LIFE IS A PARTY! So let’s remember to celebrate!

June has been a HUGE month for Handsome Man and I. In one week we bought a house (more to come on that!), Handsome Man turned the big Three-Oh, and I may or may not have told a billion fibs to keep his SURPRISE PARTY a surprise. And man did it work! Friends and family came from all over to celebrate his birthday with us, and even though he is a rather stoic man at times, he was incredibly moved.

But I hear you over there, “wait, didn’t she say they just bought a HOUSE?! How did she afford to feed and party with all of those people?” Well first, I had this plan in the works for months, so preparation started early, and I had some help from my fabulous hosts (my lovely parents). Together we were able to save big, and learned how we could have save even more.

1. Venue. First, consider where this party will be. This determines a ton about the party itself; how many people are going to be invited/how many can the venue hold? Does this venue charge for food and drinks? Can you find any where that would let you host a party for free? Any friends with barns or large plots of land? We are fortunate enough that my fabulous parents were gracious enough to offer us the use of their home, yard, and pool. I think they were secretly just jazzed about having a bunch of “kids” around.
2. Decor. Does your party have a theme? Mine did not, which was helpful, however I was able to find some gold, black, and silver balloons, plates, and such on clearance at Target. Were matching place settings an absolute must for me? Nah, but when I found them on clearance I sort of said “why not?” Which brings me to balloons.
3. Balloons. Balloons are fun. The ones I got on clearance were the kind you blow up on your own, with the idea that everyone would throw them at Handsome Man when we walked in. It was not as grand as I planned but balloons are still fun so it was worth the headache I got from blowing them all up. I also got the helium balloons from the local party store, I wanted to hit up the dollar store for these but on the day I was running short on time. However I spent like $50 on like 6 balloons, which were super basic and I definitely could have gotten the exact same thing for $6 at the Dollar Tree. I also got Handsome Man an Air Swimmer, a big shark shaped balloon that you are SUPPOSED to be able to fly around drone-style. I say SUPPOSED to because it DIDN’T WORK and I was very sad. Handsome Man still liked his shark shaped balloon, and I was able to have it blown up for me at the same party store for like $10.
4. Food and DRANKS. So let’s talk about feeding a ton of people. It’s spendy. Let’s talk about providing beer, liquor, and non-alcholic drinks for everyone, dang Felicia. Our solution? We were very specific with our menu. We made one main thing that we could make in bulk, pulled pork, and then provided sides like salads, chips and salsa, and fruit/veggie trays, which we could buy in bulk also. For drinks we hit up Total Wine, which is like buying booze in bulk. Their prices are much lower than buying a bunch of 6-packs from the local liquor store. We also tried to keep our selections narrowed down, I got his favorites and few I’d heard were popular as I am not a big drinker myself.
5. Entertainment. If you are hosting a full-out rage-er, maybe you need a DJ or a whole band. We certainly did not. Yard games were the perfect, totally free, entertainment for our party.  The games we didn’t have, I reached out to friends and my brothers to bring.

All in all, we had the BEST TIME! How much we spent on everything certainly didn’t matter to anyone else, but it was reassuring to me to know that we had done pretty well at keeping costs low.

I hope this Summer your time is filled with good times and friendship. Ours certainly has been so far! Now we launch into our numerous home projects as new home-owners, and I can’t wait to share our journey with all of you!

Don’t forget to sign up to my email list to get reminders when I post new ways to save you money! Also, I am now booking clients over on my Facebook page or else you can email me here at sugarandsavings@gmail.com. Work with me personally to get yourself on a budget that WORKS!

Until next time, wishing you all sugar and savings,

Taylor

Hello Lovely Savers! Father’s Day is coming up this weekend, are you ready?

Personally, I feel dad’s get the short end of the stick a far as when this holiday falls. It’s early summer; families are busy with camps, sports, vacations, etc. It’s hard to just get the kids together in one room! And throw in when those kids are grown and living on their own? In our house it’s a logistical nightmare.

But that doesn’t mean there is no hope for your pops this Father’s Day! Here is my guide to spending your Father’s Day with the main man in your life, and doing so on a budget:

1. Handmade Cards. This idea was also featured on my Mother’s Day guide which you can read here. My dad is a graphic designer, and while I do not pretend to have his artistic ability, he appreciates the effort and love that goes into a handmade card just for him. Plus it makes a great packaging for my second item on this list!
2. Daddy-Daughter/Son Date! My dad has enough tools. And even if he didn’t I wouldn’t begin to know what kind he would want, or use, or didn’t already have, or what it does, or anything. BUT I know he likes food! One of my favorite gifts for dad, for any holiday, is a daddy-daughter date. I buy a gift card to a restaurant I know he likes, and my gift is a date just for the two of us.
3. Hit Up the Zoo. How many times have you heard, “I don’t need gifts, I just want to spend time together”?That’s on loop during every holiday from my parents. And zoos are great. You get to walk around outside, see cute animals, and you can all meet there at a designated time (unless you are my family, then about 20 minutes AFTER designated time). AND zoos are generally free or very inexpensive. A donation for entrance is a small price to pay to enjoy a whole day of spending time together and telling each other “no that monkey looks like YOU”.
4. Take a Picture. My mama is so cute, I’ve got a million pictures of us together. But my dad is cute too! One year, I had my brother sneak a nice picture of my dad and I together so that I could frame it and gift it to him. Dad’s are often the one behind the camera, so this Father’s Day, make sure he’s smack dab in the middle of this family pic! (Bonus pics of my adorable dad below)
5. No Ties Please. If you can’t get out and actually spend the day with your dad, or if you aren’t feeling crafty, here are some of my gift ideas you can purchase off of Amazon*:

Grill Mats! Keep the grill cleaner while BBQing this Summer, less clean up for the grill master!

Look classy showing up with this wooden bottle caddy, complete with bottle opener! Bonus points, I got one for Handsome Man and he uses it all the time, too.

This is Bean Bag Buckets! A fun yard game you can all play together! There are tons of other yard games, perfect for family get-togethers this Summer.

All of these gifts can be done in cost effective ways, which is great for everyone and every budget. Are you a dad? What was your favorite Father’s Day gift you’ve received? Comment below!

As promised: Bonus pictures of my daddy-dearest. Isn’t he a cutie?

Don’t forget to sign up to my email list to get reminders when I post new ways to save you money! Also, I am now booking clients over on my Facebook page or else you can email me here at sugarandsavings@gmail.com. Work with me personally to get yourself on a budget that WORKS!

Until next time, wishing you all Sugar and Savings,

Taylor

* This post contains affiliate links. This just means that I may receive a small commission (at no cost to you) if you purchase something through the links above. You will never see me post a link to a product or service that I haven’t used myself and love! Thank you for supporting Sugar and Savings!