How to Budget for the Best New Year’s Eve Bash

When New Year’s Eve comes, you may want to ring in the new year with some friends and family. However, you don’t want to break the bank when it comes to your New Year’s Eve party. Therefore, you will want to have a plan in place to save on your New Year’s Eve party. Here are 10 great tips to follow.

10 Savvy Tips to Budget For Your New Year’s Eve Party

1. Set a budget

   It is always a great idea to set up a budget no matter what type of party that you are going to have. With a budget, you can see where you are going to spend your money. Also, setting a budget can save you from overspending. Here are some of the expenses that you may want to consider when throwing a New Year’s Eve party:

• • Food

  • Drinks

  • Decor

  • Invites

  • Paper plates or silverware

  • Bowls and platters 

2. Set an invitation list

   In order to set your budget, you will want to know how many people will be at the party. You might consider creating an invitation list. Be sure to leave yourself some room in case you want to invite anyone else at the last minute. Once you have a list of invitees, you can begin to see how much you will have to budget for your party.
   
   

   If you intend to save for the party, a good rule of thumb is to budget about $2 to $5 per month/person. This will leave you with enough breathing space when it comes to your final New Year’s Eve budget.

3. Invite others to bring dishes and booze

   You do not have to spend all of your money on food, drinks, and alcohol for the party. After all, you probably have a couple of friends and family coming over who would love to bring their own food. Also, you may have some invitees who have an extra bottle of wine or champagne in their collection.

   
   Be sure to have your invitees let you know in advance what they plan on bringing to the party. This will allow you to better organize and budget for your party. You can make the dishes that the party guests will not bring.

4. Create your own decor or use existing décor

   Why spend lots of money on New Year’s Eve decor that you are likely not using for another 12 months. Instead, you can create your own New Year’s Eve decor using decor from other holidays. For instance, you may be able to use any other holiday centerpieces for your New Year’s Eve buffet table. You can also make use of some of your Christmas lights.

   
   Be sure to look at all your existing decor before creating your own decor. This will help you save time preparing for the party.

5. Shop for discounts

   After Christmas, lots of stores tend to have some deep discounts. This could be your chance to shop for food and other items for your holiday party. For instance, you are likely to find Christmas lights on sale. You may also find some traditional holiday food items on sale, such as hams or gingerbread houses. Be sure to check the weekly flyers from your local stores to see what is on sale.

   
   Also, you may be able to find some discounts online. The delivery times may be reasonable since the holiday delivery rush is over. You should double-check to make sure that the items arrive on time.

6. Co-host with a friend

   You do not have to deal with the entire cost of the party. In fact, you can easily cut those costs by 50% by having a friend or family member co-host the party. For instance, you can use your home for the party while the other person handles all the food prep. In addition, both of you can deal with the decorations and the clean-up.

   
   It is a good idea that you each write down what you plan to do for the party. This will help eliminate any confusion or spending on duplicated items.

7. Ditch paper invites

   Paper invites can cost you a couple of dollars per invite. Also, you may have to deal with all the time it takes to find the complete all the invitations. Instead, you can email invites and have the graphic design completed by a graphic designer. There are numerous websites that you can use to invite people to a party; search “free email invitation” on your favorite search engine.

8. Have a dessert only party

   If you are not big into making food, and you want to save some money, then you may want to consider only having dessert at your New Year’s Eve party. You can buy a couple of desserts and make the rest. After all, almost everyone loves dessert.

   
   Be sure to have a nice mix of different types of dessert. For example, you can offer cake, pies, cookies, ice cream, and brownies. Your guests will be sure to find something that they will love.

9. Stream music

   You don’t have to spend any money when it comes to the entertainment part of the party. There are several ways that you can stream music for free. A simple search on your favorite search engine for “Stream Music for Free” will generate a sizable list of options. Be sure to test your streaming and audio system before the party to make sure it sounds right.

   
   You may also be able to stream music via your cable or satellite provider. Some cable and satellite companies have hundreds of music channels available.

10. Use your bookshelf or coffee table as a buffet area

    You don’t need to go out and buy a buffet table. You can get creative and use any number of tables and flat surfaces around your home. For instance, you can use a spare bookshelf as a place to hold some desserts. You can also use your coffee table too.
    
    

Making the most of your New Year’s Eve party on a budget

You may be surprised by how much you can save on your New Year’s Eve party. Be sure to try as many of the steps listed above. You can ring in the new year with some extra money in your pocket with the proper budgeting.