Have you ever wanted to host a get-together with friends—but held back because your spending ability was limited? Next time you want to feed a crowd, consider throwing a homemade pizza party instead.

These kinds of gatherings are highly successful for three reasons:

1 – The dough is super easy to make. Whether you buy a prepared crust from the pizza aisle, prepared dough in the refrigerator section, or get bold enough to make your own dough from scratch (by far the cheapest option), you’ll save a ton of money over pizza delivery. Tip: Bake the crust ahead of time to maximize time with guests.

2 – The cost of ingredients and toppings won’t break the bank. Pick toppings you know your guests will like. Pepperoni, pork sausage, peppers and onions are great choices. Tip: Chop or cook toppings in advance and set them on the counter in cute bowls.

3 – Guests can easily customize their own meal—and have fun doing it! Tip: Consider making small, individualized pizzas and invite guests to the kitchen. Cooking dinner becomes part of the party.

Make your pizza go even further by providing salad or breadsticks. You can find breadstick dough in the refrigerator section at your grocery. If you opt to make the dough from scratch, double the recipe and roll out the extra dough into homemade breadsticks. Pull them from the oven as guests arrive. They’ll appreciate the warm, yummy snack as they place their toppings on the pizza.

Pizza crust recipes to try:

http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/pizza-crust/dfd30165-0b22-47aa-b192-268be25e138d

http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,2341,157183-233201,00.html

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/pizza-dough-iii/