5 Tips to Host a Holiday Party on a Budget!

5 Tips to Hosting a Holiday Party on a Budget.

For those of you who already follow me on social media, you know that I LOVE Christmas!

I’m one of those people who crank up the holiday tunes once it’s December 1st , and sing along to carols in my car while alternating back and forth to more mainstream radio stations (Virgin Radio holla!). I also love throwing parties and after going back to a 9-5 job, and then coming home to another full time job, it gets pretty tiring trying to stay mentally alert, but at the same time still wanting to host a holiday get-together.

With so many things to think about, I’ve come up with the perfect formula towards balancing the double work life (cue Hannah Montana), while planning a holiday party. Here are my 5 Tips to Hosting a Holiday Party on A Budget (both financially and time-wise)

This post and the beautiful decor items are sponsored by WINNERS and Marshalls Canada. That being said, even with all the beautiful props, all thoughts, opinions and *ahem*, decor arrangements are my own. 

1. P.B.S – Plan Before Shopping

For those of you who are like me, you go to work for 8 hours, come home and go back to work for another 5-6-till you pass out? There just isn’t enough time in the day and definitely not enough mental energy to keep going, much less think on the go while shopping/try and mentally picture the perfect dining table set up that is not only practical but also Instagram and Pinterest worthy!

I find that the best ideas bounce off other ideas. Go on Pinterest, start pining ideas from decor, to outfits, to delicious recipes and cocktail ideas. After that, go ahead and create your mood board!

I personally think mood boards (like cheese boards) are fantastic because they keep your mind organized when you can’t do it yourself. It is also great when deciding on a colour scheme for your decor! I’ve went with classic holiday GOLD, with accents of red (surprise), black and white!

 

2. Find a store that fits your budget (time and money)

We’re talking time and money budget my friends. In my current situation, it makes life SO MUCH EASIER when you’re able to just go to one magical place and find everything you need and mark that off your checklist. And that’s *drumroll* Winners and Marshalls Canada.

Yes, I know they sponsored the post, but this is in all honesty, if you’ve been inside the store, you know I ain’t making this up. 

Finding that one store fits all is magical. The reason you plan ahead with a theme and checklist is so that you can go and grab everything you need in a time and cost effective manner. I found everything from tablecloths, silverware, plates, tissue, table centrepiece, candles, party hats, gift bags, clothing, everything from one location and it was fantastic.

So whether it be Winners, Marshalls or another store that tickles your fancy, be sure to find a place where you know you’d make the most of your time.

By the way, YES my outfits are from Winners 😉

3. It’s okay to go paper sometimes

 I said it. Environmentalists , please don’t stone me.

Jokes aside. Yes, it’s totally okay to go paper sometimes- especially is they’re pretty and it’s for the holidays. like #comeon

Something to bear in mind as well, is what kind of food you’ll be serving, how many guests, etc because that also determines how many ceramic plates you’ll be using if you don’t go paper, and if it’s finger food, ceramic plates aren’t the lightest things to carry around.

Paper ware (plates, cups) seem like the more cost effective, and environmentally friendly alternative in this case (less water use, recyclable).

ALSO, if you’re going paper, at least with this, you’re doing it for a great cause. I bought my paper items from Winners, and this collection you see here is part of the Shop for GEN1 Collection.

What is Shop for GEN1 you ask? – The collection is the beautiful paper items with gold foil designs, to the confetti used, party hats, fun printed napkins and holiday cards! Net proceeds from the sales made from this collection will be donated to the Canadian Women’s Foundation in efforts to build a generation that is free from violence against women. This collection can be found in all Winners & HomeSense locations in Canada while quantities last.

When you see a purple tag that says Shop For Gen1 on the items, you found it!

4. Ain’t nobody got time to wrap gifts for the guests?

NO BIGGY!

Wrapping gifts can be an amazing experience (haha, I love it very much), but sometimes to be time effective, you might want to think about an alternative to wrapping. I found some gorgeous gift boxes at Winners and they come in a variety of sizes, so if you don’t have time to wrap, this is still really good looking packaging. It’s the thought that counts right?

And speaking of the thought that counts, why not write a Holiday card instead? I mean, we spend so much time on our computers and phones, it would be nice to go back to the good ol’ days of picking up a pen and writing a nice handwritten message for someone. Don’t know about you, but my writing has deteriorated so much since highschool.

5. Pot luck holiday party

Lastly, if you are extremely tight for time and want a good spread of food at your holiday party, don’t be shy to turn it into a potluck. The more the merrier and since the holidays is all about giving, I’m sure your guests would feel pretty great about contributing to a good holiday party! – Don’t forget the drinks 😉

 

Hope you enjoyed these tips, and that they help you plan your holiday party more effectively! Comment below with your favourite item from my holiday party decor set up!! 🙂

 

Do you love my holiday party set up and outfits?

Everything, and I mean EVERYTHING was found at WINNERS and Marshalls Canada.

Special thank you and credits to the dream team:

Photographer: John Yoo (IAmJohnYoo)

Makeup and Hair : Preet (Brushsnob)

Special thanks to Moe’s Home Collection for lending your space, and letting me throw confetti on your stairs.