Love entertaining, even during these tough economic times? You can throw a fabulous, fun bash on even the skimpiest budget. Think of it as a creative challenge that your guests will help you meet. Community, do-it-yourself and interactivity are in; showy, excessive and hands-off are out.

Here are some cost-saving ideas when setting out the welcome mat.

Costs Down, Spirits up
Serve a signature cocktail, punch or sangria in a classic punch bowl or pitcher, recommends Lauren Purcell, co-author of Cocktail Parties, Straight Up! “Create something really festive for guests and serve that along with wine and beer,” she says. “There’s no need for the expense of a full bar.”          

Spirits can vary from rum to vodka to sparkling wine, combined with various fruit juices and soda. Or consider making this crowd-pleasing sangria with low-priced wine and seasonal fruit instead of citrus slices. Begin with 1.5 liters of red wine and a bottle of sweeter wine like a Riesling or rose. Slice grapes and cut up honeydew, apples and pears; add the fruit along with 2 tablespoons of brown sugar. Refrigerate for a minimum of 24 hours. For an extra kick before serving, muddle grapes in tumblers with ice (serves six). Cheers!

Team Effort
“Guests have a better time when they’re cooking together and engaged, which also saves hosts money and labor,” says cooking teacher Phyllis Vaccarelli of Let’s Get Cookin’, a cooking school and cookware shop in Westlake Village, Calif. Create a taco bar, and have your guests gather round to make their own tacos -- use economical pork loin as the main ingredient and spread out toppings and salsas ranging in heat from mild to incendiary.          

Billy Vasquez, aka the 99 Cent Chef, finds that pita pizzas are a surefire hit. He stacks pita bread near the toaster oven, and guests top their own with tomato sauce, shredded cheese (any type is delicious), sliced pepperoni and other additions like olives or bottled marinated veggies.

Daytime Dazzle
“Consider an afternoon luncheon or brunch for an upscale feeling without an upscale budget,” suggests caterer and chef Meg Taylor of Large Marge Sustainables, a Los Angeles-based eco-conscious catering company.

In the afternoon, guests’ expectations are more modest: A buffet rather than a seated, plated dinner is appropriate. The menu can revolve around elegant salads or a vegetarian entree -- such as homemade pasta with fresh chickpeas, fava beans and shitake mushrooms -- which helps keep costs in check. For another midday suggestion, try a chilled melon soup -- using cantaloupe or watermelon, for example -- or Taylor’s version of the classic Waldorf salad (canned salmon, pecans, thin slices of fennel, peaches and grapes).

Simple but Magical Decor
Small candles -- lots of them -- are an easy and inexpensive alternative to decorating your party space with pricey flower arrangements. “Cheap tea lights can turn the dimmest room into a fairyland,” notes Purcell.           

For a centerpiece, consider potted plants or bowls of brightly colored produce like lemons. A glass pitcher of iced lemonade with basil or mint sprigs doubles as instant decoration. Flea markets and thrift shops are good sources for bargain-priced and unique tablecloths, linens, punch bowls and ice buckets.

Get Your Groove on Digitally
For most occasions, the computer is now the house band. The Internet is filled with freebies, such as the PartyKC Web site, which lets you create a mix of party songs, or Pandora and Grooveshark, which allow users to program their own playlists. Pandora even instantly recommends other tunes in the genre you’ve chosen.

Manners Matter
As the etiquette experts at the Emily Post Institute recommend, even on a budget, remember to be a gracious host. Welcome each guest, introduce them around and pay attention to them throughout the party. Good manners don’t cost a thing and are what makes a party really hum.

Does your daily regimen include wash, toner and an $80 night cream? That doesn’t mean you’re on track for getting silky, smooth skin. Ingredients in food -- including vitamins A, C and E, and less well-known chemicals such as lycopene and linoleic acid -- create smooth skin and keep from sagging, fight pimples and rashes, and even offer natural sun protection.

