We have a progressive party. Where we go from house to house for each course. We have salad at one house, soup at another, entree and still another and finally dessert. That way we can keep it interesting, inexpensive and moving.
I try to make sure and plan far enough ahead so I can use coupons to help cut down the cost. I also try to make foods that are filling and not super expensive like pasta, chicken, bread.
I second everyone suggesting potlucks, game nights, and pizza. Grilled pizzas can be even more fun, since everyone can make their own personal pie and it turns into an activity.
My sister and I always threw great parties when we were living together because we always made sure there was food (novel for two early twenty-somethings!. She hosted a weekly game night and made a vegetarian chili, something that all of our friends could eat and was cheap to make in bulk. I would bake a few loaves of bread and make a few dips. A favorite of our friends was a white bean dip, which cost almost nothing to make (a large can of cannelinis pureed, chopped garlic, and olive oil, served warmed.) Always amused me that a it was such a hit as it cost me less than $2 to make a big bowl of it!
To host a party on a budget, we always ask everyone to bring a dish! That helps out alot! We also try to make fun decorations with what we have! One that we always do that is cheap for our birthday parties, is we wrap the pictures on the walls in giftwrap! Add a bow and ribbon....looks so cute for birthday parties!
Potluck, Always. Everyone always wants to bring something anyway. I always provide beer and non-alcoholic drinks, and if people want to drink something else, they can bring it themselves!
Ditto on on YNAB (You Need a Budget). Excellent tutorials and support community. It is an addictive budgeting program that's actually a joy to use. I'm 8 months in and I can't believe that I've tracked every one of my transactions. It is a joy to use.
Also Personal Capital does a lot of what Mint does and does more for investment accounts. Just make sure you turn off the setting that has a human contact you unless you want a real live financial advisor to help you.
I buy party supplies whenever I find cute ones on clearance, rather than waiting until I need them. The dollar store is also a great place to pick up tableware & other party needs. I also love using Pinterest to gather creative, inexpensive party ideas, themes, decor, etc.
We use materials we have already on hand for décor & get crafty. We also shop at the dollar store for additional stuff. We have hosted a party for 40 people before. It was a birthday party.
My favorite party on a budget is a film festival. Contact your guests to nominate their favorite DVD, and pick 2 to present. Start with brunch. Make a casserole of egg, cheese, stale bread, and a sofrito of onions peppers and other leftover cooked veggies and a simple salad with homemade vinaigrette. Coffee, sparkling water and juice. Next do cheap TV snacks: Pretzels, Popcorn, Nachos, Hot dogs wrapped in biscuit dough, and trifle at the end (Pound cake from day old bin or dollar store cubed, sliced up seasonal berries or fruit, Instant pudding, whipped cream. You can have trivia questions about the movie they just watched and give out prizes from the dollar store.
I buy things in bulk at GFS or Costco! Or I make a themed party and have people bring an appropriate dish to cut down on costs. Also, boxed wine saves a TON of money.
1. Potlucks, as just about everyone else has suggested.
2. Have an afternoon tea -- all you have to do is brew some tea, make a couple of batches of cookies (freezing some for later use in brown-bag lunches) and, if you really want to put on the dog, put out some sandwiches cut into fancy shapes. Alternate: Have a couple of loaves of homemade bread in the oven when people begin to arrive. Offer slices of freshly baked bread with butter and jam or honey and they won't miss the petit fours or the cucumber sandwiches.
3. Make it a BYOB party: As host, you provide mixers and a few snacks. Hit the dollar store for chips and such, or watch for loss leaders like 99-cent pretzels. Oh, and the National Popcorn Board has *amazing* recipes (from chai to Thai) at popcorn.org.
4. Ice cream social. Watch for coupons and sales for ice cream but also for syrups and whipped cream. Put out little dishes of whatever you have in the cupboard -- chocolate chips, M&Ms, broken-up pretzels, cereal, pulverized cookies -- and let people make their own sundaes.
