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Is It Okay To Charge Guests For a Party?

February 4, 2016 By Amanda Blankenship 1 Comment

It is the day before the Super Bowl. You are gearing up for what is likely to be the biggest and best party you’ll throw until next year. You are gathering together chips, dips, pre-ordering wings and pizza and, of course, buying beer (or making a bulk alcoholic punch). It’s the American way. However, what you shouldn’t be doing is allowing yourself to buy literally EVERYTHING for the party. It is totally acceptable to charge a fee or ask for contribution for your party and here’s why:

Most Places Charge Entrance

For big events like the Super Bowl, many bars and other places charge entrance. You shouldn’t allow your friends to come over without contributing. This doesn’t mean you have to charge them at the door (though some people do), but you should ask them to bring something to eat, or at least bring their own drink (especially if they are drinking alcohol).

Charging People to Come to a Party

It isn’t unheard of to charge people entrance fees to a party, especially if you spent a bit of money trying to get everything prepared. A standard fee for a party is about $5. Of course, you wouldn’t be asking people to bring anything if you are charging them an entrance fee, however, it can quickly add up. For instance, if you have between 20 and 30 people attend your party, you can receive $100 to $150 of what you spent back.

Celebrating the Game is Expensive

Last year, the average American spent $78 celebrating the Super Bowl. That is a lot of money. You, as a host, shouldn’t have to pay all of it either. If everyone who attends the gathering contributes something, each person will spend less overall. Even if it is only a single bag of chips, that is still $3 or more that you are not spending.

BYOB is Common

BYOB and BYOD is totally common. Plenty of people throw parties and ask their guests to bring their own beverages. This is because one of the most costly items for any party is alcohol. Whether you’re making a alcoholic punch or you’re buying a keg, it is costly. It is also 100 percent acceptable to ask people to pitch in for alcohol.

Catering is Expensive

If you get your party catered, you should ask everyone to put money in on the food. For example, if you order pizza, it is acceptable to ask each person attending for $5. You are hosting and providing food, drink and snacks as well as environment so don’t feel awkward about asking for a little help. Also, catering orders for wings from places like Buffalo Wild Wings can get expensive (even making wings is expensive), so asking your friends to help out is okay.

Don’t worry, it isn’t tacky, it is pretty common. If you don’t want to bare the burden of the cost of your Super Bowl party, you don’t have to. It’s 2016 and you can ask people to chip in or charge entrance to your house party and it is okay!

Photo: Flickr: Jenn Durfey

Pinterest Super Bowl Party Ideas You Can’t Mess Up

February 3, 2016 By Jennifer Clark 1 Comment

As much as females across the globe love a good Pinterest find, we often find ourselves falling short when it comes to actually creating those adorable crafts we pinned to our “Party Planning” boards. But, we think we found a few DIY’s for this Sunday’s Super Bowl party you [hopefully] can’t mess up.

Decor and Accessories:

Image source: www.catchmyparty.com

These free printables will come in hand for a quick, thrown together party. The best part about these simply-designed pieces is that the creator has even spelled out how to use each piece.

Image source: blog.hwtm.com

More free printables including foldable snack trays and drink labels. One thing that may be obvious to note is that you will want to use a thick cardstock material to print the snack trays. Bonus included: Appetizer recipes

Image source: www.hellomysweet.com

Be inspired by this vintage football party theme or you can purchase the kit for yourself! (You may want to hurry if you want the kit before Sunday!)

Image source: www.spaceshipsandlaserbeams.com

Create your own football field table with this cheap and easy step-by-step how to. If you have an old green rug you are no longer using, consider using this for your new craft. But, it would then perhaps not be the best choice to use this table for food. Agreed?

Image source: www.spaceshipsandlaserbeams.com

If you’re good with wood, and you have a wood cutting tool handy, like a hand saw, you can make your own bleachers for your new football table. This can add a little extra pizzazz to your display, and it’s a great place to display all those cupcakes you’ll be baking.
Want your event to be themed according to your team’s color? You can order these festive balloons from Amazon.com and get them by the weekend.

