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I am going to be on Fox 40 News in the morning on Wednesday, May 3rd with my friend Diana our local coupon queen. We will on during the 8 & 9 AM hour tune in or set your DVR’s now! We are going to show you how you can have an AWESOME party with your family and friends, spending less than going to a restaurant!
Diana is our local coupon queen, she will share where to get great deals, weekly sales, coupon planning and more. She can help you stretch your dollar in shopping for your Cinco de Mayo Party.
Mexican food is pretty inexpensive which makes it easy to feed a lot of people on a budget. I always encourage people who would like to host a party to not do it alone. I know my friends and family are always willing to pitch in and bring something. This helps lower cost and makes party hosting less stressful. Asking people to help bring simple things also comes in handy for those friends who do not cook.
Tips for Hosting on a Budget
Coupons | Shop the weekly sales and use coupons. Coupons for food and decorations. If you are shopping at Hobby Lobby, Michael’s or other craft stores, check the store website, many times you can show a coupon right from your phone.
Make it an easy Mexican Meal. | A taco bar is a great way to go. Taco shells and tortillas are very inexpensive. Tacos work great for buffet style, which also lets you enjoy yourself at the party. I find right now chicken breast and pork roast are the most frugal way to go. Have shredded chicken for tacos and pork carnitas and you will have happy well fed guests. For sides beans and rice. If you can splurge, steak and chicken fajitas are a great way to go.
Let others help! | Things to have others bring: Drinks, Tortilla Chips, Desserts, Fresh Fruit. Ask your friends if they have Photo Booth Props, or Decorations, many people have ‘some’ festive decor, if you work together you can save money by not doing it alone. Someone might have a sombrero, someone else might own a poncho or maracas.
Have a guest bring plain sugar cookies and make these fun Sombrero Cookies.
Use what you have. | Re-purpose serving dishes, and decorations. For Cinco de Mayo, you need bright colors, do you have red bowls, or red cake stands that you used at Valentine’s or Christmas, use those. Do you have bright spring decor, mix it in if you can.
Check out the Dollar Store or 99 Cent Store, they usually have holiday decor and serving platters for cheap.
Make your own decorations. | Streamers, balloons and tissue paper can go a long way and are very inexpensive. Check out Pinterest for free printables and free banners, there are a ton of sites where you can print your own decorations. I made this DIY Photo Booth backdrop with just poster board and tissue paper. It cost less than $5 to make, much more inexpensive then buying a Mexican Blanket for a backdrop.
Scroll to the bottom to see how you can make your own mini piñata decoration using toilet paper tubes.
Use fresh flowers from your garden or rose bush for your table decor. Place them in empty cans of enchilada sauce or empty jars of salsa to help with decor and the theme.
Lemons and Limes are very inexpensive and look beautiful in a vase for table decor.
Send invitations via e-mail. | This saves you time and money. No need to purchase invitations, you can also make your own and print them, search Pinterest for free downloads.
Plan ahead. | If you can plan ahead you will be able to pick up things on sale and great prices leading up to your party, you can research the best price if you have time.
Shop after the holiday when decorations are on clearance and save them for next year!
DIY Mini Piñata Decorations
I saw a variety of DIY Mini piñatas on Pinterest, many of them used tissue paper, many actually filled them with candy and goodies. I liked the idea mostly for decor. I thought these would be great to hang as garland, lay around your buffet table or even cut in half and use as napkin rings. These were super easy to make.
What you need:
- Toilet Paper Tubes
- Double Sided Tape
- Scissors
- Ribbon
Streamer or Tissue Paper (I liked using the streamer because it already has a crinkle look to it, and you only have to cut once for the size. Instead of cutting strips out of tissue paper.
Directions: Start by cutting the streamer so you can wrap it around the toilet paper tube.
Then Fold the streamer piece in half length wise. Cut slits about half way through to make the fringe.
Place double sided tape on the folded half of the streamer, then place around the toilet paper tube. Keep going to the top in a variety of colors.
I used a punch hole and put a hole at the top before I added the final fringe, to place a ribbon through.
These were super easy to make and if you are like me you probably already of a variety of colors of streamers from birthday parties, baby showers, and other crafting. The only thing I had to buy to make these was the double stick tape because I had run out.
I cut one toilet paper tube in 3 pieces to make the napkin ring size.
Check out my other posts for Cinco de Mayo Fun, they are easy on the wallet!
Cinco de Mayo Fun for Kids | don’t forget the kids, include them in on the festivities! If you have things planned for the kids they are not bored and there is less clean-up of toys and things you did not plan on them getting into.
Easy Homemade Salsa Recipe | Homemade Salsa is very inexpensive to make and tastes so much better than store bought salsa. Your friends will rave about your salsa alone, if you make this recipe.
Cinco de Mayo Rice Krispie Treats
I hope you have a fun Cinco de Mayo get together with friends, if not this year than next. Hopefully these ideas will help with the success of your party. Don’t limit it to just Cinco de Mayo, surprise your family at your next Taco Tuesday Dinner. Maybe a May birthday party, or culture day at school. You could easily reuse these colorful decorations for a luau theme summer barbecue. How about for a Missions Dinner fundraiser if your church has a missions team going to Mexico or your next Mexican Theme Church Potluck.
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