“Our skin must contend against harsh aspects of the outside world -- the sun, microorganisms, and toxins such as air pollutants,” says Wilhelm Stahl, a biochemist at Heinrich Heine University in Dusseldorf, Germany. “Nutrients from the diet travel to the skin, where they help cells fight off these assaults.”

Here’s what to eat and what to avoid for a complexion and smooth skin that radiates health.

Starve acne Doctors recently learned that acne culprits are sweet or starchy foods that are quickly digested, sending a jolt of sugar to the bloodstream. The body responds to the sugar high by making more insulin, which spurs skin glands to ooze their oily stuff. In 2007, an Australian team, led by nutritional biochemist Robyn Smith, became the first to show, in a small group of young men, that eating whole grains, fresh produce and lean meat and fish instead of processed carbs may help alleviate acne and contributes to smooth skin.
Tip: Trade baguettes for multi-grain bread, and pretzels for peanuts.

Sunscreen you swallow Why do Italians love their spaghetti marinara? It’s delicious, but it may also shield Mediterraneans from the intensity of the sun’s rays. Eating fruits and vegetables containing vitamins C and E -- along with a few other less well-known natural chemicals -- reduces one’s susceptibility to sunburn. One of the most effective natural sunscreens is lycopene, which is found in tomatoes, watermelon and pink grapefruit. Chemicals in cocoa, called flavanols, as well as polyphenols in green tea also grant UV protection, which leads to smooth skin. All this may sound weird until you consider that plants can’t duck for shade at high noon, so some have developed other protective strategies. Use sunscreen, by all means, but munch on these foods to enhance its benefits.
Tip: Trade diet soda for tomato juice, gummy bears for chocolate with high cocoa content.

Edible Botox The key to looking younger? Skip cigarettes and the sun, and bring on fruits and veggies. Vitamin A -- found in carrots, sweet potatoes, spinach and kale -- is essential for normal skin-functioning. Vitamin C -- found in red and green peppers, citrus fruits and strawberries -- helps make collagen, an elastic substance that plumps skin. A 2007 study of more than 4,000 women (one of the first studies to examine how nutrient intake from foods as opposed to vitamin supplements affects skin) yielded surprising results. Epidemiologist Maeve C. Cosgrove and colleagues found that women who ate foods rich in vitamin C and linoleic acid -- found in soybean oil, green leafy vegetables, and nuts -- had fewer wrinkles and smoother skin as well as fuller, more youthful complexions.
Tip: Trade doughnuts for walnuts, and breakfast sausage for orange and strawberry slices.

Purge eczema Eczema -- a painful, itchy, scaly skin condition -- is on the rise. No one knows why, but some doctors believe that an effective treatment includes eating foods rich in gamma-linolenic acid (GLA), a fatty acid found in some seed oils. Scientists suspect that lower levels of GLA in the blood make it harder for skin to hold on to water, so it becomes drier and eczema-prone. Some studies have shown that ingesting foods containing GLA, such as evening-primrose oil, blackcurrant-seed oil or borage oil, can help. Even consuming modest amounts of hempseed oil (1-2 tablespoons per day) can rid the irritable symptoms of eczema with smooth skin.

Tip: Supplement a diet rich in fish with evening-primrose, blackcurrant-seed, borage or hempseed oil.

Photo: @iStockphoto.com/kupicookupicoo

Can moving the objects in your room improve your life? Practitioners of feng shui, the ancient Chinese art of arranging items and elements in the most favorable way, believe so. And while you may not know much about this belief system or even how to pronounce it (“fung shway,” by the way), you experience its principles every day.

When you walk into someone’s home and immediately feel a sense of well-being and energy, that’s good feng shui. On the other hand, when your surroundings make you feel jittery or fatigued, you’ve encountered bad feng shui.

How do you achieve good feng shui? First, by balancing yin and yang, or positive and negative energy. Second, by creating harmony among the five basic elements: water, wood, fire, earth and metal. Much of feng shui is about creating an environment that reflects your intentions and goals, says Susan Chan, a feng shui consultant based in New York City. “Feng shui has a lot to do with psychology,” she says. “When you move objects around, it can help free energy that’s been blocked.”

