Social calendars begin filling up this time of year. With so many holidays and reasons to celebrate – everyone is feeling festive and ready to enjoy a good time. Are you one to attend these events? Or, are you the one to throw one?
If you choose to throw a party this holiday season – you need to be ready to create a budget. Why? Because unless your wallet is infinitely deep, you will want to make sure you have an idea of how much you can spend – and what you will spend it on.
There are many ways to create a wonderful party without killing your budget. The best part is that no one will even be able to tell. Check out these 10 party budgeting tips that you need to know before you start planning.
1. Scratch the photographer.
Years ago, photographers were a critical aspect when it came to creating memories at an event. Today, however, anyone with a cell phone thinks he or she is an amateur photographer. Taking advantage of this will wipe out the cost of hiring a photographer.
The best way to ensure you see all the pics is to create a hashtag for your party. This means that the pics that your guests take will all fall into one centralized location on your favorite social media platform all by uploading them with the hashtag of your choosing.
2. Go big with one thing.
When you envision your party, what do you see? Keep your decorating costs down by choosing one thing to go big with at your party. Then, spend less money on the rest of the decorations. For example, if you are hosting a Christmas party and you want to have Santa himself visit, then spend your money on renting a Santa suit and decorate the space in an economical fashion.
You may be surprised at just how much money you can save by shopping at discount stores – and end up with a perfectly decked out party space.
3. Hold your party outdoors.
Renting a banquet hall or other party space can put a huge dent in your budget. This is especially true during the busy holiday season when rental spaces are in high demand. You can avoid all of this frustration by choosing to hold your party outdoors.
Of course, the weather may not be ideal – especially during the winter month. So, if you choose to hold your party outdoors, you will want to rent a tent. This will protect you from any inclement weather you may come face to face with. It will also give you plenty of space to host your party and make it feel like an indoor experience.
Tent rentals can come in any size you need – depending on your guests. They can be customized to meet your needs with indoor climate control, flooring, side walls, and more. This can be a great money-saving alternative without giving up any of the indoor perks.
4. Choose hors d’oeuvres.
There is no law that says you must serve a full meal to your guests. Choose to offer smaller finger-food options to avoid the cost of a plated meal. This is a great money saver – and reduces the need formal seating and setup. Besides, you can get as fancy as you want with the hors d’oeuvres.
5. Provide your own entertainment.
You don’t need to waste money on a DJ or a live band. If music is what you are looking for, then it is so easy to provide that for yourself. If you have access to speakers, great. If not, you can rent them for a reasonable fee.
Put together a large playlist on iTunes or find a collection of party favorites on Pandora to meet your expectations. Then let the music play. No one needs to see where it is or is not coming from – they just want to hear the sounds.
6. Time your party just right.
Believe it or not, the time at which you schedule your party matters. For instance, if you host a party that is scheduled for 6:00 pm, then most guests will assume you are going to feed them dinner since its right around dinnertime. And, if you choose to host a party at noon, you may be expected to serve lunch.
If you don’t intend to provide a meal, be cognizant of when you schedule your party. Or, state on the invitation whether you will feed your guests.
7. Don’t be afraid to say yes to offers.
When you decide to throw a party, some of your closest friends, family, and co-workers often offer to help in some way. Typically, we think we always need to say no. But, why? If you want to save money – and time – why not accept the help? Say yes to the offers that you know will truly help you out.
8. Address the alcohol.
Serving alcohol at your party can become one of the greatest expenses. This is especially true if you have guests who like to drink. That doesn’t mean you have to have a dry party because you are on a budget.
Choose to serve a signature drink. This could go with the theme of your party. If your guests want to get toasty, this will be their option. Then you only need to purchase the needed alcohol for the drink.
Another option would be to make it a BYOB. Let your guests bring their favorite bottle of booze. Let them know that you will provide the mixers. It’s a win-win.
9. Send invitations electronically.
Buying formal invitations or even the pre-printed invites at the store can cost you money. Not to mention the cost of the postage to mail them.
Everyone has access to email today – and people check that more than a mailbox. Consider using a service such as evite to invite your guests via email.
10. Have fun.
Most importantly, have fun. Parties aren’t meant to make you go break or stress you out. Get your group together for some unforgettable fun.
I’m considering hosting my yearly Valentine’s Day party outside this year, though I’m worried about how the weather may affect things, as you said. Renting out a tent for the occasion is a good tip, especially if it means I can have a sheltered place to set up bouquets of roses. Providing my own entertainment with my own speaker system definitely would help save money, as well, and I’ll be sure to see if I can get my system set up in the yard.
You really make it seem so easy with your presentation but
I in finding this topic to be really something that I feel I would
never understand. It sort of feels too complex and extremely extensive for me.
I’m looking forward on your subsequent post, I will try to get the cling of it!