You’ve got the big event coming up, and you want it to be a special one. Only thing is, since the economy took a turn for the worse, the pennies are kind of tight at the moment, and getting some professional help is never cheap. Your event can also go off with a bang, without you having to spend loads.

•    Cook the food yourself. Usually with an event you’ve got hundreds of things to organise, and if you can get someone else to worry about the food, that’s one detail taken care of. BUT, you gotta save the pennies, and catering firms are one of the most expensive elements of a party. So although it’s another chore to do, it’ll be cheaper to do it by yourself. This may work out for you, as you now have total control over what you want to serve to your guests. So you can make a vegetarian dish for the only vegetarian there for example.

•    Start calling in the favours. Now that you’ve decided to take this one, you need to call in some favours from friends. Those favours your owed? Time to call them in, because you need all the people to help out that you can get. It’s gonna be a case of all hands on deck for this one, and while ‘too many chefs spoil the broth’, just the right amount can work out just fine. You might have a friend who can DJ, or maybe even a beauty therapist who can do some pedicures or give out some samples of beauty products to guests?

•    Use a cheaper brand when shopping. If you don’t mention it many of your guest wont even notice that you’ve swapped for a cheaper brand. The stigma over buying a cheaper brand or supermarkets own should be gone at this stage, especially when we’re in a recession. This will save on some more pennies, allowing you maybe to buy more or put that money saved into something else.

•    Use you house as the venue for the event. Probably not what you had in mind, but it can still be a memorable party. The money you’ve saved can now be used for something more important -like you mortage. For bigger events you could even use a location out in the countryside for a touch if class, if you can get permission. For more information about event planning and spa days.