If you want to have friends over for a holiday party but don’t want to spend hundreds of dollars (or more), use your imagination and planning skills to create a memorable get-together that won’t break your budget.
Use an Online Invite System
Make your party look more organized and fun by using an online invitation system, such as Evite. Everyone can bookmark the invite page and see who’s coming and if you’ve made any news or posts.
If you, one of your kids, or a co-worker has some graphic design skills, make a fun e-card or flyer you can mail or hand out to friends in person. If you send invitations electronically, make sure to follow up individually with each person to make sure your invite didn’t end up in a spam folder.
Give Dollar Swag
Stop by your local dollar store and be prepared to be pleasantly surprised by all the fun holiday gifts you can find for $1. You’ll see ornaments, decorative glasses, candles and many other goodies people will think are fun gifts to receive.
Depending on the number of guests you have and your budget, you might be able to create inexpensive Swag Bags.
Have a BYOH Party
Providing food can be an expensive, sometimes generic part of a holiday party. Make your gathering more personal by telling your invitees that you’re going to give everyone a chance to showcase their kitchen skills. Tell your guests you’ll provide the party space, music, dessert and bar, and that everyone gets to bring a their signature home-made hors d’ oeuvre (BYOH).
Sure, some folks can’t cook or bake, but this will give them the opportunity to be creative and come up with something scrumptious. You might offer some suggestions, complete with links to YouTube videos that provide step-by-step instructions for making dips, skewers, canapés and other goodies.
Set up a separate dessert table with the goodies you provide to let people see that you made a substantial contribution. Laying out your inexpensive pies, cakes, cookies, cupcakes and fruit on a well-decorated table makes your offering seem extra special.
Host a Cheap Wine Tasting Bash
A cheap wine tasting party is not only a unique, fun event your friends will talk about for months to come, it costs almost nothing. Check out our post with step-by-step instructions for holding a Cheap Wine Tasting Party.
Decorate your Space
Make your house a Winter Wonderland that wows guests the minute they walk in the door. A well-decorated party room instantly sends the message you’ve put some effort into your event. Once again, a trip to a dollar store will help you stock up on lots of inexpensive decorations.
Have “Fun Stations”
Don’t leave people on their own to start conversations. Create a flow to your party space and provide conversation starters. Set up a computer and have Christmas classics playing (with the sound off or low).
Strangers will have an easier time striking up a conversation in front of “A Charlie Brown Christmas” or “It’s a Wonderful Life.” Set up a game station by putting out a Jenga or another fun game that doesn’t require a big time commitment. If you’re not asking folks to bring food or drink, ask them to bring an unwrapped toy for a local children’s drive and provide a gift-wrapping station where people can get together, wrap gifts and chat.
Check out our fun fondue blog post to learn how to create a fun food station.
Throw a Caroling Party
Caroling parties are a great way to get people together and in a fun mood. Check out our blog post on How to Hold a Caroling Party for ideas on how to make one fun and affordable.