Category: General Food Recipes

Party Favors On A Tight Budget

Party favors are gifts given to guests during events like weddings, baby showers, children and birthday parties. There are a lot of choices, all depending on the occasion. There are favors which can be readily bought in gift shops, while others would prefer to put a personal touch by doing their own party give-aways.

Giving away gifts to your guests is a way of saying thank you for taking part in an occasion very important to you. Party favors could be simple like picture frames and trinkets. There are others who would have a general theme for their party, that would cover party decorations, food and even the favors.

Holding event parties or just a simple birthday bash could cost a huge amount. To stay within budget, there are times when you would have to follow some cost saving tips. Following them does not necessarily mean you would have to deal with poor party favors or party decorations. There are inexpensive party favors which would still make your party memorable for guests.

Here are some simple and inexpensive ideas for party favors:

For the holidays or any occasion, giving out candy favors is always a good idea. There are companies that sell wholesale candies, you could repackage them in nice bags and even put some ribbon on them to make them attractive.

Another inexpensive party favor is by making stationery. You could always design a card in your own computer and have it reprinted in the local printing shop. Again you could be creative on how you package them. You could even include favourite quote or an inspirational message on the cards.

You could get coffee and tea bags personalized. Giving away cups could also be good idea, you could put some personal designs on it, adding some flare on the cups or mugs.

You could even check different craft stores or warehouse stores. They would often have candles and candleholders in bulk which is inexpensive.

For weddings, you could get single-stem flowers from wholesalers. You could wrap them individually with cellophane which you can get from any craft store.

Cooking brownies, cookies and other simple homemade recipes would be a great idea for homemade recipes. You could even include the recipe in the package.

You can also give dream and aromatherapy piilows. You could fill them with herbs and dried flowers that would give out a fragrant smell.

Another common trend right now is allotting the amount supposedly for party favors to charity. This would make your birthday or wedding more memorable for you and the guests.

To stay within the budget, determine what kind of even you are needing and how many guests will be arriving. You would need to know the number of party favors will need to prepare to be able to draft a good budget. Whenever you are making a budget for a party or an occasion, always leave a little allowance. In case you run into certain emergencies, you would not be pushed into the limit.

Party favors ideas for weddings

How many times have you attended a wedding party and received a figurine with the name of the bride and groom engraved on it? How many times have you lamented on where you are going to store it because you just do not have the heart to throw it away even if it is completely useless? Such is often the case with party favors for weddings. They end up in a pile of heap in the garage awaiting some form of use, except they dont have.

In recent years, people are slowly realizing the importance of giving party favors that their guests can actually use and not just display. Although a lot of people are still sticking to the figurine gift, some are already giving USBs or fans or music cds, which people can find use for. Below are some great ideas of practical party favors that your guests will surely remember you by.

1. Music CD

One of the best things that I got from a wedding that I attended once was a music cd that contained some of the favorite songs of the couple and well of course the songs that were meaningful for them. When I got home, I immediately copied the songs to my computer, well those that I lack anyway. I even discovered new songs and one even became my favorite. One of the great things about giving music cds is that people like music. This is something that they can upload to their ipods and music players. It will also not be a clutter. You can download the content and then throw the cd. If you have the budget, do it with a USB. That way, they will also be able to use the USb again for their own files.

2. Picture frames

Picture frames store memories and what better way to make them remember the event than give them something where they can put a memory of them in the party. Picture frames can also be used for their other pictures.

3. Fishes or lovebirds or plants

What a better celebration of love than to give your guests something to love. You can give them a brand new pet with a fish or a pair of lovebirds. You can also give them a plant that they can take care of. What is great about this gift is the fact that it celebrates the beauty of both love and life. It will make your guests remember you. Besides, its a great gift to give and it is definitely something that they will not consider a clutter.

Party favors for weddings do not begin and end with figurines. There are other options out there. Explore and find other things to give. But whatever you give, make sure that your guests will find it useful.

Otherwise you would have defeated your primary purpose of giving them party favors in the first place and that is to make them remember you and the special occasion in your life in the most positive of light.

Ideas for party favors that will cut your cost

Most people do not think that party favors are important when organizing parties. Before maybe when the country is not in recession but now with the rising costs and uncertain times, it is no longer practical to burn money over something that is basically useless.

But this should not be the case. Party favors need not be something that guests will just store in their attic and forget after just days. They can be functional items that guests can make use of around the house. In these practical times, it is also good to be also practical. Your guests will not only remember your party when they use it, they will even thank you for it because they are using the party favors that you have given them. Although some people are still stuck with the little statuettes and figurines, a lot of people are already getting caught up in the trend of giving party favors that are actually functional around the house or the office.

But how can you do that, buy a beautiful and functional party favor while still staying close to your budget? Well, there are ways and here are some of them:

1. Use what you already have

There are many ways that you can save from your costs while still making sure that you give the best party favor possible. One of the ways is to take items that you already have and turn them into gift items. This will of course take considerable amount of time as well and craft knowhow. You can also make your own gifts by knitting or woodwork. You can use extra rolls of yarn that you have in the house or pieces of plywood that are rotting in the garage. The possibilities are endless.

