Don’t Go Out … Throw A House Party Instead!

Why go to the club to waste tons of money, where you’re forced to put up with way-too-loud music, girls that only want you to buy them a drink, and those annoying New Jersey Douche Bags that show up like cockroaches to spread their disease (read: phoniness, with a few layers of self-tanner, globs of hair gel and way too many Jagerbombs)? How can anyone truly have fun like this?

Well, here’s a thought: why not throw a great party at your place instead? Kind of like a House Party, without Kid and Play (if they show up, that would be pretty damn sweet). For starters, you’d get to invite who you want over (which is probably not going to include those aforementioned d-bags [unless you’re one of them, and you’re into that sort of thing]) listen to the music you want to hear, and at a level that won’t drown out any potentially interesting conversations! And the most important part: You’ll be saving a ton of cash along the way (think about how much you spent last time: bet it was over $100, right? Yea, I thought so!).

My friend, spending night after night at a local bar or club can become somewhat repetitive (and very, very boring to say the least) resulting in the over consumption of alcohol for no good reason other than to get hammered. Instead of going to a bar then, why not create something original and fun that all of your friends (and their friends) will really enjoy, and who knows: maybe you’ll start something big?

So you’re going to take my advice and throw a party, yet still want to keep it as cheap as possible? Well, then follow the helpful tips below and you should be well on your way to keeping the costs down on your big blowout (No D-bag … I didn’t mean a hairstyle):

Use a BYO policy. Ask future guests to bring their own booze of choice and then throw a hootenanny (all you’ll have to provide is the ice and glasses. Cool huh?). Or get everyone to chip in and buy some cheap domestics brewskis. It might sound tight-fisted at first but after the first couple, nobody’s going to notice how nasty the beer tastes, or how cheap you are anyways.

Throw a pot luck. Don’t know what this is? Well, it’s when everyone brings an item for everyone else to eat. This used to be reserved for hippies and thrifty bastards, but now all the hipsters are doing it (ok, not a good selling point, but you get the picture right?). Better email everyone beforehand to see what they’re bringing though, or else you’ll wind up with like 10 potato salads and fourteen bags of chips!

Got a Wii at home? Well then, break ‘er out and let the games begin. Don’t have one? No worries: just ask your cool niece or nephew to lend you theirs for the night. Or better yet, stage a movie night with a couple rows of chairs, a new DVD and some microwave popcorn. That’s some cool ass old school s@#t that’s sure to please!

Poker nights kick ass. Oh, you don’t have the balls to lose money at the quarter tables? Then what about Monopoly if you can’t handle the pressure? No? Jenga? No? Who are you? Well, if you don’t have ANY board games, ask someone to bring them over or pick them up in a K-B Toys clearance section. Ah, you’ll think of something!

A word of caution: when you budget for your party, do so before you start shopping. Figure out how much you can spend on your party, overall. List the items you need and estimate what you can afford to spend on each item. Just remember this: the key to entertaining on a budget without sacrificing flair is to think presentation. You can pretty much make anything look special: a tray of cold cuts on a bed of curly lettuce, utensils standing in a cup tied in ribbon, napkins folded into birds (that’s some Martha Stewart s@#t right there, and that jailbird knows how to get down)! Anyways, it’s going to be much cheaper than going out with the amateurs — that’s for sure!

Hope this article helped (at least it’ll keep you away from the bars and STDs – Herpes are so not cool)!