5 Tips For Hosting a Party On The Cheap
There are plenty of occasions where we want to host a party, but we worry about how much it will cost us. Many of us can’t afford to spend hundreds of dollars on a party, even if the experience is worth the price tag. Unfortunately, that’s often how much parties can cost if we get cute decorations and nice wine and yummy food. Whether it’s a birthday party, a housewarming or a cocktail party – there are certainly ways to host a party on a budget.
One of the most common mistakes party-planners make is stressing out too much about details that don’t really matter. If you tend to be a perfectionist, you’ll have to really work on this, because perfectionists tend to spend way more money on their parties. You’ll have to remember that most of the guests won’t actually care or notice that you put pigs-in-a-blanket out instead of a fancy cheese plate. Hosting a party on a budget doesn’t mean your party will be terrible, and sometimes all it means is knowing where to find things for cheaper. Here are 5 tips for hosting a great party on the cheap:
- Go To The Dollar Store
Your local dollar store is your best bet to pick up cute napkins, disposable cups, and pretty decorations. These types of items tend to be less than a third of the price at a dollar store, compared to a regular party store or a boutique shop. You may see beautiful decorations in a boutique shop’s window –but don’t get lured in. This is how you’ll end up spending way too much money on your party. Stick with the dollar store if you’re on a tight budget. You’d be surprised at how cute some dollar store products are!
- Limit The Snacks
People don’t eat at parties as much as you think they do. Most people sip on their drink and barely touch the food, so don’t buy too much food. Choose one or two savory snacks, and one or two sweet snacks for those with a sweet tooth. For savory snacks, you might consider buying a cheap box of frozen pigs-in-a-blanket and a bag of chips. As far as sweet treats go, these Japanese chocolates are affordable and are sure to impress your guests. What these things have in common is that they are bite-sized. Bite-sized food is the way to go for parties.
- Make It a Potluck Party
A potluck party is where each guest is encouraged to bring a favorite appetizer, dessert, snack or drink that they’d like to share with the party. Most people don’t complain when they find out it’s a potluck party because most people think potlucks are fun!
Potlucks are fun because you get to try a variety of dishes, and you also get to show off your favorite dish.
- Have a Signature Drink
Having a signature drink will save you money because you won’t be buying a bunch of different bottles of liquor or cold ones. Tell your guests that you’ll be serving sangria, for example, and you’ll save money and build excitement.
You can choose a cheap wine that still tastes good, and buy some soda water and no-name brand juice from the grocery store. Voila! You’ve got cheap sangria that tastes good, looks fancy, and impresses guests. You don’t need to buy different types of wine or different brands of beer. Tell guests what you’re offering (for example, the sangria) and let them bring something else if they don’t love what you’re offering. On the invitation, you can even tell guests to BYOB but that you’ll be serving a signature drink.
- Get Creative
Sometimes, planning a party on a tight budget can actually be more fun, because it forces you to get more creative. Perhaps you’ll make your own decorations or bake cookies instead of buying them. You could even get creative with DIY centerpieces and other fun projects that don’t cost much money.
Getting creative doesn’t just mean you make something yourself. Getting creative can also mean reusing items and being thrifty. Perhaps you can dig up some old decorations that, with a little bit of TLC, can be revived. Or, maybe you’ll turn your mason jars into cool lighting fixtures for your party instead of buying candles. By getting creative and thinking things through, you’ll definitely be able to throw a great party on a small budget.
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