Entertain guests - for less!

Drinks, decorations, desserts… hosting a holiday gathering can get pricey. So FIRST polled pros for their secrets to help you save hundreds on your fête

Know exactly how much you’ll need

“Setting a budget is the first thing you should do to avoid overspending when planning your holiday party. It’s really easy to do it just like the professionals do: You can use tools like the party budget estimator at Evite.com, which calculates the cost of everything from food to drinks to decorations. That way, you’ll have an estimate of about how much the party will cost per person, so you can settle on a budget and really stick to it.”

—Carson Yarbrough, savings expert at Offers.com

Time your party right

“Brunch is such an overlooked entertaining opportunity, but people’s schedules are often packed at night and you’ll save 75 percent on food and drinks than if you host dinner. Make low-cost dishes, like an egg and tortilla bake with bacon or sausage, and instead of champagne for mimosas, use prosecco, which is just as tasty but costs less.”

—Julie Hartigan, CookingWJulie.com

Score gorgeous flowers—for free!

“Around the holidays, churches have flowers near the altar that they give away after the services each week. Flowers also get left behind after weddings. So you can call and ask if you can pick them up. I do this all the time— most churches are more than happy to have them taken. Then you can just arrange the flowers in small vases and add a little greenery.”

—Stacy Lyn Harris, author of Stacy Lyn’s Harvest

Make your dessert dollar go farther

“To wow guests with a fancy-looking dessert that really isn’t fancy at all, use frozen berries. You don’t even have to be that concise with the measurements: Bring a bag of frozen berries,

1⁄4 cup of sugar and 1⁄4 cup of water to a simmer in a saucepan. Let it thicken, toss in a few fresh berries and pour 2 Tbs. over ice cream or a slice of store-bought pound cake. A little goes a long way. I once served this to 25 guests at a party and used just one big bag of frozen berries. Your guests will love it and you’ll save some cash!”

—Stacy Lyn Harris

Hire help without breaking the bank

“If you need help serving or cleaning up, instead of paying a caterer, you can often hire college students who are home for the holidays. These ‘helpers’ can do all sorts of things, like writing out menu cards so they look luxe, setting and clearing the table and doing any heavy lifting you may need. Find extra help on craigslist.com or TaskRabbit.com or check community colleges and vocational schools that have culinary programs—many have online job boards or referral services. You can save 30 to 50 percent by using inexpensive student labor versus splurging on a professional.” —Julie Hartigan

Whip up a gourmet appetizer for pennies

“My secret weapon for drop-in guests is my spiced nut dish. It’s so cheap to make (you can get a 16 oz. bag of shelled walnuts for $6) and it takes 3 minutes to throw together. In a dry skillet over medium heat, add 2 cups of chopped walnuts, 1⁄3 cup of maple syrup and a pinch of salt or red pepper flakes. Move the pan around constantly for 3 minutes, until the nuts have soaked up the syrup, then dump on parchment paper to cool. The nuts are always a big hit! You can even give them as favors—just toss into a bag and tie with ribbon!” —Stacy Lyn Harris

Save big on liquor with a signature drink

“To save on drinks, make a signature cocktail using what you have in your liquor cabinet. Most liquor doesn’t go bad as long as you store it away from sunlight or heat. Then you can do a quick internet search for a recipe and make it seasonal by using fruit, like cranberries, as a garnish. Premix it and pour it into a carafe. You’ll save $150 over offering a full bar.” —Andrea Correale, ElegantAffairsCaterers.com

Get creative with serving pieces

“I like finding alternate uses for around the-house items. For example, I might take a beautiful tea cup and saucer, put some dip inside and place crackers around the plate. It’s so easy and unexpected and guests just love it, plus it saves you from buying expensive serving dishes. Or I line a few jam jars down the center of the table and fill them with flowers from a $5 grocery-store bouquet. Another thing I do is use colorful magazine covers or the front page of the newspaper as place mats. This really gets people talking, especially if I use the covers of a gossip magazine. You’ll save at least $5 per place mat and it’s such a great conversation piece!”

—Lucy Buffett, author of Gumbo Love