Finish off your decor with a few streamers or tulle from the Dollar Store or Party Store hanging from the arches of your home, and you’ll be set for guests to really feel ready for the big game.

Food and Appetizers:

Image source: www.myturnforus.com

When it comes to your food, you can make enough for a crowd but still keep it cheap with this potato skins recipe. This is also a simple appetizer that isn’t complicated to make, and those are always a host or hostess’ favorite, right?
Another simple menu item with a Super Bowl twist are these deviled eggs. Delicious, and you can make a dozen for under $10.
The weather is predicted to be oddly warmer for this time of year, and summer drinks feel like a good fit for this game. Give this four ingredient drink recipe a try.

Pigs in a blanket, buffalo chicken dip, fish tacos and football cookies are all other options that may help you serve in bulk on a budget.

Time for games:

What kind of party would it be without some games? No need to purchase any. Print out this Super Bowl bingo game with your guests and play during commercials or half-time.
Start a game poll. Ask everyone to come early to put in their wagers on who they believe will win. Another free activity that keeps people mingling but also does not interfere with the game.
Bet on how often the word football will be said during the game. You may be surprised.

All in all, the purpose of having friends come over is to spend that quality time with people you care about or are getting to know. If you want to be a great hostess while still incorporating some themed designs, this list should cover you at a low cost.

Entertaining for Less: A Party Out of a Box

May 25, 2008 By Ann Hartter 2 Comments

I’ve tossed a couple parties in the direction of my backyard from grilled gourmet, hanging out and birthdays, but none were quite so successful, or quite so affordable, as my no-reason-at-all box party. I entertained for a good hour and a half having only purchased some packing tape.

In my happy green world, there are few things more enticing than throwing a party on the premise of recycling. It’s that comfort of sitting inside a cardboard box as a kid that inspired it, the closeness, the multipurposeness, the in-and-out-ablility. It’s the joy of opening a gift with yet another empty box, and the joy of coming home finding an order had been delivered. The box-love doesn’t go away, and I embraced it.

The dream was refrigerator boxes and other large sturdy sorts added side by side with doors cut and secret passages, but none of the appliance stores in town kept their boxes whole, thanks to mass-recycling programs. Everything gets squished into cubes. After the rains and I canceled that first attempt, I started keeping my eyes open for more ideas. When I finally got around, two years later, to having a growing cardboard structure in my back yard, it was as good as I imagined: towers, drawbridges with intricately engineered latches, a miniature dungeon, a dog house. The time inside surrounded by giggling was just like childhood. Then it was time for dinner and we all grew up and went home to eat.

To throw your own nostalgic box party, for the child in all your adult friends, here are a few starter ideas.

Address invitations on paperboard cereal or soda boxes. Request guests bring tape or boxes of significant size. Be sure to invite children old and young. Cost: Free, recycled.
Prepare by calling furniture and electronics stores for large boxes, and arm yourself with some box cutters for doors and windows. Cost: phone calls plus $5 for cutters
Cut slabs of cardboard from smaller boxes for serving trays. Graham crackers and boxed drinks are some good novelty snacks (For fancier shin-digs, call in a pot luck). Cost: $15 for snacks and drinks
Schedule a cardboard pickup from your recycling company shortly after the day of your party. Cost: maybe $3 for an extra pickup
Prepare bottles of water-based biodegradable paints, like tempera, to decorate the structure. Buy primary colors and blend your own. Cost: $20 for pre-mixed bottles
Incite competition — have teams with separate structures, as supplies allow.
Keep first aid close by for cardboard paper cuts. Cost: $5
Make cardboard cutouts of your guests to prop up in and around your structure. Offer some old t-shirts and shorts or skirts for the cutouts to wear. Curled paper could be used for hair.
Build a siege machine (pdf) in miniature for destroying the structure at the end of the day with water balloons or pumpkins, for the destructive side of our inner child. Cost: depends on your improvisational skills. You may decide to just aim a hose.

Image courtesy of alykat