Smart Ways to Save Money on School Holiday Parties

Throwing a school holiday party doesn't have to be a financial burden. During the holiday season money is usually tied up elsewhere for your shopping needs. Here are some helpful tips on ways to save money on school holiday parties with out everyone feeling like they got the bare minimum.

1. Take a look at the supplies you already have. A big way to save money on a school holiday party is to do an inventory of what you already have on hand. The school should have plenty of art supplies like construction paper, glue, tape, stencils, crayons, colored pencils, paint and classic seasonal decorations that are probably up in the classroom already. If the school will allow you to use their supplies you have decorations covered. Make it a class project to decorate for the party. Find some fun craft ideas that all the kids can do at school to help spice up the look of the room. A bonus with the kids helping is that after the party, they can take their decorations home with them.

2. Invitations or fliers are easy to take care of. Get on the computer and open your favorite program like Microsoft Word and make them and print them out yourself. Play around with all the different functions and holiday clip art to make it more fun.

3. Every party has some type of food and beverage. Supplying a whole classroom of kids can be spendy. Included with the need of snacks and drinks, you are going to need paper plates and cups. To save money on your school holiday party food needs utilize your invitations. On your invitations, add a list with check boxes that are to be brought back in by the students. This list will have everything you are going to need and parents can let you know what they can do to contribute. Be sure to have a deadline for your slips to come back. Once you have them all in hand, you now have a much shorter list of things, if any at all, that you will need to get for the party.

4. Games are a no brainer and do-it-yourself games will save you money. There is nothing to purchase except for prizes for the winners. You can take almost any classic party game and turn it into a holiday themed game. If you want to do a cake walk type game, make the papers that they are standing on in the shape of presents or even snowflakes. Instead of pin the tail on the donkey, it's pin the nose on Rudolf. To make Rudolf get a stencil of a deer. If it's a small stencil, but it on a projection machine and tape your paper to the wall where the screen should be. Adjust the projector as needed for the right size and trace it out. Add your eyes, mouth and other necessary details to make it more deer like. Then all you have left is to cut out red circles from construction paper for the noses.

5. Goodie bags, contents and prizes can all be purchased at the dollar store. To make your goodie bags holiday friendly, make bag decorating one of the activities at the party and use paper bags. Instead of supplying a ton of candy in the bags, throw in small packages of crayons and stencils that are holiday appropriate.

School holiday parties are fun for everyone and something the kids look forward to. Save money on your school holiday party by getting everyone involved. If the kids get to take part in the makings of their party, they'll appreciate it a lot more.