Partyin' with the Frugal Fam

Location

This may seem like a no-brainer. Clearly, there’s no cost when you have your event at your home or apartment. However, the event might be too large for a tiny third floor dwelling and the idea of having 50 people over makes you envision human sardines. 

Check in with your place of worship. They may offer you one of their function halls for a small fee or donation. Both Boston and Brookline offer low-cost permits that allow you to rent a park space for your event, as well. Certain fees apply, and you need to fully read the application deadlines and rules, but wouldn’t it be a blast to have your party at  or !

Invites

Miss Manners will most likely roll her eyes and get heart palpations when she reads this breach of etiquette, but we at Frugal Family look at ways to save money while including everyone and sometimes you need to shrug off formalities to do so!

There are a number of email invite websites these days that can shoot your guests invitations for little or no cost. The services send reminder of the event, organize your guest list, and you can choose from a number of invitation design templates or create one on your own.  Check out http://www.Punchbowl.com and our old standby of www.evite.com and save yourself a boatload on postage.

Food

Although you can let your guests know that your party will be potluck, which will save a great deal, all great hosts provide some food–even the Frugal ones.

Head over to Jamaica Plain’s for the very best in food and prices.  Juice, chips, salsa, great ingredients for salads and so much more await you there. Or stop by Brookline’s and get the ultimate in snack mixes, low-cost wine and beer and perhaps even grab some bouquets of inexpensive flowers to make the event that much more festive!

Décor

Special parties or theme events can still be fabulous, all while staying in the limits of your budget. Throughout the year, stores like Brookline’s and  are always having sales.  As a Frugal Family member, you just need to look around, hit the sales, and then save the decorations for that special day. 

and  are also great places to look for low cost decorations. The selection is a bit more limited, but the prices are always reasonable.  in Jamaica Plain is every party planner’s discount dream come true. This is a great place to find all sorts of paper goods, but also food and bar equipment if you need it.

Ask your friends to bring small accents, silly masks, votive candles or goofy flatware in order to make the night even more spectacular.

Entertainment

We at the Frugal Family know how lucky we are to live in and near Brookline and Jamaica Plain because there is wealth of talent here.  When considering entertainment for your party, first think of who among your guests might have a band that would be willing to play as a favor, or for a little money. Encourage guests to bring their own instruments for an impromptu jam session. Or simply turn on the computer and blast Pandora before pulling out the board games.

If you’re looking for an outside source of entertainment, go to  and take a listen to all of the amazing bands that will be in attendance. Then approach your favorite about playing at your next Frugal Fam event!