Spending time together with family and friends is one of the highlights of this season. Enjoy each other’s company and still keep costs under control with these seven tips to entertaining on a budget.
Living in the digital age has its benefits. There’s no need to mail out paper invitations when you can create fun and festive electronic invitations. Both Evite and 123greetings are great places to start, and they’re both free to use.
If your entire guest list is on Facebook, consider creating a Facebook event for your party. It’s also free, and has the added benefit of updating your guests whenever you change key event information. Share information allows others to participate int eh planning, too.
If you really want your guests to receive something in the mail, save money on envelopes and postage by sending postcard invitations.
Keep your party lively and awkward-silence-free by creating a playlist on a free site like Pandora or Spotify. Both sites offer tons of holiday music and you can set the tone for your party by selecting which song, artist, or genre the playlist you want for your celebration.
If you’d rather not leave it to chance, you can create a custom list on YouTube by selecting videos for your favorite songs and adding them to a playlist. To make it even more custom, ask each of your guests to send you a favorite song or two, and then use your Kasasa Tunes® monthly rewards to download those you don’t already own from iTunes!
Organize some fun holiday-themed games where everyone can participate and have a good time. Find ideas on the Internet, or check out a few of our favorites:
Gift exchanges are a fun and budget-friendly way to give presents around the holidays. Invite friends over, make some tasty food and refreshments (check out our below recipes), and have everyone bring one gift. White elephant gifts give people the ability to shop for one less gift without buying for someone specific.
Food and drink costs can easily turn any party into a pricey affair. Instead of starting around dinnertime, host your event a little later in the night, to encourage guests to eat dinner before coming. That way you can offer a few appetizers rather than a buffet of food. Here are some recipes for inexpensive, yummy appetizers:
Another tip to keep your food budget low is to offer mocktails (alcohol-free cocktails). Alcohol can be expensive, especially if you need more than one type, so instead of stocking a full bar, pick a couple of holiday beverages that everyone can enjoy.
Create lasting memories of your party by encouraging every attendee to take photos during the night. Incentivize them to take awesome shots by offering a prize to the person with the most popular photo, based on group vote or social media likes. Have everyone review them the week after the party, voting for their favorite and reliving the awesome memories.
It’s always a nice gesture to send your guests home with a tangible memory of the party, but you don’t have to spend a fortune to share the holiday spirit beyond the evening.