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Smashing Parties on a Budget
by Doris Dobkins
Description: Tips for hosting great parties on a budget.
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I love parties, don't you? With the holidays coming,
my
calendar seems to fill up quickly with parties and dinner
engagements.
A few of them I even host myself. Anyone can host a
smashing party.
You don't have to spend a lot of money. The key to a great party
is creativity.
If you utilize some of the following tips, your party can still
be the
talk of the town for less.
Create a Plan
The first and most important step in saving money with a party
is in
the planning process. I don't mean just planning the party itself
but rather
planning your parties as far ahead as possible. If you like to
give parties,
it is a good idea to sit down once a year and create a party plan
for the
year. List all the birthdays, holidays and theme parties you want
to host
for the next twelve months. Identify tentative dates for each
party and
a general theme. This will allow you plenty of time to shop
when
things are on sale and heavily discounted. Then create a budget
for each
party and you are ready to get set and go.
It's time to plan that first party and narrow our theme. Are
you having
a tea party, a birthday party, a holiday party, or a block party?
What
is your theme going to be? Picking a theme will help you keep
focused as
you prepare.
The next step is to pick a date, time and location and then
make an
invitation list. Now you can prepare the invitations. Have you
ever tried
making your own? There are many computer software packages that
make cards.
You can also use plain paper and decorate with stamp art,
stickers, colored
pens, markers, etc. or make a pretty flyer. How about cutting up
old cards
to create new ones. Hand delivering the invitations will also
save money.
Decorations
Decorating for the party can be costly. Here are some
money-saving tips.
Keep the decorations simple but be creative. For
centerpieces, pick
any greenery from your yard as a base and then add fruit,
flowers, peppers,
pinecones, candles, figurines, woodcarvings, etc. For a neat
tablecloth
idea, put a clear plastic drop cloth over flat and colorful
objects such
as leaves, theme paper decorations or decorated paper cloths.
Borrow what
you can instead of buying.
Food
Let's get creative on the menu planning. One of the cheapest
ways to
save money on food and drinks is to host your party between 2:00
p.m. and
5:00 p.m., which are non-meal times. If you prepare and serve the
food
yourself instead of hiring a caterer, you will save money. You
can prepare
most of the food ahead of time and then freeze it. To save money
on help,
make a trade-off deal with a friend in similar circumstances.
They can
help you with your party and you can help them with one of
theirs.
To feed large groups of people, buffets are the easiest and
cheapest
method. If appropriate, make your party a potluck. Assign people
categories
to bring to avoid duplication. You can prepare the drinks and
dessert.
Make a list of all the nonperishables on your menu. Look for
coupons and
buy items ahead of time when they are on sale. Then make a
list of
all the perishables. Look for foods that can be made and frozen
ahead of
time. If you want to serve cut foods like vegetables, cheese or
meat slices,
buy the foods whole or in chunks and slice them yourself.
Help in the Kitchen
Invite some older kids to help out with the younger children
and play
games with them. Some can even assist you as the hostess by
greeting guests,
taking the coats, passing out the food, pouring drinks, serving
dessert
and cleaning up. You can use your own kids or borrow someone
else's. It's
a great experience for them.
Entertainment Tips
Use the artistic and musical talents of friends. If you have a
theme
party, ask your guest to bring something to contribute to the
theme. For
kids' parties, hire some local teenagers to put on a puppet show
or to
play games with the kids. Play silly games and give silly prizes.
Have
the guests participate in the entertainment with skits, music, or
poetry.
Thanksgiving Ideas
A couple of great Thanksgiving tips I just have to
share
are:
-
Use a hollowed pumpkin for a punch bowl or soup
tureen.
-
Make your harvest dinner a potluck. Identify a menu and let
people select
what to bring. Maintain a master list.
-
Use pumpkins, fall leaves, fresh fruit and candles for
decorations.
Christmas/New Year's Ideas
-
Write "fortunes" for the New Year and put them inside balloons
for people
to blow up and pop.
-
Wrapping paper, cards, and decorations go on sale the week after
Christmas
at 50 to 75 percent off, so stock up for next year and SAVE.
-
Give handmade and homemade items as gifts. Some good examples are
jams,
breads, potholders, and tree ornaments.
-
Write your favorite recipe on a card or pretty holiday paper. Put
some
of the key ingredients in a pretty jar decorated with a
ribbon.
-
Put 5-7 kinds of beans in a Ziplock bag and include your favorite
bean
soup recipe.
Reprinted with permission.
