With March just around the corner it is time to cut loose and enjoy some Mardi Gras celebrations. This exciting and fun holiday allows adults to enjoy themselves and break away from the stress of every day life. Unfortunately, Mardi Gras can also cause a whole lot of financial stress and burden if you’re not careful how you spend your money. There’s a lot of ways to cut down on how you spend your money during the holiday period though. With a few simple tips you’ll be ready to have the time of your life without actually spending a ton of money that you’ll have to budget through in the upcoming months. After following these tips you should be able to find a more relaxed way to enjoy yourself while keeping the money in your pocket.
1. Plan Ahead
A lot of people love to get out of the house and see Mardi Gras first hand in New Orleans. This might be a bit of a stretch for many, but if you’re looking at a mini vacation you can save a whole lot by simply planning ahead. You should start working on your trip before the New Year’s if you’re looking to save more money on a trip. The first thing you should worry about is securing your airline tickets, if you prefer to travel this way. You should be able to get a really good deal several months prior to the actual holiday, but you should also keep an eye out for Mardi Gras sales on your favorite travel sites. A hotel should be booked well in advance too, especially if you want to stay close to the action. Usually these hotels will book up pretty quickly so you want to ensure you have a reservation. Once you have all the fine details in order you can worry about reserving tickets and putting money back in your savings account. This should ensure that you get your trip all planned out and paid for well before its time to pack your bag.
2. Local Events
Traveling to celebrate Mardi Gras usually isn’t the cheapest way to celebrate. However, there are usually a lot of local events that might leave you feeling like you’re in New Orleans. A lot of towns will hold parades for the fun event, so check your local listings to see if there will be anything in store for the period of time. Even if there isn’t a lot going on in your specific town you might want to check out surrounding areas to see what they’re doing. Sometimes cities will hold a larger party downtown that will seem like the real deal when you can’t afford to travel that far. If you can’t find any big events then try asking around local clubs and bars to see if they’re holding any special events. Sometimes you’ll be able to find a fun party that incorporates costumes, beads and the rest of the classic Mardi Gras party favors.
3. Drink at Home
During holidays drinks tend to escalate in price, especially if you’re heading to a bar to celebrate. One of the best ways to cut down on money is to actually drink before you go out and enjoy yourself. You can easily have a few friends over to start the party off right which will really get you in the spirit more than waiting in line to get a drink. You can even start up a few drinking games to get everyone in the mood to go out and enjoy themselves. With a few drinks already in your system you’ll be able to skip out on starting a tab at a bar, which can save you the most money while you’re celebrating the season. If you’re looking to save even more you can have friends each bring over their favorite beverage to try, so everyone can get a pretty good sample without spending a lot of money. When you do go out try to avoid the bar and just have some fun without paying for the over priced drinks.
4. Make Costumes
One of the greatest parts of Mardi Gras is the fun costumes that make this holiday stand out. Typically buying a costume for Mardi Gras can cost you a small fortune, especially if you’re looking for a really classic look. There’s a lot of stores online that can offer discounted costumes, but you won’t save a whole lot of money unless you put in a little work to create your own costume. Usually you can find some really great fabrics that will make a gorgeous dress, but if you’re looking to save you might want to stick to solid colors. You should also be able to print out a pattern for a classic dress or men’s costume, but if you can’t find what you’re looking for most patterns don’t cost more than $10. If you want to keep it simple then you can easily come up with your own mask. There’s a lot of print out designs that can be made from items already found in the home, such as paper mache. You can even get the kids in on this project, which will make the holiday seem even more fun.
5. Cheap Accessories
When it comes to Mardi Gras nothing will make your day fun quite like the accessories. Mardi Gras is known for its color selection of beads that everyone wears throughout the celebrations. You might also want to buy some crowns, hats or other party accessories to help make your holiday great. These items can be purchased at most department stores, but if you really want to save you should try out your local dollar stores first. Most dollar stores will offer you bulk Mardi Gras supplies that will surface your expectations. You might even be able to supply your entire party with beads for less money than you’d expect. A lot of stores won’t cater the exact crowns you might want to wear to a party, but if you think out of the box you shouldn’t have to spend more than a couple dollars to look great this season. You should also be able to find very cheap masks in these stores, which can knock out your entire costume for under $10.
