10 Tips On Hosting An Affordable and Fun Festive Party

10 Tips On Hosting An Affordable and Fun Festive Party. While no event is a guaranteed success even with all the planning and hard work in the world, using these 10 Tips should get you pretty close and allow some flexibility to adjust due to unforeseen circumstances.

1. Set Your Priorities

Before you start spending, make a list of everything you want to buy. Start with what’s most important when it comes to hosting a party: paper goods, main dishes, appetizers, desserts, drinks, decorations and tablecloths. That way, if your money runs out along the way, you can cut things from the bottom that don’t matter.

2. Keep It Manageable

You don’t have to throw an over-the-top, black-tie event for 100 people. Invite 10 friends to your house for a casual potluck dinner instead! You’ll save a lot of money and reduce the stress level of your festive party planning. And with a smaller group, you’ll actually be able to hang out with your guests rather than act like a catering service.

3. Use Internet To Create Guest List

These days, it’s convenient for almost everyone to keep track of events online. Try using an e-invitation (evite) service to create and email free and fun invitations to your party in a snap. For an even easier method, post an invitation to your party on social media, and ask your friends to reply if they plan on coming.

4. Cook Simple but crowd-pleasing Dishes

You don’t have to go all-out when it comes to feeding your guests. Pasta dishes, casseroles, and stews can all be inexpensive. It’s also easy to make a large amount at one time, so everyone will have plenty to eat and you’ll have more time to mingle.

5. Keep Alcohol To A Minimum

Party costs can add up quickly when you factor in alcohol. To avoid this, you could always throw a “dry” party. Or, you could feature a “signature” drink at your party so that you only have to choose certain drinks instead of having a fully-stocked bar.

6. Get Creative With The Location

You might worry about the costs of decorating your home for a party, or having enough space for your guests. Don’t panic: you have other options. For instance, you could host an afternoon get-together at a park. You could even have everyone meet at a restaurant to celebrate.

7. Cook Ahead

The most important thing anyone can do is to prepare as many foods in advance as possible. Be it freezable soups, ready-to-bake cookies or preparing your main dish for guest the night before, you will be very thankful that you did the work during a quieter stretch of days.

8. Be Your Own DJ

By using your digital music library or an online music streaming service, you can have a basically endless playlist, for free. To make things even more fun, you can ask guests to make playlists of their own before the party, and take turns listening to each other’s music.

9. Ask Your Friends To Bring A Dish

Most people have a signature dish or family dessert tradition they’re proud of. Cut down on your stress and your budget by asking your guests to bring their best pie or dish to share. People usually enjoy helping out anyway.

10. Don’t Be Afraid to Ask for Assistance

As much as we’d like to believe that we can do it ALL, everyone needs a little help now and then. Appoint a family member to do the vacuuming or set up the glasses on the bar. If you’re preparing a big feast, ask a friend to help people find a drink when they arrive so you can attend to the food in the kitchen.