Skip to content

Top Navigation

Midwest Living Midwest Living
  • Travel
  • Food
  • Home
  • Garden
  • Holidays & Entertaining
  • Videos
  • Sweeps and Contests

Profile Menu

Your Account

Account

  • Join Now
  • Newsletters
  • Email Preferences
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Help
  • Logout

More

  • Win Your Dream Getaway!
  • Give a Gift Subscription
  • Magazine Issues
  • Destinations
Login
Subscribe
Pin FB

Explore Midwest Living

Midwest Living Midwest Living
  • Explore

    Explore

    • 40 Favorite Comfort Food Recipes

      Macaroni and cheese, Amish apple dumplings and chicken pot pie are among our Midwest comfort food favorites. Read More Next
    • 50 Romantic Midwest Getaways

      Romance, of course, can be wherever the two of you are. But wonderful surroundings help. We found some of the most romantic places anywhere in the Midwest—in the city and country. All you have to do is get away together! Read More Next
    • 50 Decadent Chocolate Dessert Recipes

      Chocolate lovers, these are for you: 50 of our best rich-and-gooey chocolate dessert recipes, including pie, pudding, cake, cookies, fondue and brownies. Read More Next
  • Travel

    Travel

    See All Travel

    50 Midwest Resorts We Love

    Our favorite Midwest resort destinations range from cozy lakeside lodges to indoor water park behemoths. Dive in to check out our top picks for a fabulous Midwest getaway.
    • Illinois
    • Indiana
    • Iowa
    • Kansas
    • Michigan
    • Minnesota
    • Missouri
    • Nebraska
    • North Dakota
    • Ohio
    • South Dakota
    • Wisconsin
    • Around the Region
    • Free Travel Info
  • Food

    Food

    See All Food

    Midwest Living November/December 2020 Recipes

    • Comfort Foods
    • Desserts & Baking
    • Breakfast
    • Quick & Easy
    • Chicken
    • Soups & Stews
    • Midwest Favorites
    • Fruits & Vegetables
    • Fish
    • Grilling
  • Home

    Home

    See All Home

    50 Quick and Easy Holiday Decorating Ideas

    Give your home holiday style in a flash with these simple yet creative decorating projects.
    • Quick Decorating
    • Featured Homes
    • Organizing & Storage
    • Outdoor Living
    • Seasonal Decorating
    • Room Decorating
  • Garden

    Garden

    See All Garden

    14 Cheerful Winter Container Gardens

    Create bountiful outdoor winter arrangements with a little help from Mother Nature.
    • Container Gardens
    • Flowers
    • Featured Gardens
    • Midwest Gardening Calendar
    • Garden Ideas & Inspiration
  • Holidays & Entertaining

    Holidays & Entertaining

    See All Holidays & Entertaining

    40 Easy Christmas Crafts

    Decorate your home, make a gift or create an ornament with our 40 ideas for fun and easy Christmas crafts.
    • Christmas
    • Valentine's Day
    • Easter
    • July 4th
    • Halloween
    • Thanksgiving
  • Videos

    Videos

    See All Videos
    • How to Make an All-Butter Pie Crust
    • How to Make Pumpkin-Spice Icebox Cake
  • Sweeps and Contests

    Sweeps and Contests

    See All Sweeps and Contests

    Warm-Weather Getaways Sweepstakes

    • Winter Getaways Sweepstakes
    • Warm-Weather Getaways Sweepstakes

Profile Menu

Subscribe this link opens in a new tab
Your Account

Account

  • Join Now
  • Newsletters
  • Email Preferences
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Help
  • Logout

More

  • Win Your Dream Getaway!
  • Give a Gift Subscription
  • Magazine Issues
  • Destinations
Login
Sweepstakes

Follow Us

  1. Midwest Living
  2. Homes
  3. Seasonal Decorating
  4. Throw a Holiday Party on a Budget

Throw a Holiday Party on a Budget

June 01, 2012
Skip gallery slides
Pin
It's easy to host a holiday bash on a budget. With our simple menu and easy decorating ideas, you can have 12 people over for just $150.
Start Slideshow

1 of 16

Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

A classy party for less

Looking to trim your holiday entertaining spending? It's possible to create a classy bash for 12 on a $150 budget. You may just need to change the way you think about parties.Use items around your house for decor and limit food to inexpensive but festive choices. Ask guests to pitch in by bringing their favorite artisanal cheeses, wine or Christmas cookies.Click through our slides for quick and easy party decorating ideas and super-simple, affordable recipes.