6. Find a Playlist
A lot of party hosts tend to want to go out and buy a few albums just for their party. This can be an expensive nightmare if you aren’t really sure about the music you’re buying. Instead of worrying about owning the music you want to play at your party you could always fall back on your internet radio. A lot of programs allow you to listen to just about anything for free, so try making a playlist based on what you’d like to hear at the party. If you’re not sure what you should play then try surfing other Mardi Gras playlist that other users have made. This can lead you to some pretty exciting music that you would have never thought to add to your own list. If you aren’t keen on any list then mix elements you like from different list into your own special list. Most of these radio programs are totally free, but if you’re worried about guests getting irritated with commercials you might want to splurge for a month’s subscription to the premium services.
7. Potluck
If you plan on hosting your own party this year then you might want to think twice about making all of the food for yourself. A lot of traditional dishes for the holiday tend to cost a whole lot of money to make and might have you spending a lot of time in the kitchen instead of enjoying yourself. Instead of taking all of the burden onto yourself you may want to call your party a potluck and allow guests to bring in their favorite holiday meals. Sure, you’ll probably get the random bag of chips or fast food meal, but a lot of people might have some fun takes on their favorite Mardi Gras delicacy. The potluck will also allow everyone to try out some amazing meals that they might want to learn how to make throughout the year. You may even be able to try some authentic recipes that you have never even heard of before. With guests bringing in foods you’ll be able to cut the major cost of the party though, which will certainly cut down on your Mardi Gras stress.
8. No Disposables
Although disposable dinnerware is the most convenient thing ever when it comes to a party, it can be one of the worst things to do for your budget. Plastic utensils and paper plates can be bought pretty cheap, but when you end up adding the cost of these items for the entire party it starts to add up. Instead of worrying about the clean up you might want to consider pulling out your plates for an authentic Mardi Gras dinner party. This will allow guest to dress up, sit down and enjoy a nice conversation over your traditional foods. Disposable dinnerware won’t just take out the romanticism of the party, but will cause you to maximize the trash your produce during the party which isn’t great for the environment.
9. Create Decorations
You don’t have to go all out to decorate for Mardi Gras. In fact, spending too much money on decorations might really take away from the fun of the holiday. With a few simple craft supplies you should be able to make some amazing Mardi Gras decorations that everyone will be able to appreciate. One of the easiest and most inexpensive décor items is simple paper chains. Grab a few pieces of green and purple construction paper and cut them into strips. You can easily assemble the chains with tape or glue and hang them from the ceiling for a cool look. You could also use some older craft paper to turn into confetti that can be left in various areas of the home. One of more fun ways to decorate is to print out different images of masks and crowns and have the kids color them. You can cut out these item and put them on the walls of your home.
10. Make up Games
Entertaining guests might be tough during Mardi Gras, but if you can utulize a few games you might find the entire party will go smoothly. Mardi Gras is filled with trickster games and lots of dancing so try to incorporate a little bit into each game. You might want to have a dance off to let guests burn some energy before winding down for the night. Of course, if you’re hosting a more relaxed party then consider coming up with a Mardi Gras trivia game. You might also want to have guests play a little charades, which could end up taking up the majority of the party. If this is the case then you might want to add in some options to draw out images to keep the game feeling new. Murder Mystery games are also a whole lot of fun, so look online for a few ideas if can’t come up with your own in a hurry. If you’re entertaining children then try to print out some color pages, word searches or bingo pages with a Mardi Gras flair.
Mardi Gras is all about enjoying yourself, so step back and forget about finances for awhile. With these tips you should be able to plan your own party, vacation or outing to make your holiday even more fun. Now, you can easily just let the day flow by without having to stress over your activities or the money you spent to get a party under way.
