Entertaining on a Budget
Love to entertain at home but hate what it does to your credit card? Here are some tried & true tips for playing hostess with the mostess without breaking the bank…
If you love to entertain like me, then chances are good that you’re already aware of how quickly things can add up when you’re hosting a party. Between the food, drinks, decorations, dishes, and serveware, the cost of things can get a little overwhelming – even for small to medium sized get-togethers!
1. The first thing I always tell people is to start with the basics. If you plan to entertain even semi-regularly, the smartest thing you can do is to first stock up on neutral dinnerware, serving dishes, glassware and charger plates.
I have a great stockpile of simple all-white dinnerware and serving dishes that can be used with all sorts of different color palettes, so they work for everything from Easter brunch to Christmas dinner. It’s much more cost efficient to dress up a basic tabletop with decorative accent plates and linens than to purchase a whole new set!
2. Decorative papers are a great way to inexpensively dress up a tabletop, work fun patterns into the design, and tailor neutral dishes and table linens to any sort of theme. I love to use stylish gift wrap and scrapbook papers to create pretty table runners, napkin rings, and place cards. Just make sure to choose durable, high-quality papers.
3. When it comes to centerpieces, think beyond cut flowers, which can be very pricey (unless they’re coming from your own backyard, of course!). Look around your home and use what you have. For example, decorative vases from your guest rooms, small house plants, and even unique sculptures or other home accessories can pull double-duty as fantastic table centerpieces or party décor.
4. Choose decorative elements that offer the most bang for your buck, such as hanging paper lanterns, which instantly add a festive feel to any get-together.
5. Use your favorite teacups, glasses or mugs as mini flower-pots for inexpensive bedding plants or small bunches of flowers.
6. Clear glass vases are a fantastic staple when it comes to party décor because they can be customized in so many different ways. Here are a few of my favorite ways to utilize them:
- Wrap or cover them in decorative paper and a simple band of fabric ribbon that matches your theme. This looks adorable, only takes a minute, and adds a very visible decorative element to any area of your party.
- Fill them with unique, interesting fillers such as frosted sea glass, zen rocks, candies, coffee beans or potpourri.
- Be a modern minimalist: Instead of spending a lot of money of large flower arrangements, display just a few pretty flower stems – such as dahlia or orchids – in clear glass vases filled with a few inches of rocks. Or use botanical materials like Curly Willow, Birch or Bamboo where a little goes a long way
7. To add height to centerpieces or serving dishes, flip small bowls upside down and use them as pedestals for larger bowls. This will eliminate the need to buy lots of brand-new pedestal bowls or cake stands.
8. Details, (inexpensive) details. Even things that might seem very small – such as garnishing all of the water glasses at your table with lemon and lime wedges or dressing up place cards with a sparkly craft gem – will make a big impact on the look of your table without doing the same to your wallet!
