Is your house holiday celebration central?
Our house is too! Everyone always gathers at our house for all the holidays.
The holiday season can be a time of unexpected events and expenses, instead of being very merry and bright. They can also leave you and your wallet completely broke, especially if you’re not prepared.
And what do you do if your home is the chosen one?
You can still host a memorable holiday celebration with a very tight budget, even if you’re rushed!
These tips will help you prepare and organize the perfect holiday celebration on a dime with these frugal holiday party ideas.
Plus, I’ve got easy holiday celebration ideas that make it easy to send last minute details to your guests!
The best holiday celebrations can be a blast! They call also be extremely expensive!
So I’ll save you money with these cheap holiday party decorations and easy holiday party food ideas. Because you’ve got to save money this time of year!
Hosting holiday parties can be stressful. But I’ll help you sort out what’s important and what you can pre-buy to make your life easier.
And how simplifying your party can be the easiest part of your holiday celebration!
So are you ready to learn these frugal holiday party ideas? Let’s get busy!
Simplify The Menu
When we’re hosting a party, our biggest fear is not having enough food.
It’s because of this fear that we usually end up with way too much food!
If you’re short on time, make some freezer meals ahead of time so you can then pop them in the oven the night of the party while you’re decorating or finishing up something else.
Lasagna and garlic bread are a perfect example because everyone loves them, yet after they’ve been prepared, they virtually cook themselves. This is my go to easy holiday party food.
The lowest stress option is to turn it into a potluck and have everyone bring something.
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Planning Is Key During The Holidays
Download these FREE Christmas Prep Cheat Sheets so you get ahead (of the spending) this year.
Many times when my friends have hosted parties they had a taco bar or a potato bar.
The host provides the meat (or the potatoes), and everyone else brings something that will complete the meal (as well as a dessert); taco shells, shredded cheese, sour cream, chives, chili… everyone can get creative and no one person feels the big burden of providing all the food for the event.
Hey, did you realize you can bake potatoes in your crockpot? It’s super easy!
Having a “bar” type of meal is a great way to get everyone involved and it’s one of the best frugal holiday party ideas I use all the time!
Limit Beverage Choices
When hosting a party, you’ll need to consider what drinks you plan to serve at your party.
They can easily be the sneakiest budget buster because they cost so much!
Instead of soda, make big batches hot cider or cocoa in a crock pot for hot drinks. And dress up boring water by adding some fruit to it.
Limiting your beverage options to two or three choices will keep them festive, without the extra cost.
Of course, there is always the option to have your guests bring a beverage to the party also.
Pair Down The Guest List
Obviously, the fewer people you have attending your holiday celebration, the less it will cost to host.
And when it comes to holiday dinners or work parties, you don’t have the choice of who to pick.
When it comes to holiday celebrations at your own home, however, you can limit your guest list to save some money.
If you are worried about hurting someone’s feelings, try to keep your event off social media. Remind your guests that this was a limited invite event and to be respectful of those who couldn’t attend.
Strategically Use Store Bought Items
If you are busy and don’t have time to cut up your vegetables or fruit, it’s okay to splurge and buy a fruit or vegetable tray to make things easier to save time (and sanity) for easy holiday party food. Just know that the more you cut up by hand the cheaper it is.
However, when you’re buying chips, sweets, or other party foods (such as making a cheese platter), purchase the items you need in bulk without adding to the price tag.
Start buying the food for your holiday celebration as much ahead of time as you can, so you can pay attention to the sales and aren’t rushing around to purchase everything you need at the last minute, therefore, paying full price. Slow and steady is the key to saving money on food.
Remember that if you are planning to use paper party supplies (and plastic utensils) they are one of my Top 10 Items to buy at the Dollar Store. Yes, they are cheaper there, than at Walmart.
Liberally Use Candles
Worried that your holiday celebration won’t look festive enough for people to come over and meander through every room?
One of my cheap holiday party decorations is to make your home look festive is to add groups of candles in strategic locations.
Use as centerpieces, on end tables, and especially in the bathroom (a room everyone visits while at a party).
If you don’t have enough candlesticks, use plain glasses or teacups for a vintage “shabby chic” feel. I have turned glasses upside down to use as a stand for pillar candles to give them height.
Or, one pretty thing I saw a friend do was to turn a water goblet upside down, put ribbon inside the base (where you would drink from) and add a votive candle on top. Genius!
BONUS FREE DOWNLOAD
Planning Is Key During The Holidays
Download these FREE Christmas Prep Cheat Sheets so you get ahead (of the spending) this year.
See how easy these snow candles are to make!
White candles always look beautiful and when placed on a reflective tray they can make your room look magical.
Grab some LED candles so you don’t have to worry about wax melting or burning down the house with all those candles lit in your house. Plus, you can dim your lights down in the house making your house look even more magical in candlelight!
Candles make for cheap holiday party decorations that make your party look look and feel fancy!
You can easily add more to your holiday candle centerpieces by adding ribbon, fresh cut greenery, fresh or faux flowers, or even ornaments. Ad you can see, these holiday celebration ideas don’t have to cost you a lot.
Make Your Holiday Celebration Invites Digital
Some other frugal holiday party ideas are to go digital! In this day and age, but especially when you are tight on money, skip the traditional paper invitations do an online invitation.
I’ve used Punchbowl (formerly e-vites) several times as a free online invitation and it made organizing the guest list a breeze!
Another alternative is to set up a Facebook “Event” but you have to make sure everyone you are inviting is on Facebook (and checks it regularly) or else they will get missed.
This will not only save you money on stamps and printing costs, but you’ll save time by sending them out as well.
Plus it makes it easy to send last minute details to your guests!
If you absolutely must send a paper invitation, choose postcard printing instead. That way you don’t need to worry about an envelope, and they’re easier to stamp and send.
Your holiday celebration can be a blast! They call also be extremely expensive!
As you can see, these tips will help you prepare and organize the perfect holiday celebration on a dime with these frugal holiday party ideas.
And these easy holiday celebration ideas make it easy for you to send last minute details to your guests!
So these cheap holiday party decorations and easy holiday party food ideas will be your saving grace to saving your money this holiday season.
And since hosting holiday parties can be stressful, these tips will help you sort out what’s important and what you can pre-buy to make your life easier.
With these tips, hosting your holiday party will be the easiest part of your holiday celebration!
Your Turn: What is one way you save on hosting a holiday celebration? Share with us below!
