Party Central: A Month-by-Month Guide to Entertaining on the Cheap : Festive and Frugal Ideas for Every Occasion [Bargain Price] [Paperback]

Budget Living (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 15, 2004

Throwing a fabulous fete doesn't have to mean breaking the bank. The editors of Budget Living magazine, the leading experts on living large and spending small, show everyone how to be both festive and frugal, with all the tools needed to become a host with the most of everything (except money).

From New Year's Eve to the Fourth of July, Thanksgiving to Valentine's Day, this innovative guide will inspire readers to celebrate every major holiday, as well as a few minor ones-Oscar night, say, or the Kentucky Derby-with warmth, wit, and personality. Packed with inspiring ideas, easy-to-follow recipes, detailed hopping lists, music suggestions, and step-by-step directions, Party Central delivers a good time at a great price. Learn:

- How to find the perfect party theme for any occasion-from January through December
- Where to buy (and how to make) decorations guaranteed to turn guests' heads
- Strategies for stocking a bar without going broke
- Recipes for cooking up easy, inexpensive, yet elegant fare-from home-made sugared pecans to decadent DIY fortune cookies
- Games and tunes to keep the guests movin', groovin', and having a fabulous time

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Budget Living-named AdAge's "Launch of the Year" as well as Adweek's "Startup of the Year"-is the leading guide to living the good life at an affordable price. The magazine's "Spend Smart, Live Rich" motto has struck a chord with readers, and Budget Living's weekly newspaper feature is syndicated by Universal Press Syndicate all across North America. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• ISBN-10: 0399530223
• ASIN: B000CDG8PG
• Product Dimensions: 10.7 x 8.4 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,570,003 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Cool, November 28, 2004

By 

ZoomZoom (Omaha) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Budget Living Party Central: A Month-by-Month Guide to Entertaining on the Cheap (Mass Market Paperback)

Cool party ideas, for young people living on the cheap. A lot of retro themes. This book is a feast for the eyes, because the photograhy is really well-done.

The menus were biased towards carbs, which I guess is to be expected.

I'm not sure if I would have the flair and panache to pull off some of these party ideas...

September features a "Back-to-School" wedding theme in a rented cafeteria. The 100 guests line up to get cheese pizza and tater tots on a tray. Instead of a guest book, a 3-ring binder. Instead of flowers, blown-up balloons. Instead of a wedding cake, they rented a cotton candy machine for $60. Instead of champagne, juice boxes.

...I wonder what the guests wish they had brought instead of presents! But the point is, is that when you look like an Abercrombie model: anything goes.

My favorite month was November, which featured a Thanksgiving that reminded me of the ones we used to have in the Peace Corps. It was a group effort: the guys grilled small hens and made kettle chips, while the girls whipped up lighter and less-fussy variations on old thanksgiving favorites. The "pumpkin fool" looked especially interesting: a no-crust, no-bake pumpkin *thing*.

This last Thanksgiving, I made Thanksgiving Omelets, with thanksgiving-themed ingredients folded in. I'm telling you this just in case you're looking for even more fun and cheap Thanksgiving ideas.

After reading this book several times in the bookstore, I finally decided that I had to have it, if only to laugh along with the young and beautiful people at their zany, crazy, money-saving soirees.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars A Big Disappointment, June 10, 2010

By 

LAUNA STOUT- AmericanRegionalCuisine.BellaOnl... (California, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Party Central: A Month-by-Month Guide to Entertaining on the Cheap : Festive and Frugal Ideas for Every Occasion (Paperback)

Party Central
Month to month guide to entertaining on the cheap.

You can't tell a book by its title. I was expecting more than this book offers. It is filled with booze party ideas for what appears to be collage age and beyond.

They make a valiant effort to show a plan for a party for each month and usually show the register tape to show how cheaply the party was to put on.

They claim to exist to help you find the perfect party theme for any occasion, and give strategies for stocking a bar without going broke.

Their themes were: January: `Round Midnight, February: the Lonely Hearts Club Brunch, March: One Starry Night, April: Pot Luck, Por Favor, May: Horsing Around, June: Miami Heat, July, Red, White and New, August: High Camp, September: A Touch of Class, October: Having a Scream, November: A Movable Feast, December: Come On In, Y'all.

Throughout the book there is many photographs- page 34 has a girl on the floor by the toilet, and there is a column on Hangover Helpers. Page 35 has a littered floor with candy and Bayer, Alka-Seltzer and Jack Daniels and Bacardi. Page 172 shows six bottles of wine to help you with choosing the right wine.

A small redeeming feature of this book is that there are a few good recipes.