Here are seven strategies for cultivating more favorable feng shui in your own home and office:

1. Include all five elements in each room. A zebra or leopard throw introduces fire, and a healthy indoor plant introduces wood. Anything yellow or brown -- a vase, drapes, a chair or sofa -- is an earth element. A goldfish swimming in a bowl covers water and metal (the color gold).

2. Enhance romance with bedside tables that match or are about the same size. “This can promote balance and equality in your marriage or relationship,” says Shawne Mitchell, author of Exploring Feng Shui: Ancient Secrets & Modern Insights for Love, Joy & Abundance. Choose rounded dressers and bureaus. Angular furniture with sharp corners sends out “cutting” chi, or life energy, that can damage your relationship.

3. Keep your front door bright and unblocked. It should be able to open at least 90 degrees, so you can receive opportunity and luck, says Chan. Be sure that plants near the front door are healthy, that the key doesn’t stick in the lock and that the outside light works.

4. Be mindful of the command position. When you have a clear view of the main entrance to a room, you feel empowered and safe. In your office, you’ll be more productive because you won’t be distracted by sounds and voices coming from behind you. If you work in a cubicle, try positioning a mirror so you can see the door or opening from where you sit.

5. Clear clutter. Get rid of everything you don’t love, use or need. Clutter in your home is energy-draining and represents emotional stagnation. The process of eliminating all your unnecessary stuff may start out as drudgery, says Mitchell, but it becomes easier as you go along. “Because clearing clutter is a form of emotional and physical release, there should be a new sense of lightness and freedom at the end of it,” she says. “When you are finished, you won’t believe how good you feel.”

6. Repair any leaks or drips in your bathroom right away, says Mitchell. They’re indications of prosperity seeping away. Always keep the toilet lid down so good fortune doesn’t flow out through the bathroom pipes and drains.

7. Maintain balance in the family room. To promote conversation, arrange chairs and couches so they face each other. If you have children, their toys and playthings have their place here, but make sure adult hobbies and interests -- favorite art books, photos from a ski trip -- are also represented.

Photo: @iStockphoto.com/jgareri

You don’t need a green thumb -- or even a patch of earth -- to enjoy a vibrant home garden. Today, you can grow flowers, herbs, fruits and vegetables in the smallest spaces, from patios and rooftops to windowsills and walls. “There are products on the market now that allow the most space-challenged apartment dweller to enjoy their own garden,” says Shirley Bovshow, host of the online gardening show "Garden World Report." 

Here’s how to make your garden grow and get in on this lifestyle trend with the least amount of effort.

1. Swap manicured lawns for self-maintaining greenery. “High-maintenance gardens that require a lot of intervention are out,” says Geri Miller, founder of Home Grown Edible Landscapes, based in Manhattan Beach, Calif. Instead of raised vegetable beds, the modern garden mixes the ornamental with the edible, growing berries up a trellis alongside climbing roses or tucking tomato plants around zinnias and sunflowers.

2. Outsmart a black thumb with self-watering pots and planters. If you’ve come home to a few too many drooping or wilted plants because you forgot to water them, consider self-watering containers. These have water reservoirs that keep soil perfectly moist for months at a time, and indicators that let you know when it’s time for a refill. You can find self-watering pots for both indoor and outdoor planters in all sizes at gardening centers, online or at big-box retail stores.

3. Harvest a fruit garden from a single tree. You can grow an orchard’s worth of variety by planting a single fruit salad or fruit cocktail tree either in a pot or directly in the ground. These genetic wonders come in several varieties, including a stone fruit salad tree that grows peaches, plums, nectarines, apricots and peachcots, and a citrus tree that yields oranges, mandarins, lemons, limes, grapefruits and tangelos.