5. Games night. Put out all the board games you have; check thrift stores on half-price day if you don't own any. However, drunken Twister is never a good idea.
6. Card night. Put out several decks of cards and let people decide whether they want to hang with the poker crowd or the Go Fish crowd.
7. Homemade pizza. One of the cheapest things you can serve, actually. Lots of easy recipes online.
8. Do a themed movie night, e.g., both "Captain America" movies or an old "Godzilla" flick plus the latest iteration. Those popcorn recipes could come in handy then, too.
A few years ago, friends of ours held a themed pot luck party. It was March and they invited several couples to bring along a pot of their favorite homemade soup. I didn't really make soup from scratch then (18 years ago!), so I brought several loaves of fresh homemade bread. Good choice as our hostess' father had been a baker.
To save money on hosting friends in the summer, I watch for deals all year long. I always shop the clearnace section in stores from TJ Maxx to Walgreens to JCPenney and find cute and really inexpensive accessories to complete my decorations, like placemats, fun straws and dinnerware!
I also make sure I clip coupons when I'm buying for meals like barbeques that need meats and fresh ingredients like breads and veggies. Brands like Heinz that sell basic condiments almost always have coupons somewhere!
I've hosted pot lucks which are a hit. However, if I plan to supply everything (food, drinks) I tend to stick with a "theme" so multiple ingredients can be used in the same dish. For example I may do Mexican food where I can use a bunch of cilantro in multiple dishes (cilantro lime rice, guac, salsa, ect). I can also use a less expensive cut of meat (pork shoulder or ground beef) to feed a lot of people. Additionally instead of the meat being the main focus I can use beans, rice and other less expensive sides (chips and salsa) to fill up guests. Also I never say no if someone offers to bring something!
We have a progressive party. Where we go from house to house for each course. We have salad at one house, soup at another, entree and still another and finally dessert. That way we can keep it interesting, inexpensive and moving.
hosting party on a budget = potluck
I try to make sure and plan far enough ahead so I can use coupons to help cut down the cost. I also try to make foods that are filling and not super expensive like pasta, chicken, bread.
I second everyone suggesting potlucks, game nights, and pizza. Grilled pizzas can be even more fun, since everyone can make their own personal pie and it turns into an activity.
My sister and I always threw great parties when we were living together because we always made sure there was food (novel for two early twenty-somethings!. She hosted a weekly game night and made a vegetarian chili, something that all of our friends could eat and was cheap to make in bulk. I would bake a few loaves of bread and make a few dips. A favorite of our friends was a white bean dip, which cost almost nothing to make (a large can of cannelinis pureed, chopped garlic, and olive oil, served warmed.) Always amused me that a it was such a hit as it cost me less than $2 to make a big bowl of it!
Did I mention it was a joy to use? lol
We do a potluck and have someone bring drinks and cook sides when everyone is there
I look for sales and buy things early if I can.
Have a fun game night and provide some snacks and have everyone bring a bottle of wine.
Potlucks are great!
To host a party on a budget, we always ask everyone to bring a dish! That helps out alot! We also try to make fun decorations with what we have! One that we always do that is cheap for our birthday parties, is we wrap the pictures on the walls in giftwrap! Add a bow and ribbon....looks so cute for birthday parties!
Potluck, Always. Everyone always wants to bring something anyway. I always provide beer and non-alcoholic drinks, and if people want to drink something else, they can bring it themselves!
Ditto on on YNAB (You Need a Budget). Excellent tutorials and support community. It is an addictive budgeting program that's actually a joy to use. I'm 8 months in and I can't believe that I've tracked every one of my transactions. It is a joy to use.
Also Personal Capital does a lot of what Mint does and does more for investment accounts. Just make sure you turn off the setting that has a human contact you unless you want a real live financial advisor to help you.
I buy party supplies whenever I find cute ones on clearance, rather than waiting until I need them. The dollar store is also a great place to pick up tableware & other party needs. I also love using Pinterest to gather creative, inexpensive party ideas, themes, decor, etc.
