The festive party season is here! There will be a lot of parties going on for the holidays, and you may even be hosting your party. At this time of year, things can be quite expensive, so you don’t want to add more expense as your party. Here are a few tips and tricks to make sure that your party is awesome, but saves on the cash.
Set a Budget
One of the first things to do is to set a budget. But you have to stick to it! That is the only way to guarantee that you will only spend what you can. Add up the cost of decorations, food and drink and see where you are at. Does it cost more than you had hoped? You could use some of the money saving options below, or think about inviting fewer people.
Bring a Bottle
One of the big expenses at parties is food and drink. One way to cut down on the cost of drinks is to make it a bring your own bottle party. When guests ask what they should bring, don’t just say ‘yourself’. Be sure to let them know they need to bring a bottle of wine or soft drink that they love. This will save on cash but also on stress for you. You don’t want to be worrying that you won’t have enough drinks. Or worse, that no one will like the ones that you’ve chosen.
This also extends to food too. Why not throw a potluck style party? All guest are to bring a favourite dish to share. Again, this saves on cash for you but makes guest aware of the layout. It puts the pressure on them to make sure they bring something they will enjoy eating, rather than you catering for it all. You don’t want to be planning a New Year party and be running around like a headless chicken, making canapes or cupcakes!
Invitations
If it is fairly informal, there probably isn’t much need for invites. If they are something that you want to send, could you make the invites yourself? Having them printed can cost a lot. Another thought is designing them yourself online and emailing them over. Paperless is always a good option. Have a think about what would work best for you and your guests.
Venue
Where you host the party can be one of the biggest expenses. Unless you know someone with a large marquee or event hall that you could use cheaply, the lowest cost option is to go for a party at home. It will save a lot! The only problem with that is the cleaning and tidying afterwards. Make sure you are prepared with plenty of black garbage sacks and clear as you go, during the party. Guests will be happy to help you in this. You just need to make it obvious where you want all the rubbish to go.
I hope that these tips are useful to you as you plan parties this season. Good luck and enjoy your party!
