17 Dec

20 Tips for Saving Money on 2009 Holiday Parties

It’s that time of year when we have been invited to more events than we can possibly attend. Some of us are even hosting our own holiday parties in the upcoming couple of weeks. These holiday events are a lot of fun. They bring us together with people we haven’t seen in awhile and give us all a chance to spread the holiday cheer. Unfortunately these holiday parties can also end up costing us a lot if we aren’t careful.

Here are 20 money-saving tips to help you navigate your holiday social calendar with ease:

1. Limit the number of events that you plan to attend this year. There is absolutely no reason for you to say yes to every single invite. Choose only those events that you actually want to go to. This will cut back on your costs considerably especially if you are one of those people who always feels obligated to go to everything you’ve been invited to each year.
2. Choose holiday parties that the whole family can go to. You’ll save on the cost of the babysitter and you’ll all have a good time.
3. Bring out an old favorite outfit that you haven’t worn in awhile. Far too many people buy new clothes to wear to their holiday events. Don’t do that. Dig into your closet and find an old favorite. You’ll still get compliments and you won’t spend a dime.
4. Don’t go overboard with gifts for your hosts. It is appropriate to bring something to the hosts of an event. However it is not necessary to go overboard with wine, flowers and candies to boot. Pick simple, classy, inexpensive gifts for your hosts and remember that it truly is the thought that counts.
5. Re-gift unopened wine bottles. People will probably come to your house bearing the traditional gift of wine this year. If you have unopened bottles left when they leave then don’t keep them for yourself. Drop them in a cute little wine bag and take them with you to the events that you’re attending this year. This means you won’t have to buy gifts for your hosts at all.
6. Get out your baking gloves. Instead of giving your holiday hosts any presents that cost a lot of money, go the more traditional route and bake them goodies this year. Baked goods actually make a good gift for a lot of different people in your life.
7. Choose a signature holiday drink for your own parties. Don’t waste money stocking up on every kind of good liquor that your guests might want. Instead let them know that you’re doing a special holiday drink (brandy and egg nog, Spanish coffee, whatever you might like). Warn guests in advance so they can bring their own beverage if they don’t like what you have to offer.
8. Skip the catering. It isn’t necessary to provide your guests with food at your holiday event. If you do want to put out some snacks then go really simple and do them yourself. Unless you happen to like being known for the amazing culinary treats at your events then it truly doesn’t matter what you have.
9. Offer small plates. If you do really want to spend money on food this year then you can spend less by putting out small plates for people to use. If you put out large plates, people will fill them up. If you put out small plates, you don’t need to buy as much food but everyone still gets a taste.
10. Skip the formal invitations. It is totally appropriate to use Evite or Facebook to invite people to a party so why would you waste money on expensive invitations?
11. Let guests know if they can bring something specific. Your guests will feel obligated to bring you something. Instead of getting a bunch of holiday flowers, let your guests know that it would be nice if they just brought the paper plates or whatever else you might need for the party. This kind of potluck holiday party is very popular this year.
12. Minimize the amount of traveling that you do to attend events. Don’t go out of town just for a holiday party. Ask yourself if you even want to drive all the way across town to spend a few hours at an event. Try to choose holiday parties that are close to you (within walking distance is ideal). This saves you the cost of getting there and back.
13. Go easy on the decorations. A gorgeous centerpiece and the right Christmas lights are just fine. There’s no need to spend a lot of money on more decorations than that. If you do like a fully-decorated house then think handmade for the decor.
14. Use discount codes to save money on everything. Whether you are buying new clothes for the party (even though you know you shouldn’t) or just a bottle of wine for the guests there is probably a voucher code available to you to cut back on costs.
15. Host at home. Nobody should be spending money renting out huge banquet halls this year. Your home really is nice enough and large enough for everyone even if you are worried that it’s not.
16. Be the entertainment instead of hiring the entertainment. There is no need to spend money on live entertainment for your holiday party. If you want a Santa, get someone in your family to dress up as one for the night. If you want music, go with something on the stereo instead of a live band. Take out some board games and have a great time.
17. Ask about discounted tickets for fee-based events. Some of the holiday parties that you will be invited to this year are fancier parties that come with a price tag. If you want to attend these then ask in advance about discounts on tickets. If none are offered then find out if you can barter some of your time helping out at the event in exchange for free entry.
18. Make a holiday budget and stick to it. Hopefully you’ve already done this for 2009 but if you haven’t then now is the perfect time to do it.
19. Attend events with someone else who is budget-conscious. You and your friend can help each other keep your spending in check when you go to holiday parties where you might feel a bit of peer pressure to contribute more than you planned.
20. Stay in touch with yourself throughout the holiday season. We can get so wrapped up in the holidays that we impulsively do more (and spend more) than we should. Take a few minutes each day to check in with yourself and you’ll find it a lot easier to stay on track with keeping holiday party costs low.

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