Everyone loves a party — meeting new people, having some laughs, and dancing the night away is something we can all enjoy. However, when you’re on a tight budget, throwing a memorable party can be difficult. But it’s not impossible.
Read on for some useful tips to keep everyone at your party entertained without breaking the bank.
Enjoy some simple card games for some affordable fun
Card games have been keeping people entertained at parties for thousands of years. Bridge, gin, rummy — all these games and more are renowned around the world, and all you need is a deck of cards to play.
Poker is easy to pick up and play — all you need for poker is a deck of cards. And you don’t even need chips either. Matchsticks are a common alternative, as are buttons, but any other item you have to hand will suffice.
Alternatively, you could try something a bit different. Creights, diplomat, and guillotine are just a few examples of unusual card games that you probably haven’t tried — but absolutely should.
Try some old-fashioned parlour games
Parlour games are a funny sort of activity. Ask anyone what their rules for charades are, for example, and they’ll tell you different ones each time. Every family and social circle have their own way to play parlour games — it’s all part of the fun.
And there are plenty of parlour games to choose from. For example:
- Charades
- The hat game
- Wink murder
- Pictionary
- The sticky head game
The list is endless. But often all you need to play these games is a pen, some paper, and a bit of imagination. Find a full list of parlour games (with rules) here. Pick out a few favourites, encourage everyone to get involved, and soon your party will be in full swing.
Throw a glitzy murder mystery party
Murder mystery parties are perfect for adults looking for a bit of adventure, drama, and excitement on a budget. Everyone gets to dress up in striking costumes, investigating a murder while spending time with friends and family — what’s not to love?
While you can buy dedicated kits for murder mystery parties, you can save even more money by finding free kits online. These include instructions, costume ideas, invitations, clues, solutions, and everything else you need to get started — all your guests have to bring is their costumes.
Enjoy great food on a budget with a potluck
You can’t have a party without food. A good spread of different dishes forms the hub of a party and often makes for a great conversation starter between strangers.
But when you’re planning a party on a budget, cooking a variety of dishes is not just time-consuming — it’s expensive too.
A great way to source lots of delicious food cheaply is to host a potluck, where all the guests bring their own homemade dish to share with the party. As well as providing you with affordable food, it also encourages your guests to express themselves a little.
For instance, perhaps one guest makes particularly good chilli, while another is renowned for their apple pie. The rich variety of food and flavours make for a great icebreaker that will have guests swapping recipes and compliments from the off.
Focus on having fun, not fancy decorations
When you’re throwing a party, it’s easy to go overboard. You want to host a party to remember, so it’s tempting to go all out and splurge on lots of drinks, dishes, and decor to impress.
But more often than not, all that excess doesn’t get noticed by your guests. What they really remember from a great party isn’t the decor or dishes — it’s whether they had fun or not.
When you’ve got such a great selection of games and activities listed above, you don’t need to worry about splashing out on that perfect table setting decoration. Instead, only buy what’s absolutely needed, and let your planned activities do the rest.
Who says you can’t throw a good party on a budget? It’s possible to have a fun night you’ll never forget without breaking the bank. Use the tips above and host a fun (and affordable) party your friends and family will never forget.
