IT'S PARTY TIME!!

Tis the season... To throw a party! Growing up, my house was the party house. Any occasion was a good occasion for my parents to have people over. Memorial Day, July 4th, graduations, birthdays, sports events, even hurricanes were a reason to party. My house was the place to be and my parents were always amazing hosts. So, naturally, I love to entertain too. But I've come to the realization that party planning is an expensive venture. There is tons of planning involved, many shopping trips and lots of time needed to ensure your guest have a great time. 

Logistics:

First things first, the planning! Creating the perfect party not only requires money but time. It's important to plan things through so that you have enough food, space and your guests enjoy themselves. If needed, gather a few of your close friends to help with the party planning. 

Invites: 

When it comes to celebrating anything from a graduation, to a birthday or even just the holidays, sending out invites is a nice touch, but it can be costly. So, use resources that are free. Evite is a great site for sending invites and keeping track of the RSVP’s. Another free and great site is Facebook events, you can make the invite private and share details with just your friends. You can also create a PDF invite and e-mail that out to all of your friends. 

There are many ways save money without compromising style 

Decorations: 

Presentation is key at a party. Everything from the appearance of the food to the appearance of the tables is key when planning a fun party, but like everything decorations can get really pricey. Luckily for you, there's Pinterest. I know you might be thinking "I'm not crafty", don't worry I'm not either. But there are fun and cute decorations you can create online and print out like food titles or printable banners and even printable gift wrap if you're giving away party favors. But more than that, you can use  Pinterest to get clever ideas that won't cost a lot. Like making candle centerpiece (you can buy these from the dollar store) or creating simple collages with photos you already have framed. This is great if the party is for a graduation or birthday. Flower arrangements also make for great center pieces and are also fairly cheap at the dollar store or can be found on sale at many stores. Bowls of candy also make for great center pieces and are cheap to supply. 

 Pinterest is full of great ideas to help spice up your party while keeping within your budget. You'd be surprised at what ideas you can find off of the Internet that are easy to create and easy on your pocket. 

Food and drinks:

 First things first, if someone ever asks to bring something... say YES! Because that means one less thing you have to worry about. Whether it's something as simple as cups, or something as fancy as dessert. If you have a theme, ask them to bring an item that fits with the theme. Otherwise, when it comes to food and drinks for your guests, buffet style is always great and the more variety the better. It's important to know your guest and the time frame too this will help when deciding on what to serve and how much. Great food ideas are pasta bars, all things mini (sliders, mini Mac and cheese...) or do a taco bar or even my favorite a fajita bar. Fajitas are easy to put together, you marinate meet overnight and set up the station and people can come and go as they please. Add a dish of rice and maybe some chips and let your friends enjoy a cheap but yummy Mexican themed party. You could also go the pot luck route. Pot lucks are a great way to try various foods and a great way for you to stay within your budget.

Likewise, when it comes to beverages for the party, buy store brand products, they will save you money and they taste the same. If you feel shy about asking guest to bring beverages, buy in bulk. Go to wholesale stores and buy from them, the cases of soda will be cheaper as will the various other beverages you are looking to supply. 

Entertainment:

Music is always a must at parties but sometimes hiring a DJ can really put you over your budget. My trick for playing music is my mini jib speakers. I love these things, I got them from Amazon for under $20 and they play such great quality music. I pair it up with my phone and caLiving Social and Groupon, talk to friends and even ask on social media. See what people can recommend. Hey you never know, a co-worker might be a DJ on the side.

n place the speakers in two different locations so that all my guest can hear the music. There are many wireless speaker options that play great sound and allow you to pair up more than two speakers. This is a great alternative to spending a lot of money on a DJ. But, depending on the party setting a DJ might be the best option, so shop around. Check out

There are many ways to have a great party and stick within a budget! It's all about being resourceful and using what's available to you. 

It doesn't matter if you’re throwing a high school graduation party, a house warming party or even a wedding. There are things you can do to help with the cost but still give your guest an amazing time! 

I think it’s time for a summer bbq/pool party... I better start planning!

^Alysha