4. Make cramped spaces bloom. With ingenious new products, you can cultivate plants on a banister or even on your apartment wall. Woolly Pockets are felted planters made from recycled bottles; you hang the Wally version just like you would a painting, fill it with soil, seeds or plants and watch your vertical garden grow. Other models work on floors or tabletops. The Greenbro Railing Planter snaps onto any railing -- round, square, straight, curved, inside or outdoors, and each planter is divided into two separate chambers so you can grow plants that have different water requirements. (Find it at GreenDzigns)

5. Plant a pre-seeded garden mat. As foolproof as gardening gets, these biodegradable mats come with seeds that are already spaced and covered with a weed barrier that protects the seeds and keeps them from being washed away or eaten by birds before they can start sprouting. Just cover them with topsoil and then water. You can find mats pre-seeded with an herb garden; all the ingredients for salsa (including tomatoes, green onion, chili peppers and cilantro); a summer crop of corn, green beans, carrots, radishes; a variety of wildflowers or a mix of flowers that will attract butterflies. Visit the websites for An Easy Garden and Amber’s Garden Mats.

6. Create a hanging spa garden. Cultivate herbs and plants that are traditionally used in beauty treatments and you’ll be able to pluck yourself a spa experience. Maria Finn, author of A Little Piece of Earth, suggests growing lemon verbena. Pick two sprigs, chop, mix with 1 cup of sea salt, let sit for two weeks or more, and you have fragrant bath salts. For more instant gratification, plant an herbal-tea garden of chamomile, bergamot and lavender. Pick a few flowers and leaves, rub to release essential oils and steep in boiling water for two to five minutes. 

Do you ever wish your best friend was a doctor who would answer any question about dieting and exercise, from losing 5 pounds to whether pricey antioxidants are really necessary? We chatted with successful heart surgeon and TV expert Dr. Mehmet Oz, and that is exactly what we discussed.

Diet
According to Dr. Oz, you need to look at the excess sugar in your diet if you want to lose weight. “You should not think that fat comes from fat -- it doesn’t,” says Dr. Oz. “The fat comes from all the foods you eat being metabolized by your liver. If there is an excess calorie, the liver will purposely store it as fat, and that’s historically what our ancestors needed to do to weather the storms of famine.”

If you are trying to trim down, don’t skip meals to make up for bingeing. According to Dr. Oz, you can’t outsmart your body. “Remember the body is not looking for calories, it’s looking for nutrients. So if you eat foods with no nutrients but lots of calories, your body is going to want you to keep eating. Whereas if you eat foods that are wholesome, you actually will be getting nutrients, and the body will therefore stop insisting on more calories.”

If health claims for pricey new foods or drinks tempt you, follow the doctor’s sensible advice: “There are a lot great exotic fruits and foods out there. I think antioxidant juices are a worthy contribution to our food supply -- just make sure they don’t have too much sugar in them.”

Fundamentally, what you want is a diet that consists of whole foods, or foods that come out of the ground looking the way they look when you eat them. They are found in the outside aisles of the supermarket, and you get the fiber along with the juice.”

Exercise
To lose weight and keep it off, exercise is essential -- and not just cardio. Dr. Oz’s two-pronged approach includes some type of resistance training: “Pilates, yoga -- but I’m not talking about running,” says. Dr. Oz. “I’m not talking about aerobics exercise, exercise that builds muscle. Combine that with cutting out the white foods, including white rice, white pasta, white sugar, white flour. That will almost always give sustained weight reduction.”

While many women worry that a slow metabolism can make losing weight difficult, exercise can help speed up or maintain your metabolism. “If you don’t have any muscle, you’re not going to generate metabolism. And sometimes hormonal shifts like low thyroid levels will drop your metabolism. But there are things you can do to raise your metabolism.” This includes drinking caffeine, which is why caffeinated beverages are often a valuable asset if you are on a diet program, as well as aerobic exercise. When you run, you change the way the blood vessels function and respond, and that seems to affect your metabolism as well.

In addition to diet and exercise, Dr. Oz says that whatever you do, get enough sleep. Not meeting your basic drives in life -- sleep, sex, food and water -- can lead to weight gain. “The brain has four satiety centers,” he says. “You can crave sleep, sex, water and food. If you don’t sleep, you’re going to crave carbohydrates, and that will actually change your ability to resist eating foods that we know add fat.”

There you have it -- practical and personal advice, according to Dr. Oz.