1 of 16

Advertisement
Advertisement

2 of 16

Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Festive frames

Make a white frame a pretty focal point by hanging an ornament from the hook in back. Or spray-paint a frame white; a can of spray paint runs just $5.Complement that look by framing a section of wrapping paper (Slide 1); we wrapped the cardboard that comes with the frame, ensuring a perfect fit.

2 of 16

3 of 16

Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Cookie sampler

Friends always ask what they can bring to a party. Ask them to share a batch of their favorite holiday cookies. You'll end up with a nice variety for guests.See 40 holiday cookie recipes

3 of 16

Advertisement

4 of 16

Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Easy flower arrangement

Create your own customized flower composition by covering coffee cans with wrapping paper and embellishing them with ribbon. Fill with inexpensive white carnations and baby's breath, plus evergreens cut from your yard.

4 of 16

5 of 16

Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Pretty pillar candles

Simple white pillars of varying heights run as little as $3 each at big-box retailers. Use what you already have at home with some new ones. Ribbon scraps pinned around a few candles will coordinate them with your party decor.

5 of 16

6 of 16

Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Snowflake decor

Create beautiful snowflake decorations for just the cost of paper. Hang from windows or string them in a garland to dress up the front of your buffet table.

6 of 16

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

7 of 16

Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Run some ribbons

To give our table some pop, we picked out three spools of ribbon, in various widths and shades, to use as a table runner. We wrapped our bud vases with the ribbon, too. Cost: A mere $15.

7 of 16

8 of 16

Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Easy place settings

We spent $2 on a packet of 15 doilies, then printed out guests' names and laid the printed, cutout circles on top of the doilies. (Dollar stores sell durable, clear plates for about $1 each.)

8 of 16

9 of 16

Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Faux snow

To make a stunning centerpiece, you just need to find a serving tray, a clear glass vase and solid-color ornaments. Then sprinkle faux snow (or coconut!) over the display and wrap it up with some ribbon.

9 of 16

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

10 of 16

Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Variety of wine

Buy one bottle ($13) to start with, then ask friends to bring their favorite bottle to share. By the time most of your guests arrive, you'll have an array of interesting tastes and built-in conversation starters.

10 of 16

11 of 16

Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Party menu

Just because you're cutting costs, it doesn't mean you want to skimp on dinner party customs, like showing guests the evening's menu. Here's a pretty solution: Stop at a scrapbooking store for card stock ($2), then print out your menu, glue it to a doily and mount it on the card stock.The next slides show the specifics for these menu items.

11 of 16

12 of 16

Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

One festive cocktail

A full bar will set you back. Instead, offer this festive Red Apple Crisp, created by Blue Plate Catering in Chicago. Rum, red apple liqueur, cranberry juice and club soda, garnished with an apple slice and cranberries, fill it with flavor.Red Apple Crisp

12 of 16

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

13 of 16

Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Easy appetizer

Orchard Cheese Melts: Turn grilled cheese into a special appetizer with artisan breads and cheeses and thin apple slices.

13 of 16

14 of 16

Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Budget meal for 12

Confetti Pasta With Shrimp: Stretch your budget by halving each shrimp lengthwise, which gives them a corkscrew shape when they cook. For 12 guests, use 3 pounds of shrimp, 1 1/2 pounds of pasta tossed in olive oil, a bag of frozen peas, chopped sweet peppers and chopped fresh herbs.

Fresh Mixed Greens With Cranberries: Combine two bagged salad mixes with crumbled goat cheese, slivered almonds and dried cranberries.

14 of 16

15 of 16

Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Cake mix dessert

Yuletide Chocolate Bliss: Two boxes of cake mix divided into three layers (freeze one layer to use later) create a stunning centerpiece dessert. Canned chocolate frosting can fill the layers and cover the sides; canned whipped vanilla frosting with a shaved chocolate bar sprinkled on top gives it a special-occasion look. To shave a chocolate bar, let it rest at room temperature for 15 minutes, then use a vegetable peeler.

15 of 16

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

16 of 16

Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

More ideas for easy sparkles

• Silver serving dishes They add a level of sophistication. Use them for food, candles or after-dinner mints.

