4 Tips To Plan A Frugal House Party Without Building Up Debt

Author’s Bio: RP is a guest writer for various finance related Communities including CDFA, FCB, Debt Consolidation Care etc. She is a PG degree holder in Marketing and Finance and right now working in a reputed bank as a relationship manager. She is well equipped to write articles on debt consolidation , debt settlement, frugality, savings, economies of states etc.

Do you want to throw a house party to bid farewell to 2010 and welcome 2011? Are you a bit hesitant as it will cost you a lot of money? If yes, then stop being hesitant and follow these tips to throw a frugal house party without compromising on the enjoyment.
 

1. Plan a suitable budget – You need to plan a suitable budget before you begin with your arrangements. To plan the budget, decide how much you can spend and based on that allocate exact amount for each item such as, food, drinks, decoration, gifts, etc. It will help you arrange the party without building up debt on your credit cards that’ll be difficult to pay off later.
2. Reuse items for party decoration - If you search in your home, then you’ll find a lot of items that can be reused to decorate your house party. You can find party streamers, gift bags, balloons, ribbons, strings, etc., that you can use to decorate the party. Instead of hanging streamers and balloons all over the place, you can create a focal point in your house party celebration. You can keep a beautiful artifact at one corner and focus a bright light to highlight it. Complete the decoration by lighting candles and hanging red Christmas lights all over. It will create a great ambiance without costing you much.
3. Do not plan an elaborate menu – If you’re thinking that it is must to serve an elaborate menu on a house party, then you’re wrong. When you’re throwing a party at your home, try to keep it simple. While planning a budget party, you can arrange for finger foods and appetisers. They are easier to serve and eat as you can have such food while chatting with your friends. You can also ask your friends to bring their favourite desserts. In this way, there can be variety of items and your friends will also feel happy to be able to contribute to the party.
4. Stock the bar well – You can cut down the cost of beverage by keeping only one or two signature drinks instead of having a full bar. You can also keep non-alcoholic options as well. A great way to cut down expenses is to ask your guests to bring beverage of their choice and you can mix it to create a unique fruity punch. You should order drinks in a way that they are adequate but not excess.

One last tip – Instead of sending expensive invitations, call your friends and invite them for the party. You can also send e-mails to invite your guests. In this way, you can send personalised invitations as well as save a substantial amount on your house party celebrations.

Frugal Tip: Are You Still Buying Movies

In these economic times, we are all looking for ways to save money. If you buy movies a lot, you might want to reexamine your movie needs. To save money you can rent movies for less than you can buy a movie and save bundles along the way. My friend usually purchases around 4 movies a month (big movie buff) but recently decided that he was going to have to cut cost and I suggested that he started to rent movies instead. He wasn't thrilled with the idea but heard me out. If he was to join a rent-a-movie club, such as Netflix, he could see more movies for less than he could buy 4 movies. So he went and joined Nextflix and realized that he was saving over $40 a month on movies. If you don't rent a lot of movies weekly you can rent from the Redbox that is at Walgreen's for $1 a night. Just look at your movie purchasing habits and then compare those prices to renting and see the difference.

Frugal Recipe: Veggie & Cheese Chowder

Here is a great chowder that my grandmother passed down that is flavorful and inexpensive to make. This makes a great winter time meal for the family that will warm you up. My 8 year old daughter loves this chowder. This is a great recipe also that can be froze and used when you need it.

Ingredients:

2 cups of water or chicken broth

1 12 or 16 oz. bag of frozen sweet peas

4 peeled and diced potatoes

6 peeled and diced carrots

1/2 cup of chopped red bell pepper

2 chopped celery stalks

1 diced onion

15 ounce can cream style corn

Salt & Pepper to taste

6 tbsp. butter or margarine

1/4 cup flour

2 cups milk

12 ounces grated Cheddar cheese

1. In a stock pot or dutch oven, saute your onions and red bell pepper in 2 tbsp. of butter or margarine until they are tender.

2. Once tender, add your remaining veggies & chicken broth or water. Add salt & pepper to your desired amount. Bring to a boil & then reduce heat and cover pan or pot. Simmer for around 20 minutes or until veggies are to your desired tenderness.

3. While that is simmering, get another pan and add the rest of the butter. Then add flour to the pot and combine and let it cook for about a minute. Then start adding your milk slowly as you stir it in till the mixture is smooth and thick. Then add your cheese to the mixture and let it melt.

4. After veggies are done simmering add the flour mixture to the veggies and cook around 2 minutes while stirring.

5. Serve with homemade bread sticks or biscuits.



Above image is courtesy of http://www.freeimages.co.uk

Save Money On Groceries- Order From AngelFood Ministries

I learned about Angelfood Ministries in November of 2008 through a friend that had been doing it for a year. AngelFood Ministries began in Monroe, GA when two pastors, Pastors Joe and Linda Wingo, wanted to lend a helpful hand to 34 families affected by a layoff in 1994. Since then it has grown to help over 500,000 families in the United States. AngelFood's doors are open to all financial backgrounds.

Every month they have a "Regular Box" for $30 that has a variety of food that ranges from meat, veggies, other staples, and even a dessert.If you were to take the list of things that you get in the $30 box for February and go to the store and pick everything up you would end up spending an extra $25 to $30 more. Think of the savings each month that you can save if you order from them monthly.

There is more than just the "Regular Box". there is a "Fruit and Veggie" themed boxes, "Meat" themed boxes, and a "Senior Convenience" Box. Check out their website for the menu for February HERE.