A posh dinner... in your own apartment

$7. Not bad for a three-course meal from the ever-expensive Whole Foods. 

And how is this possible, you ask? Finding three more Divas, each with $7 to spare. 

With a little time, creativity, and $28, Asti, Caroline, Martha, and I enjoyed a stellar Sunday evening dinner last night. We even grabbed a free DVD rental on the way home. 

Although our dinner soiree was impromptu-- we met at the grocery store and decided our menu on the spot-- a Diva can be even more savvy with a planned menu. See what staples your local grocery spot has on sale this week and base the meal around that staple. Be creative-- see what ingredients you have laying around the house, what spices you'd like to work with, and what products in the kitchen may work well (if not better) as substitutes. 

Next Saturday night, instead of doing cocktails and dinner at a city hot spot-- and racking up your bill-- host a dinner party. If you feel less-than-Diva-like by asking friends for money as they walk through your door (after all, a Diva on a Dime is not cheap, just cost-conscious), then suggest each guest bring a bottle of vino (starting at $2.99 at Trader Joes, 748 Memorial Dr., Cambridge; 1317 Beacon St., Brookline) or some tapas to share. Or, make it more casual and invite them over to help cook (and break open the bubbly a little earlier).

Although our bank accounts may be struggling a bit, your social life doesn't have to come to a halt. Sometimes the most memorable times with fellow Divas are spent with a few bottles of wine, some warm nosh, and a cozy apartment.