You need to create a budget before you can stick with a budget!
First Step: Determine how much money you have available for real to spend on your party. This one issue, the money, is very important for many aspects of your future party. The budget, can determine either the number of guests you can invite, or the items on the menu.
Do not panic ever! There is always a theme available so that you can work with your budget. To give you a simple example, if you have in mind to plan an old-fashioned barbecue party, the first thing you will be thinking of is probably to put some steak on the grill.
Now, what is wrong with hot dogs and hamburgers? With a golden oldies 50 theme, you can serve your hot dogs and hamburgers without any guest knowing that you had some steak in mind at first. When you come with watermelon as dessert, your party is a big success. The guests will love it, your wallet too.
In case you want a bit more food than that, you can use that other extra “50’s” habit and ask everyone to bring something to eat with them. Ask one person to bring some potatoes, and others to bring some salads, potato chips and even a couple of bottles of soda. Now before you know it, you have a much-extended menu and your only costs were the hotdogs and hamburgers!
Become a wise shopper
Yes, become a wise shopper when you go shopping for your party on a budget. Determine your budget-limit. Promise yourself not to go over your budget line. Then go for it and prepare that unforgettable party.
Your first step has to be some comparison-shopping. This counts especially when you are about to buy decorations, or bags of potato chips and other snacks for the party.
Do not hesitate nor be ashamed to enter those “euro shops”, those shops where you can buy all kinds of things for one euro or a little more. This can be the perfect places to save on your budget when it comes to snack food, nuts, glasswork, dishes and even decorations.
Let these shops surprise you, but, keep your budget in mind, do not spend too much in those shops because you cannot resist the prices.
Resist the impulse to “impulse shopping”
This is something that can happen to all of us and I really mean all of us. You are shopping and looking for some items, then, all of a sudden your eyes are drawn to a certain point. There it is, that one item, you have been looking for; it can make your party the best that has ever been. Beware! Before you buy it, you should ask yourself if it is on your list. Then think in case you would not buy it, who, besides you would miss it on the party. If you cannot get this particular item out of your head, then shop around a bit, compare some prices. This certainly is not the only shop where they sell this item; you have quite a chance to run into it again at a better price.
You can save on some things, but not on others.
One of that so-called “others” you should never cut is the food. It is quite normal to go and shop around when you are looking for your food. Always compare prices. Look for places where the food is on sale. Just make one thing very clear for yourself; never buy food in that “euro stores” or in those very deep discounting grocery stores. These stores are cheap and that is not without a reason. The fact is that you never know the origin of the food.
I am going to give you an example. I was walking in town and it was nearly lunchtime. You know the feeling of course; your stomach tells you it is lunchtime. Now what I did is not very healthy, but I could not resist it. I went to a “euro store” and found a package of Snickers look a likes. I bought them and hungry as I was started eating them immediately. The price was right, the taste awful. I am sure that the chocolate they used inside was also a look alike.
Another thing you always have to look at is the expiration date. Some of those very deep discounting grocery stores sell sometimes food that has already expired. So before you buy any food there, check the expiration date. If that date has passed by, you should pass by on the product.
Do not save on those very important points
Now that you bought the most of your party ingredients and saved yourself quite some money by looking and comparing, you can give yourself some reward. Reward? Yes, because there are still a view essential items you did not buy so far. That could be some items in relationship to the guest of honor.
Imagine you are planning this party for your great grandfather who is turning 100 years young, because he still feels like he is in his 70’s. You know that this old fellow loves to zip a good glass of whiskey. All your saving, scrimping and careful shopping now pays off. Of course, you want to buy that old sweetheart the best bottle of whiskey in town. Let him enjoy it! Even if your guest of honor, your grandfather notices, that on some items you have been saving, he will remember this party all of his life, because you remembered his taste for good whiskey.
How about, borrowing something?
Yes, why not! With this idea, you can safe certainly some money. For example, on, rental costs. Just borrow the furniture, which you had in plan renting, borrow it from family or friends. Borrow your cousin’s music equipment; I am sure he is happy to help you out. This will help to trim your budget.
When you look around, I am sure you find other ways to borrow or loan some stuff, think about your church, your soccer club etc.
Creating your own invitations and more?
Do not tell me that you have no single cell of creativity inside your body. You can tell me, but I will not listen. I am going to write this anyway. You will read it you see. Let me tell you a little story about some people I know very well.
Because of their work, they have been moving around the country a lot.
Therefore, in fact they spent most time of their lives on packing and unpacking boxes. You know those boxes, do you? I am talking about those brown boxes.
For a welcoming party at again another new house, they got the idea, to tear apart some of the boxes, tear it into pieces and use the pieces as an invitation.
They wrote the entire invitation with a black marker on the torn cardboard and sent them to their future guests.
The talk of the party was the original way of inviting. It was economical, creative and very budget minded. What started as some kind of experimental joke ended as a big success.
With any aspect or item of your party, depending on your theme, location and the type of food you are serving, you can do the same.