How to Host a Budget-Friendly Holiday Party

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If you’re planning a party, here are ten tips to host a budget-friendly holiday party without even feeling like you’re pinching pennies.

Are you hosting a holiday party this year? If you’re worried about all the expenses, Kate Wilson from This Wild Lifestyle is back with ten tips for How to Host a Budget-Friendly Holiday Party. Her suggestions will help you get organized and stay within (or even under) budget!

Great tips and tricks for how to host a budget-friendly holiday party!

Photo credits: See below.

The holiday season is the best time of year to throw a festive party. However, between beverages, decorations and of course food, hosting a holiday party can become a very pricey endeavor. As the expenses of a holiday bash can often cause hosts to go over their holiday budget, it’s essential to find ways to cut costs.

How to Host a Budget Friendly Holiday Party

If you’re hosting a party this season, here are ten tips to help you save money without even feeling like you’re pinching pennies.

1. Send Online Invitations

As the price of postage continues to rise, sending paper invitations can become expensive – especially if you have a lot of party guests. Instead of snail mail, invite your guests through an internet invite. Not only can this cut the cost of your invites, but also make keeping track of RSVP’s and your guest list much easier.

2. Make It Yourself

When it comes to throwing a holiday party, it’s all about the food. While it may be easier to have your event catered, it certainly won’t be cheap. To make sure you keep this cost low, ditch the caterer and make your own apps, entrees, finger foods and desserts. With the help of websites like Pinterest this task is less arduous, as recipes and even festive preparation and presentation ideas are at your fingertips.

3. Plan Your Menu Early

Before stepping foot into a supermarket, be sure to plan out your holiday party menu. Do your best to take into account the number of guests you’re expecting, what dishes you will be serving, and the exact ingredients you will need to prepare each recipe. This will help you to make a list which will include only what you need, so you don’t end up splurging on non-essentials.

4. Don’t Say No

Keeping the cost of hosting a holiday party low can be as easy as saying the word “yes”. More often than not, party guests will ask you if they can bring something to your party. Whether it’s finger food, dessert or even a bottle of wine, don’t decline. This will add more variety to your spread and ease some of your monetary burden.

5. Make It a Potluck

To really cut the cost of food for your holiday party, make your event a potluck. If everyone brings a dish to share, the cost of the party won’t fall solely on you, reducing a huge expense. Also, if your guests are bringing several food items, you won’t have to spend as much time preparing your holiday munchies, giving you more time to decorate, clean and take care of the little details in hosting.

6. Decorate on a Budget

Making your home look festive for a holiday party is a must, but shelling out a lot of money to do so is definitely not. Instead of buying expensive holiday decorations, get a little crafty and make your own. With the help of Pinterest and crafty bloggers, there are tons of resources to help you easily gather information and instructions.

7. Use Apps to Find the Best Deals

Between buying food, drinks and decorations for your holiday party, expenses can add up quickly. As in most cases buying less of these items isn’t an option, spending less for them is the only way to really reduce the cost. If you’re not into couponing but still want to get a great deal, your iPhone can help you save. There are numerous coupon apps out there, try them all and find one that works for you.

8. If Supplying Drinks, Don’t Go All Out

Undoubtedly, one of the most expensive aspects of hosting a holiday party is buying the booze. As this commodity is a pricey necessity, it’s important to attempt to keep the cost of your libations low. To do this, choose only one white and red wine selection which pairs best with your entrée, and stick to bottom shelf choices for the rest. Follow suit with your beer selection to ease the costs. Also, if serving liquor, stick to one festive signature drink instead of an open bar.

9. Don’t Overbuy

While it’s important to have enough food and drinks for your guests, buying more than enough adds an unnecessary cost to your holiday event. To make sure that you don’t go overboard, scan your RSVP list and get a head-count before going to the supermarket.

10. Borrow Instead of Buy

If your guest list is longer than you can properly accommodate for, you may be in need of extra tables, chairs, serving dishes and many odds and ends in between. Instead of renting or purchasing these items, try to borrow as much as you can. Chances are, your guests will be more than willing to loan you their folding tables, chairs, crock pots and punch bowls.

If you want to throw a memorable holiday party but want to forget the high costs that come with hosting, getting thrifty is an absolute must. Planning out your menu early, and buying only what you need can help you stick to your budget, as well as welcoming any offers from your guests to pitch in. Whichever money-saving strategy you take this season, prepare to enjoy your holiday party even more knowing that you stuck to – or even spent less than – your budget.

Photo Credits: The graphic, “Hosting Your Holiday Party”, includes the following photos left to right:
1. The photo of ornaments on a tree was modified from a photo titled “On the Tree”, copyright (c) 2008 versageek on Flickr and made available under an Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 license.

2. The second photo of a gift was modified from a photo titled “Happy Christmas flickr pals!”, copyright (c) 2012 Caroline on Flickr and made available under an Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 license.
3. The third photo shows our Bacon Spinach Blossoms from Kenarry.

While you’re here, be sure to check out other Christmas ideas on Ideas for the Home by Kenarry® –

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