Before you become a mom, you can socialize anytime you want.

It’s not uncommon to go to dinner several nights a week with friends, and if you feel like it, spend half the night dancing.

When you become a mom, despite your best efforts, that goes out the window. We all still have that desire to have fun with friends, but you must admit, once you have kids your definition of fun might change a bit.

I’ve found that one of my favorite ways to get in some socializing that also includes my husband is to participate in a weekly or monthly supper club.

Supper clubs are great even if you don’t have kids, and they’re a fun way to get a group of good friends together, eat good hearty and healthy meals together and just keep things simple.

Plus, what’s ideal is that if you want you can have everyone bring the kids over to whoever’s house where the dinner is held that week.

Get a sitter, and the adults can have fun without worrying about what their little ones are up to. Plus, it’s easier than everyone arranging their own sitter.

Below are some of my favorite tips for starting your own supper club.

Try to Keep Prices Low

You want to set up a club that is going to help everyone keep prices low. Doing every meal as a potluck is a good way to do that.

Then, whoever is hosting that week or month can be responsible for buying the wine, as an example. Encourage members to order wine online from a retailer like Country Wine & Spirits to save money, and also stay organized.

Other tricks to keep the overhead expenses in check include keeping track of everything and dividing it up for everyone.

Plan for the Logistics

I’ve found the logistics are usually the toughest part of planning. You’ll have to start with the basics, like who you’ll invite to be part of the group, and how often it’ll be held. You’ll also have to decide if you want any certain theme, or if it’s anything goes.

If you want to really simplify things and do a potluck supper club, think about using the Sign Up Genius app. I love it because you create a custom signup, invite your group and everyone signs up online. It’s incredibly easy to keep everything organized.

Set Some Rules

To wrap up, it might not sound like a lot of fun when you’re planning a supper club to also set rules, but I’ve found that ultimately it works out better for everyone and it lets you avoid uncomfortable or awkward situations.

Decide when and where you’ll meet, whether you’ll rotate hosts and whether it will be a seated or informal dinner.

The more ground rules you can lay out ahead of time, the more everyone will know what to expect so they can relax and enjoy themselves once the event rolls around.

Don’t be surprised if it takes some time to get everyone excited, but once you do, it’ll become a routine the entire group looks forward to.