| Throw
a great holiday party without tossing the budget | | By
Teri Cettina • Bankrate.com |
| When
it comes to saving money on the holidays, most budget-conscious folks spend a
lot of their energy thinking about ways to economize on gifts. However, if you
also host a holiday party, you also can cut costs by applying smart shopping strategies
to your décor, food and beverage purchases. Simplify
your invitations
It's easy to get seduced by beautiful, but often costly,
party invitations. But if you're throwing a budget soiree, aim to keep costs down
from the start.
Depending on how formal your party is, and how well you know
your guests, you might consider e-mailing invitations right from your computer.
If you need to manage invitations and RSVPs for a large crowd, you could also
use a free online service such as evite.com,
says Lara Starr, the San Francisco-based co-author of "The Party Girl Cookbook."
Keep in mind, however, that some of your guests might not
be big fans of e-mail invitations. Starr isn't either. "I think traditional
mailed invitations show a little more respect for your guests and aren't as easily
ignored," she says. A budget-by-mail alternative: Creative
postcard invitations printed on a home computer. "Postcards can save you
money because you don't need to buy envelopes and the postage is less than it
would be for a letter," Starr says. The U.S.
Postal Service requires that postcards be printed on cardstock (heavier paper).
They should be at least 3½ inches high x 5 inches long and .007 inches
thick; and no bigger than 4¼ inches high x 6 inches long and .016 inches thick.
For 2006, postcard postage is 24 cents. Decorate
simply but elegantly
A smart way to keep a party on budget is to pick
a theme. Yes, holiday parties actually can have additional themes -- ranging from
a simple color scheme of silver and blue to something more elaborate like "Holidays
with Elvis" (complete with a red tinsel tree, '50s music and peanut butter
and banana sandwiches). According to Starr, themes help you avoid buying extraneous
decorations and can help focus your food offerings -- all Mexican dishes, Polynesian-inspired
appetizers, etc. Another tip: Don't
try to cover your entire home or party room with decorations. Starr
suggests focusing on your entry area, food table and perhaps powder room. An inexpensive
door wreath or twigs wrapped in a festive bow, pillar candles of various sizes
on a foyer tables, a clear bowl filled with extra holiday ornaments on your buffet
table and a holiday-scented candle in your powder room make guests feel welcome
but not overwhelmed, she says. Ribbons purchased at a discount
fabric store can also be used to trim a holiday tree or festoon a stairway banister.
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