Potluck Party Costing: Homemade vs Store-bought

Potlucks are classic.
Reduces host burden, but "A brings wine, B brings snacks" creates gaps.
Rules for a fair potluck.

1. Set a Budget Range

"Something around 2,000-3,000 yen". Loose binding is best.

Allows cooks to buy good ingredients, and buyers to get nice deli food.

Drinks are heavy, so maybe the host buys them and collects a 1,000 yen fee.

2. Costing Homemade Food

This is hard. Pricing "labor" for stew is nonsense.

"Homemade = Ingredient Cost Only (Labor is a gift)" is the standard rule.

If you think "It was hard work, pay me more", just buy something next time.

3. Assign Categories

Everyone bringing potato salad is a tragedy.

"A: Appetizer", "B: Main", "C: Dessert". Creates a full course.

Declaring "I'm bringing this!" in group chat builds excitement.