Be a thrifty party organiser
Every year we celebrate the good things in life. Birthdays, wedding anniversaries, christenings and more. We at East Dunbartonshire Citizens Advice certainly like to let our hair down! However when you are on a budget, you need to make every penny count and stretch as far as possible. It’s easy to organise a fantastic party with not a lot of money – if you know how. Here’s how to organise a party and be thrifty about it.
Pick a suitable venue
Depending on the number of guests you want to invite, you could host your party at home. This becomes a more appealing idea if your event is during the summer, when people can spill out into a garden or patio if you have one. Even if everyone is indoors, so long as guests aren’t crammed in it can be a lovely and intimate way to get together with friends and family for a few hours. And there is no venue hire to worry about!
Even if you don’t have any private outdoor space, the local park can be a great place to have a picnic. There’s plenty of room for kids to run about giving the grown ups a chance to chat. Additionally, you can suggest that everyone brings a dish to share which not only makes the food interesting and varied, but cuts down on your costs even further.
If you have your heart set on an indoor hire, then take a look at council-run spaces for good value for money. Here in East Dunbartonshire, this includes community halls such as Bearsden Hall, Milngavie Town Hall, War Memorial Hall and Westerton Hall. Take a look at the council’s booking page here. If you are looking to have a bouncy castle or other inflatable, be sure to read the guidelines on that page.
You might even be able to get a great deal with a local pub, they sometimes offer space for free on the condition that a certain amount of drink or food is purchased. Speak to your friendly local barkeep to find out what deals they can offer!
Food that is good value
Shops like Lidl, Aldi and Iceland all offer food at good value. So, if you are looking to cater for your guests yourself, then these are good places to stock up. Keep in mind that not all venues will have a kitchen, so if you are planning on having warm food then you might need to cook it at home before you leave.
As with the picnic above, asking people to bring their own dish is a great way to personalise the event to your guests. This way, everyone will be certain to have something they like! It also acts as a great ice breaker if you are bringing together people who don’t know each other.
If you are looking to hire catering, then hiring small caterers can often get you a good service and good prices too. It helps if you know your budget before contacting them so you can avoid overspending and get the most for your cash.
Invites & decorations
These days, invites can be sent digitally. Sites like Canva and Adobe offer free templates you can use. Even easier is using sites like evite offer designs and also the ability to email them out.
For printed invitations, there are many you can buy online to suit your party theme. They are sent to you in bulk, and you then post or hand them out yourself. It might be useful to think about buying party invites with the same theme as the party. For example, a mermaid theme or dinosaurs. This way you can buy an all-in-one package which will have invites, decorations and possibly even party bags.
Spend only what you can afford
Remember, the most important thing about a party is the people, so don’t spend more than you can afford on hosting an event. These tips on how to organise a party on a budget should go some way to creating a fun and unique day. If you are looking to save money in other areas of your life then check out our blog on saving from subscription services. And if you are struggling to make ends meet, do give us a call for an appointment and we will offer you confidential and impartial advice on where to turn next.
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