The Table Decorations

The warm weather is here and outdoor fun is what everyone is interested in.  Having an outdoor party can get expensive if you don’t know what to buy and where to buy it.  There are also ways to decorate and serve food that doesn’t cost an arm and a leg.

You may not realize it but the photo above is plastic plates and colored paper for placemats.  Throw some skittle down the middle for decoration and you’ve got a beautiful table.

Another way to decorate is with items you find at garage sales and the dollar store.  The photo below is nothing more than a plastic tablecloth with colorful plasticware and flowers on top, but it looks so amazing!  One thing that always looks elegant is clear plastic plates and flatware.

 

Decorating the Area

You don’t have to buy expensive items to decorate with.  Just some simple flowers and flags, or balloons in the yard will make it look very festive.  Take some artificial flowers and decorate any shrubs you have.

You can buy flags strings at the dollar store or even make them from scrapbook paper and ribbon as in this photo below.

Now that you have the table and decorations covered let’s talk about food.  This will be a large part of your budget so selecting foods that go a long way will save you money.  For example, Shish Kabobs are great on the budget.  Your guest still gets a meat portion but it’s also filled up with veggies, therefore stretching how far the meat goes.

For a cute and elegant way to display food, you can use skewers and fruit designs.  Below are just two examples of that.

Don’t you just love these cute presentations?  I know I do!  There is another food that is always a hit and it’s very very cheap.  It’s baked potatoes alongside a fantastic potato bar.  The potatoes don’t cost much and for the potato bar, all you need is chives, sour cream, grated cheese, and bacon bits.  If you really want to dress it up you can have some chopped ham or turkey as well.  Wrapped in foil the potatoes will stay warm for a long time.

 

Entertainment and Games

You have your decorations and food so now it’s time to think about entertainment, depending on the age of your guest and what they like.  Some of the main backyard games are Croquet and horseshoes.  If there are children you can have a bean bag toss and bubbles to entertain them.

Even more, fun can be had with Karaoke.  if you don’t have the set-up then one of your friends probably does.  They can even be rented if your budget allows.

In conclusion just remember to think out of the box and remember most people are there for the food and fun, not to grade you on how well you decorated.  With the ideas presented here, you should be able to host a party for 10 people for under $65 and that’s not bad at all!

Enjoy your summer and leave comments with your favorite things to do for outdoor parties!

Scripture of Encouragement

Hebrews 13:2

Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.