2. Go for sales and promos

With these tough times more and more shops are offering discounts. So it is not wise to actually buy items in their full price. Wait for sales and promos because shops will surely offer them. This is of course granted that you have time to wait. Thus, it is important that you plan ahead of time so that you will have the luxury of time to still wait for promos. This will not only help you in cutting your costs for your party favors but also for everything that you need for your party including the food and the drinks.

3. Buy in bulk and try thrifts hops

As much as you can, buy items in bulk. You can also go to thrift shops that sell surplus. These will be vastly cheaper and being surpluses they are not exactly pre-owned. They will even be made of good quality materials. Do not be worried that items are not the same for everyone else. They need not be matching just in the same price range and of the same kind. As much as you can try to also stick to the same color palette so that it will not be so evident that they are different.

How to start making your own party favors

Although party favors is not exactly the life of the party, not as important as perhaps the food or the cake, it is still something that can make your party extra special and more memorable for your guests whether it is a childrens party or a wedding reception. But with how the costs of food and other commodities are rising, some people are foregoing with the party favors to cut costs. This is for them vastly better than not organizing any party at all.

But there are ways to cut costs and still be able to provide your guests with party favors. One of them is to do the party favors yourself. By putting in some of your free time, you can save to as much as 70 percent of the cost, at the minimum, 50 percent. This is not bad considering how much figurines and childrens toys are these days. Figurines are often used as party favors for adult parties while toys are used for kids parties.
If you are not a crafty person however, doing your own party favor gift can seem daunting. Well, it does not have to be. Even with no experience, you can make your own. Just follow these steps:

1. Choose a project

Depending on your budget, you must first choose a project that you feel you can do, whether it is decoupage, posters, music and video on cds or maybe even some knitting or woodwork. It is important that you first choose the project that you will do as it will be the basis ior your design and concept. In choosing a project, make sure that you also take into account the time frame on which you will do the project. If your sons birthday bash is already the day after tomorrow, knitting and woodwork are already out. They are more complicated to do and will take a lot of time in accomplishing.

2. Gather the materials

Once you have chosen the project, you can then scout for materials that will help you complete it. There are craft stores all around the country that you can go to. Often, their stores will have everything you ever need from wrappers to glue guns. You can also look inside your house and check out stuff that you can recycle and use as a party favor material.
If you have time, it is best to wait for sales and discounts because they will probably be selling stuff that you need at half the price. That way, you can further save up. This is the reason why it is good to plan ahead for a party.

3. Package it.

When you really come to think a about it, people often do not remember what the gift is unless it is truly remarkable. What people do remember though is the packaging for these gifts. This is why it is also important to wrap your party favors with a nice material so that it will not look cheap even if it is not purchased but only made.

Home Decors As Party Favors

Most people today prefer handmade, practical gifts over the traditional ones because they feel that these exude sincerity and effort. For those who are planning to give items as party favors, opt for items that can help one to beautify his or her home. Whether you will do it by yourself or ask a crafts store to do it for you, there are so many handmade options for to choose from.

Party favors perfect for the home

Home dcor accessories are the most common handmade items that people can give for those who love decorating their homes. This is because these will help the receiver in decorating their homes the easier and more practical way. How? If they will be receiving items from people that they can use, they can finalize the list of home accessories that they will need. This list is very important for the receiver because it will be easier for him or her to organize things inside the home once they start decorating.

If you are planning to throw a party and is thinking for a perfect party favor, the following are some of the major handmade home dcor and accessories that will help the receiver to have a house that is more organized and great looking:

– pillows. In living rooms and bedrooms, pillows indeed take a great part in the overall look of the house. This is because pillows soften empty corners of the bed as well of the chairs and sofas. The impact will be so much better if these are handmade. Today, there are so many types of pillows available in the market, you can choose from solid pillows, striped pillows, patterned pillows, floral pillows, floor pillows, rectangular pillows, and outdoor pillows.

– wall dcors. Whether it is framed or custom art, metal, or native, wall decors play an important role in making the house livelier because they fill empty walls and make them more pleasant to the eye. There are so many handmade wall decors available in the market today. These can be more appealing since they tend to be unique when it comes to style, material, and texture.

– handmade area rugs. These play a major role in any home decoration because it serves as a main highlight in various parts of the house. Today, there are so many styles of area rugs that you can choose from depending on the need, taste, and preference of people. If you are giving these a handmade gift, consider choosing handmade braided rugs, oriental tugs, Persian rugs, contemporary rugs, or character rugs depending on the taste of the receiver.

– unique handmade vases. Categorized into tabletop, floor, bud, and accent, vases play a very big role in the beautification of one’s home because each kind can highlight a certain part of the house and make it more appealing to people living inside the house and to visitors as well. Aside from holding flowers and other things inside the home, vases can also serve as decorative and artistic pieces. If you are giving this as a party favor, consider the handmade ones from exotic places because these are indeed unique and very sentimental.