Christmas is about a week away! We’ve finally made it to that final push to get through the holidays. If you have a tight budget, you might be wondering if having a celebration is worth the cost. Maybe you’ve always thrown a great Christmas party, but money is tighter this year. No need to fret! You can still have a great party without spending a lot of cash.
The truth is, you can have a lot of fun and barely spend any money at all. You can do it without losing any of the festive Christmas fun! In order to do it, though, you must keep things simple and focus less on throwing a huge bash. You can still have a lot of fun with a few close friends and family members.
The idea is to have Christmas fun without the stress. If you’re going to be stressed the whole time and worry about your budget, there’s no point in having the party. If you virtually have no budget, then perhaps consider sitting out this year and attending rather than hosting. But, if you’re still deadest on having a great Christmas party, here are a few ways you can do it.
1) Create Your Christmas Budget
Having a tight budget over the Christmas holiday is difficult. You have gifts to pay for, dinner, travel, and more. To throw a decent holiday party on top of it can really stretch a budget thin. The great way to figure it out is to budget all your needs beforehand. If you haven’t done it yet, sit down and determine how much you can spend.
You don’t have to go crazy for your Christmas party. You can spend $50 and still have a decent gathering of people. But the first step is understanding how much you’re going to allow yourself to spend. Whatever you do, don’t go overboard. Putting it all on credit because you weren’t prepared could bite you later.
2) Send E-vites
Rather than spending a lot of money on traditional invitations, there are other ways to invite guests. You can send them E-vites, which is an electronic invite that gets delivered by email. You can also start a group on Facebook and share with everyone you want to attend. They can promptly alert you whether they’ll be able to attend or not.
3) Make Your Own Decorations
Christmas decorations can get expensive. Most homes probably already have a set of decorations they box up and reuse every year. But, if you don’t, you won’t have to waste your budget decking all the halls. Thrift stores and dollar stores will have good decorations for cheap. Also, be sure to buy right after Christmas is over, as that’s when you’ll find the cheapest stuff.
4) Eating on a Budget
One of the great things about a party is, almost everyone is willing to bring something. If you can’t afford a ton of snacks and beverages, just simply ask! Turn your party into a potluck. Ask your friends to bring a bag of chips or a 2-liter. That ensures there are enough snacks to go around. Maybe supply a few bowls of candy and some hot cocoa.
5) Ask a Friend
If you simply don’t have the money to host, that doesn’t mean your Christmas party is sunk. Maybe you have a friend who is willing to have it at their place? Perhaps they have a lot of great decorations and wouldn’t mind hosting a gathering of friends. What matters most is celebrating the holiday season with loved ones.
