Mighty Bargain Hunter

Frugal party for some

December 6th, 2005 | by mbhunter |

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One of the featured articles today on MSN.com was 10 Frugal but Fabulous Party Ideas. Some of the ideas were inexpensive or even free. A few of them weren’t really that frugal by the Amy Dacyczyn definition of frugal. The party that they outline seems pretty pricey, but if you have the house for a party with 40 people or so, then “frugal” probably means “not catered” instead of “ostentatiously cheapskatish.” I would aim for $5/head or less for “frugal,” but others might consider $20/head or even $50/head to be frugal.

One note from Tip #5:

” … Encourage guests to do something together—like sing a song—so that they can really let their hair down in unison. Hand out lyrics to your favorite holiday tune, play a recorded version on low volume and let the crooning begin. (By the way, this works better when everyone has exchanged his or her inhibitions for a few cocktails.)”

Notice the part that I put in boldface? Erika Lenkert, the author of this article, put this in parentheses, but it shouldn’t have been a passing remark. People don’t have to be drunk, but do yourself a big favor and think extremely carefully about doing any kind of performance that involves singing unless you know people are not taking themselves seriously. In most other situations it just makes everyone’s skin crawl. Picture a midday department holiday party, attended mostly by introverted scientists and engineers, with the group leaders “encouraged” by the senior guys to put on a holiday skit, stone-cold sober, and everyone else having to listen to them, also stone-cold sober. Makes your skin crawl just thinking about it, doesn’t it?

Finally, the best advice is saved for last — Tip #10 from the article:

“The secret to great entertaining? It has little to do with your cooking skills or your elegant collection of flatware. It’s about being hospitable and adding a dash of personalized cleverness to each and every fete. You want to be jolly and jubilant when guests arrive, so plan your prep time and menu around your available time and budget. Add a little fun and personal flare to your decor, be playful, make your home warm and inviting, and even if you serve Chinese takeout or pizza, guests will know they’re part of something magical.”

(Though I do suggest that you light your personal flare outside; otherwise, your house will burn down and your guests won’t be terribly happy.)