It’s surprisingly simple to be the hostess or the host and also keep costs down. You just need to know the following strategies that can help achieve big results with a small amountof money:

Tip #1: Save on the party decorations by making them yourself

There are many decorations that can be created at home with just free vintage images or free digital scrapbooking papers you find online. The clip art can be printed, cut out and used in strategic locations, including being sprinkled in flower arrangements or used on menu cards. And you can use the scrapbook papers as the structure of menu cards, place cards or napkin holders. They can also be used to wrap small party favors. This can be especially effective if you can find clip art that matches the scrapbook papers. If you’re so inclined, try some glitter glue to make things more sparkly.

Tip #2: Serve impressive food that doesn’t cost a lot

When doing your party planning, look for buffet recipes that aren’t expensive to make and also provide that “wow” factor. A good example would be spinach and artichoke dip in a sourdough bread bowl, or bacon-wrapped water chestnuts covered with a sauce created from brown sugar, store-bought chili sauce and mayonnaise and baked.

Tip #3: Provide background music

Music relaxes people and is a terrific party mood-setter. CDs will work, of course, but live music is much more, well, lively. And live music doesn’t necessarily have to be expensive. If you don’t have friends or family members willing to work for free, check with your local college’s music department. There may be student musicians who will work just for the experience and some free food.

Tip 4: Create your own party invitations

There is a huge selection of party invitations that can be downloaded from the Internet. Simply find the look, size and message you like, paste it into a Word document or other word processing program and print it. If you choose the art well, the results should rival similar paid versions.

There are undoubtedly other ways you can come up with to stretch your entertaining dollars. Just remember to keep your guests’ ultimate experience in the forefront of your mind and don’t let “inexpensive” devolve into “cheap”. If you maintain a certain sense of class about the event, your guests won’t know the party was atually a bargain. And before you know it, everyone you know will be asking for your help with their parties!