How to Create the Perfect Christmas Party on a Shoestring

It's easy to be a great host or hostess this holiday season and also be frugal. All you need are the following key strategies that will help you magically turn a little money into a great soiree:

Tip #1: Make your own invitations

There is a huge selection of printable Christmas invitations that can be downloaded on the Web. All you have to do is find the message, size and look you prefer, paste the artwork into a Word document or other word processing program and run it through your printer. If the artwork was chosen wisely, the results should rival similar paid versions.

Tip #2: Create your own decorations

There are many holiday decorations that can be created at home just using clip art images you can find on the Internet. These can be printed on card stock; cut out with scissors, a craft knife or a paper cutter and put in various locations, including being sprinkled in flower arrangements or used as menu cards. If you're so inclined, try using a little glitter glue to make them sparkle.

Tip #3: Serve foods that don't cost a lot but have a big impact

While planning the menu for your party, look for dip recipes that are cost effective but look like they cost a fortune. A good example is to serve a low-cost dip in a hollowed-out purple cabbage bowl, or filling puff pastry cups with imitation crab dip you can get at a deli or make yourself or any filling you like.

Tip #4: Make sure there's music

Holiday music is soothing and also sets the party's mood. You can always use Christmas CDs, of course, but live music is much more, well, lively. And live music doesn't necessarily have to be expensive. If you don't know of musicians who will work free just to get the exposure, check with your local college's music department. There may be musicians who will work just for the experience and some free food.

There are probably other methods you can think of to stretch your holiday entertaining budget. Just remember to keep your guests' experience in mind and don't let inexpensive become downright cheap. If you stay focused on being classy, no one will even know the party was done on a shoestring.