Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Graduation Parties on a Budget

Congratulations! You or someone you know has finally graduated and after a long stint of hitting the books, note taking and sitting in class, it's time to celebrate! Graduation parties are a great way to celebrate the hard work a student has endured during his or her time in school. It's also a fantastic excuse to get family and friends to gather together. While some parties can be rather extravagant, there are ways to throw a great party on a budget.

The first thing you should do is to determine how many people are attending the party. This will allow you to decide upon a location. Perhaps your budget allows you to rent out a large facility, but if not, think outside the box and throw the party in your own home! Garages are the perfect space to have a party because they're not only cheap (free!), they can hold a large number of people. A couple days before the party, clean out your garage to make enough space for chairs, tables and buffetware. Then, cover up any unsightly areas with congratulatory banners, photos or balloons.


And forget about snail mail invitations. Save money by sending an e-vite. While online invitations may not be appropriate for events such as weddings, they certainly are acceptable for graduation parties, so take advantage. Along with all the other logistical information on an invitation, don't forget to include both a start and end time to the party. By including this information, you can save money on food and drinks because people won't be as apt to arrive extremely early or hang around real late.

Setting up the party can be affordable, too. Check with friends and family to see if they will let you borrow any extra tables and chairs since renting these items can get pricey. Don't be afraid of looking cheap, either. By sprucing up tables and chairs with either bulk-purchased ribbon or colorful crepe paper, no one will even notice whether or not they were rented. For tablecloths, cover the tables with large rolls of either white or brown plain paper. Set out both markers and crayons on the tables so your guests can write their good wishes to the graduate on the paper tablecloths.

If you don't mind cooking and baking, make the food and drinks at home. Purchase a bulk form of some sort of juice like cranberry and apple and add a fizzy soda or champagne to turn it into a tasty spritzer. Instead of providing a large meal, simply set out tapas like cheese, fruit skewers and bruschetta; all of which are simple and affordable snacks. Dessert can consist of bars and cookies or colorful candy stored in sweet dispensers. Have coffee dispensers on-hand throughout the party and spruce up the coffee station with flavored cream, cinnamon and chocolate sugar. These various items are easy, cheap treats that guests will love.

1 comment:

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