By Ann Martin
Inviting people into your home is an act of generosity, but you don’t need to break your bank to do it. Here are some things to keep in mind when planning a party at your home this 
summer.
Budget now, save later
Determining how much you want to spend before developing a plan is essential. Knowing your budget will determine your guest list, and consequently how much you want to delegate to a neighbor or friends on your guest list. The important thing is to stick to what you are comfortable with, choosing creativity over shelling out more cash when you don’t need to.
Theme
Summer opens up so many options for a great and inexpensive party theme. Deck out the yard with the lawn games in your attic, have each guest bring a traditional summer dish like potato salad, set out blankets, and have a good old fashioned picnic. Pull out long tables, assign each guest a topping, and have a burrito bar – create a summer fiesta with Latin music, corn chips and salsa, and an inexpensive margarita mix. Pasta is also inexpensive and delicious, so why not invite your friends to bring the wine and have an outdoor evening of elegance, Italian style? Have an afternoon tea party – encourage your guests to bring along their favorite tea and a baked good, supply the plates, and don’t forget to wear your hats! The options are endless.
Décor and Dress
After you have chosen your theme, before you hit the store, assess what you already have. Clean up old candles, raid the box of old Holiday decorations, sort through stray pieces of fabric, and take a look at your space. Sometimes just rearranging furniture, opening up an area, and clearing out clutter can do wonders for a room. Less is more in many ways, and decorating for your party is no exception. A simple white candle will look totally different on a lavender plate than in a potted plant, a jam jar, or in a candle holder. Consider your theme, call up a friend, and get to work! Allow the colorful clothing of your guests be the d?cor! Make it a black tie, silly salsa, tacky t-shirt, 1950s Hollywood, beach, or celebrity party. Sometimes thinking of dress can help if you are stuck on a theme. Encourage everyone to participate – a costume lightens the mood, can be a great conversation starter, and really makes your theme pop!
Tasty Budget Beverages
Hydration is paramount in the summer, and iced tea and lemonade are delicious summer drinks that cost very little to make in large quantities. To dress them up, ask a friend to bring frozen strawberries, slice them, and add to the lemonade. Add fresh raspberries to your iced tea, or mix the iced tea and lemonade together for a homemade Arnold Palmer. Have pitchers of filtered water available as well, and instead of lemon, try cucumber slices for a fancy twist.
Economical Eats
Most people feel guilty about arriving to a party empty handed, so why not be specific. Saying “oh bring whatever you like,” can result in stressing your guest and ending up with eight buckets of potato salad. For an Italian party, assign someone crusty bread, mozzarella cheese and tomatoes, wine, or a yummy dessert. For a fiesta party, ask someone to bring spicy salsa, shredded cheeses, sliced olives, or bags of corn chips. Lists are great -put down all the things you need and assess which ones you’d like to purchase, and which ones you’d like to delegate.
Anna Martin is a free-lance writer and artist who enjoys creating articles for dinnerware websites, traveling, gifting square dinnerware sets to her friends, and exploring the outdoors.
