy hours provide an array of food and drink selections for a discounted price usually between the hours of 4 to 7 pm. What’s not to love right?! Well, there are actually a few draw backs to happy hours that can make them more of a hassle than a convenience. One of those things being the time frame, as I mentioned earlier, happy hours usually last from 4 to 7pm. Most working women do not get off of work until 5, leaving only an hour or two for you to enjoy the happy hour festivities. There is also the restriction of having to sit at the bar. While this could be great for guy watching if you are solo, if you decide to go with your girls there is usually limited seating  at the bar and you end up being the infamous “bar seat stalker”, or one of you is forced to stand up until some nice patron decides to offer you a seat.

So what is the remedy? How can you enjoy the perks of happy hour (Yummy food, strong drinks and good conversation) without all the hassle? How about hosting a happy hour at home! You can invite all of your working and even unemployed friends over for light snacks and drinks and turn it into a party.    The best way to host a fun, inexpensive and low maintenance happy hour is to plan ahead. Decide on what drinks you would like to serve or even better set up a mini bar with 2 to 3 different liquors, a few mixers and a wine choice. If you are pinching pennies, making a punch or sangria is a great money saving option. For food, opt for quick and easy party food recipes that do not require a lot of cooking time. I have listed a few of my favorite recipes below. The night before, cleanup the house, prep the food and set up the mini bar so all you have to do when you get off is sit back and enjoy yourself. I think the best perk of all is that there is no time restriction on the fun you can have!  Get some music going and you can turn your after work happy hour into in all night house party!

Recipes

Stuffed Mushrooms

Buffalo Chicken Spring Rolls

Toasted Ravioli Bites

Loaded Baked Potato Dip

Corn Fritters

Summer Time Punch

Sangrias

Photo from freedigitalphotos.net

Brought to you by The Single Wives Club