As the snow begins to fall, many people begin to think about Christmas, gift shopping, decorations and of course, Christmas parties. Many companies have a Christmas party for their employees which is usually paid for by the company (some companies require that you pay for your won drinks). These work Christmas parties are very easy to get ready for, all you have to do is buy some nice business clothes for the attire and show up on time.
If you are planning your own Christmas party however, you will have to do much more preparing. Can you still have a Christmas party if you are low on funds? Of course! We will be going over many tips in this article to stay within a budget and start the New Year debt-free.
Preparing for a Christmas Party
So you’ve decided to have a Christmas party. The first thing you need to consider is where you will be having it. Are you going to be hosting it at your own house, just going out to a nice restaurant or renting out an entire area? Obviously these choices depend on your budget and how much you are willing to spend. For frugal tips, you should either host the party at your house, or invite everyone out to dinner at a restaurant but make sure that you are clear that everyone pays for their own food and drinks. If you decide to go the dinner route, it may be a good idea to at least buy a round of drinks for everyone since you are the one who invited them all out. If you are planning on making reservation somewhere, remember to start booking early; most venues are fully booked for Christmas parties by the 1st of December.
After you’ve decided the venue, the next thing to do is to decide who will attend and get started on the invitations. When trying to figure out the amount of people, consider your budget. How many people can you afford to feed and buy drinks for? Keep in mind that if you invite over 10 of your friends, close to 20 will probably show up because most people will bring along their plus 1. You will be in charge of food, refreshments, favors etc, so be sure to factor that into the decision making.
As you send out your invitations (whether they are mailed or emailed), it might be a good idea to ask for RSVP’s so you won’t waste money buying extra food and wine for those who aren’t planning to attend. If you don’t hear back from those you invited within a week, consider giving them a quick call to see what their plans are. Make sure to include the attire in the invitations (business casual, formal etc).
If you are very frugal, you might consider having a potluck and asking everyone to bring something to share with everyone. This way, if you provide appetizers (even if it’s just finger foods such as vegetables and dip) and as well as a simple dessert or two, there should be plenty for everyone. If you wish to opt for a more traditional Christmas party, you might want to serve the entire turkey dinner to your guests. You can always shop for sales when buying the food and preparing it from scratch to save more money. For more information, check out 22 Ways to Fight Rising Food Prices. Making your own food at home is much cheaper than catering so that might be a good idea.
The next things you have to start getting ready are the decorations. After all, you can’t have a Christmas party without any Christmas decorations. There are many Christmas decorations for sale right after Christmas so why not stock up for the next year? If it’s too late for that, consider buying just a few trinkets to give the place some sparkle. You can put up some lights, wreaths, plastic snowmen, even some winter pictures to give it that warm Christmas feel. Make sure your Christmas tree is the focal point and your other decorations don’t end up outshining it.
Another option to consider is whether or not there will be a gift exchange at your Christmas party. If you are not a fan of getting everyone something, or feel it slightly tacky to give out favors at a Christmas party, you can always opt for drawing names out of a hat. This way everyone ends up getting a gift and it won’t be too expensive. Be sure to set a budget for each gift such as $50 if you choose to do this.
The last thing to do is make sure everything (including you) looks nice. Feel free to buy a nice dress or suit for the occasion; there are always clothing sales near Christmas so you can pick up something that looks great without having to dig deep into your pocket. Hosting a Christmas party doesn’t have to be super expensive; you can cut many corners and easily stay within budget and still have a great time. Make sure everyone is as comfortable as possible and go mingle at your Christmas party!
The image used in this post is taken from Image: photostock / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
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