We use materials we have already on hand for décor & get crafty. We also shop at the dollar store for additional stuff. We have hosted a party for 40 people before. It was a birthday party.
My favorite party on a budget is a film festival. Contact your guests to nominate their favorite DVD, and pick 2 to present. Start with brunch. Make a casserole of egg, cheese, stale bread, and a sofrito of onions peppers and other leftover cooked veggies and a simple salad with homemade vinaigrette. Coffee, sparkling water and juice. Next do cheap TV snacks: Pretzels, Popcorn, Nachos, Hot dogs wrapped in biscuit dough, and trifle at the end (Pound cake from day old bin or dollar store cubed, sliced up seasonal berries or fruit, Instant pudding, whipped cream. You can have trivia questions about the movie they just watched and give out prizes from the dollar store.
Pot luck!
The way we cut down on costs is to have people bring food. A lot of times we will provide the main dish and ask for others to bring sides.
I buy things in bulk at GFS or Costco! Or I make a themed party and have people bring an appropriate dish to cut down on costs. Also, boxed wine saves a TON of money.
1. Potlucks, as just about everyone else has suggested.
2. Have an afternoon tea -- all you have to do is brew some tea, make a couple of batches of cookies (freezing some for later use in brown-bag lunches) and, if you really want to put on the dog, put out some sandwiches cut into fancy shapes. Alternate: Have a couple of loaves of homemade bread in the oven when people begin to arrive. Offer slices of freshly baked bread with butter and jam or honey and they won't miss the petit fours or the cucumber sandwiches.
3. Make it a BYOB party: As host, you provide mixers and a few snacks. Hit the dollar store for chips and such, or watch for loss leaders like 99-cent pretzels. Oh, and the National Popcorn Board has *amazing* recipes (from chai to Thai) at popcorn.org.
4. Ice cream social. Watch for coupons and sales for ice cream but also for syrups and whipped cream. Put out little dishes of whatever you have in the cupboard -- chocolate chips, M&Ms, broken-up pretzels, cereal, pulverized cookies -- and let people make their own sundaes.
5. Games night. Put out all the board games you have; check thrift stores on half-price day if you don't own any. However, drunken Twister is never a good idea.
6. Card night. Put out several decks of cards and let people decide whether they want to hang with the poker crowd or the Go Fish crowd.
7. Homemade pizza. One of the cheapest things you can serve, actually. Lots of easy recipes online.
8. Do a themed movie night, e.g., both "Captain America" movies or an old "Godzilla" flick plus the latest iteration. Those popcorn recipes could come in handy then, too.
I like YNAB. Google it.
A few years ago, friends of ours held a themed pot luck party. It was March and they invited several couples to bring along a pot of their favorite homemade soup. I didn't really make soup from scratch then (18 years ago!), so I brought several loaves of fresh homemade bread. Good choice as our hostess' father had been a baker.
To save money, we do potlucks so everyone brings something to the party.
To save money on hosting friends in the summer, I watch for deals all year long. I always shop the clearnace section in stores from TJ Maxx to Walgreens to JCPenney and find cute and really inexpensive accessories to complete my decorations, like placemats, fun straws and dinnerware!
I also make sure I clip coupons when I'm buying for meals like barbeques that need meats and fresh ingredients like breads and veggies. Brands like Heinz that sell basic condiments almost always have coupons somewhere!
I host a party on a budget by serving simple meals like pizza and pasta salad. I use coupons when I shop for party food
I've hosted pot lucks which are a hit. However, if I plan to supply everything (food, drinks) I tend to stick with a "theme" so multiple ingredients can be used in the same dish. For example I may do Mexican food where I can use a bunch of cilantro in multiple dishes (cilantro lime rice, guac, salsa, ect). I can also use a less expensive cut of meat (pork shoulder or ground beef) to feed a lot of people. Additionally instead of the meat being the main focus I can use beans, rice and other less expensive sides (chips and salsa) to fill up guests. Also I never say no if someone offers to bring something!