Tips for how to party hard this holiday season without breaking the bank

"Well any old time/ that you ride by/

you better stop and say, "Hi," man/

we'll pick and sing.

Drink mightyfine wine/ that old screw top kind/

... Cause I can get by/ on nickels and dimes."

"Nickels and Dimes" by Mayhem String Band

It's the time of year when you want to give gifts and have parties.

It's also the time of year when I have little money and even less free time.

So what's a girl to do? Get by on nickels and dimes. And my next nickel and dime event is quickly approaching.

Saturday night I will be playing hostess to my friends for our annual Christmas party. For last year's hostess, this meant a month of meticulous planning; hundreds of dollars in food, decorations and gifts; and a beautiful event with happy guests.

For me, it's just another challenge for my portfolio of procrastination and my closely controlled budget.

To make use of my next few days, here are the most important things I plan to focus on to pull off a quick but quality event.

Food

Cooking for a big group can easily run up your budget and keep you stressed throughout the night. To avoid these pitfalls, I'm doing a potluck dip party. Everyone's been asked to RSVP with their favorite dip and I'm filling in any gaps by preparing a cheesy dip, a savory dip, and a sweet dip.

Everyone's happy to pitch in their own creative concoction and there will be at least one option for any picky eaters.

Money saver: Three dips are better than a meal when it comes to cost.

Time saver: I've picked dips I can make a day or two earlier and I don't have to watch pots while guests arrive and the party gets started.

Decorations

Since I've saved time and money on food, I'm splurging a little here. My motif is starting with paper snowflakes and paper chains, but I'm throwing in candles to scatter around the main rooms of the house.

I've also got red and LED twinkle lights (splurge!) scattered around inside and outside my house and strung from branches I've bundled together and placed in pots around my rooms. (I love it when trees start dropping branches in the winter.)

To complete the feeling, I've purchased some fun music from iTunes to set the mood.

Money saver: I'm making the snowflakes and paper chains out of paper taken from the recycle bins at home and work.

Time saver: I'm a firm believer in child labor. This week Aunt Vanessa will be putting Jake to work making snowflakes and chains during his parents' date night.

Gifts

Party favors can get outrageous, but goodies have become a staple of our little get-togethers and it is nice to take home a little happy from the party.

My plan is to make the group something personal but common, so no "plus ones" get left out. I've infused some oil with different herbs, spices, fruits and vegetables, and I'm picking the bottles based on the tastes of the guests I know.

These aren't large gifts, but the bottles are just nice enough to pull off that fancy look. And pairing them with a photo of our group from last year's party and a card will make a nice little package

Money saver: I have the bottles of oil pre-made from a summer batch and the cards are leftovers from last year.

Time saver: No need to skimp on time -- it's important to get just the right message in those cards.

So it will all get done, and while it may not be the shindig that our hostess threw last year, it will be a good time for friends to stop by and say, "Hi." Which, in the end, is what the trouble is all about.

Vanessa Cook is a former copy editor for the Southeast Missourian who dabbles in decorating.