HOLIDAY ENTERTAINING ON A BUDGET

The holiday season is upon us, and it’s time to start thinking of parties.  In my house I love spreading holiday cheer, and we always do our holiday entertaining on a budget.  With all of the expenses surrounding Christmas, it’s overwhelming to put more strain on my bank account.

This past week I decided to take a little trip to the dollar store.  You never know what you will find and often you can come up with treasures.

My visit yielded lovely place settings, and most of the items can be used year round.

At the top of my list of favorites are the chargers.  They are plastic and they will not be used as an actual plate, but they add lovely color to the table, don’t you think?  I have a friend who always uses white dinner plates, but has a collection of chargers that she switches out based on her color scheme.  You can really liven things up with a charger!

I thought a wine glass would be lovely at each place setting, although several of my young guests will not be drinking wine.  I find that kids think it’s pretty special to drink milk or juice from a wine glass.  Why not have one for each person?

Napkins are another way to add color and texture to your table, and you can stitch them up quickly.  Check out this tutorial to make a set for your table or as a gift.  For the napkin rings I simply coiled some copper wire into my desired shape and then spray painted it Rose Gold.

Holiday entertaining on the cheap is all about being creative.  Check thrift stores and vintage shops, as well as dollar and discount stores.  Having a set of glasses for specific occasions and holidays is quite fun.  Always remember that starting with white plates is a good idea, so that you can add color elsewhere.  The plates tend to be your highest price point on the table, but that leaves an opening for lots of creativity and fun.

If you stick to buying things based on color rather than pattern, you can use them year round.  Any red decor that you use for Christmas can be used for Valentine’s Day as well as Fourth of July, as long as there are no snowflakes or reindeers.

Thinking ahead and using your imagination are the two keys to holiday entertaining on a budget.

Happy celebrating, friends!