• Holiday-theme props Drag out the storage tubs filled with ceramic Santas, nutcrackers and other holiday knickknacks normally reserved for mantels and shelves. Scatter some across a buffet table or cluster on a dinner table.

• Candles Candlelight adds instant atmosphere. Buy a bag of tea lights ($5) and put them in (or on) pretty glasses or plates, and place them at different levels of the room. For the tabletop, surround pillar candles with pine branches.

• Runners and cloth napkins Take a solid-color tablecloth from your cabinet and use it with a holiday-theme runner. Cloth napkins add instant class.

• Empty boxes of varying sizes For a buffet table, turn boxes upside down, cover with a tablecloth and place serving dishes at different heights on the boxes. It makes the food more interesting.

16 of 16

Replay gallery

Share the Gallery

Pinterest Facebook

Up Next

Share the Gallery

Pinterest Facebook
Trending Videos
Advertisement
Skip slide summaries

Everything in This Slideshow

Advertisement

View All

1 of 16 A classy party for less
2 of 16 Festive frames
3 of 16 Cookie sampler
4 of 16 Easy flower arrangement
5 of 16 Pretty pillar candles
6 of 16 Snowflake decor
7 of 16 Run some ribbons
8 of 16 Easy place settings
9 of 16 Faux snow
10 of 16 Variety of wine
11 of 16 Party menu
12 of 16 One festive cocktail
13 of 16 Easy appetizer
14 of 16 Budget meal for 12
15 of 16 Cake mix dessert
16 of 16 More ideas for easy sparkles

Share options

Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Login

Midwest Living

Magazines & More

Learn More

  • Contact Us
  • Help
  • Free Newsletters this link opens in a new tab
  • Subscribe this link opens in a new tab
  • Customer Service this link opens in a new tab
  • Renew this link opens in a new tab
  • Advertise this link opens in a new tab
  • Content Licensing this link opens in a new tab
  • Affiliate Program
  • Free Travel Info this link opens in a new tab
  • Special Promotions this link opens in a new tab
  • Sweepstakes this link opens in a new tab
  • Video
  • Home Advisor this link opens in a new tab

Connect

Follow Us
Subscribe to Our Newsletter
Other Meredith Sites

Other Meredith Sites

  • 4 Your Health this link opens in a new tab
  • Allrecipes this link opens in a new tab
  • All People Quilt this link opens in a new tab
  • Better Homes & Gardens this link opens in a new tab
  • Bizrate Insights this link opens in a new tab
  • Bizrate Surveys this link opens in a new tab
  • Cooking Light this link opens in a new tab
  • Daily Paws this link opens in a new tab
  • EatingWell this link opens in a new tab
  • Eat This, Not That this link opens in a new tab
  • Entertainment Weekly this link opens in a new tab
  • Food & Wine this link opens in a new tab
  • Health this link opens in a new tab
  • Hello Giggles this link opens in a new tab
  • Instyle this link opens in a new tab
  • Martha Stewart this link opens in a new tab
  • Midwest Living this link opens in a new tab
  • More this link opens in a new tab
  • MyRecipes this link opens in a new tab
  • MyWedding this link opens in a new tab
  • My Food and Family this link opens in a new tab
  • MyLife this link opens in a new tab
  • Parenting this link opens in a new tab
  • Parents this link opens in a new tab
  • People this link opens in a new tab
  • People en EspaƱol this link opens in a new tab
  • Rachael Ray Magazine this link opens in a new tab
  • Real Simple this link opens in a new tab
  • Ser Padres this link opens in a new tab
  • Shape this link opens in a new tab
  • Siempre Mujer this link opens in a new tab
  • Southern Living this link opens in a new tab
  • SwearBy this link opens in a new tab
  • Travel & Leisure this link opens in a new tab
Midwest Living is part of the Meredith Home Group. © Copyright 2021 Meredith Corporation. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policythis link opens in a new tab Terms of Servicethis link opens in a new tab Ad Choicesthis link opens in a new tab California Do Not Sellthis link opens a modal window Web Accessibilitythis link opens in a new tab
© Copyright . All rights reserved. Printed from https://www.midwestliving.com

View image

Throw a Holiday Party on a Budget
this link is to an external site that may or may not meet accessibility guidelines.