Day: October 7, 2011

Engagement Party Games

The engagement party is a time when the families of the couple will be together to get to know one another. In some cases, this might be the first meeting between the two families or groups of friends, and any icebreaker activity will be a welcome event.

In that light, whoever plans the engagement party (likely the bride’s family, but it can be the engaged couple or anyone else who wants to plan the party) should plan a few games and activities designed to help everyone get to know everyone else.

First up is a trivia game. Create a “Trivial Pursuit” type game with questions about the bride and groom’s lives. You might contain the questions to just facts and events relating to both the bride and groom (such as how long did it take her to say “yes” when he asked, where did he propose, where did they meet, etc).

Or you can include questions pertaining to their lives outside of each other and before they met each other. Not only can this be fun, but also it’s an entertaining way for people to get to know each other and the engaged couple better.

One popular icebreaker that’s used at corporate functions and company parties can also work really well at engagement parties. Tape a large lined card to each person’s back and encourage him or her to work the room, mingle with everyone and particularly try to get to know someone they have never met before.

Before moving on to someone else, be sure to make a comment about the person on the card on his or her back. The engagement party guest can write a polite impression of that person, such as “she seems sweet” or “he knows a lot about the weather”.

This icebreaker ends when the mingling session is over. The cards are then read by the owner of the card, sharing it with the people around them, who have to untape it from their back! People not only get to know each other better, but enjoy hearing all the comments people made about them. It is also a little keepsake of the special day.

Try to ensure that comments are complimentary or somehow presented in a positive light. Hurtful comments, obviously, are not appropriate. Not unless you want a war between the families, that is!

If this is truly the first time many of the guests have met, then another fun game involving the wearing of cards might be in order. In this game, each guest wears a card on their front that has their name on the front and a number on the back. They don’t share with anyone what their number is. Guests mingle and chat and get to know each other over the course of the evening.

Toward the end of the evening, the cards are flipped over and the number side is shown. Everyone gets a piece of paper and writes the numbers on the paper, then tries to correspond the name of someone with their number. This fun game can be hard for people who are bad with names, but it’s fun nonetheless.

For an activity that doesn’t put people on the spot quite so much, consider letting the already marrieds help out the to-be marrieds. Place two pieces of posterboard on the wall and mark them “advice from women” and “advice from men”.

Now is the time to offer advice about wedding planning, not about being married. That advice can come later. There will certainly be plenty of it!

Encourage guests to offer their own wedding planning advice. The advice from older people at the party could be decidedly different from the younger couples in the group, making for an enlightening group of comments which can also be useful for the couple and help them plan for their big day.

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Frugal Halloween Costumes

Dressing up in costume for Halloween is one of the most enjoyable parts of the month of October, but costumes can be expensive to purchase. This is especially true when you’re purchasing for several children at the same time. Kids’ costumes can add up quickly in price, but you can save a significant amount of money by either re-using the ones that you bought last year, or creating your own.

Re-use the costumes from last year
If your children are the same gender and similar in age, pass along the costume to the next child. If the costume has parts to it that can be used, by all means do so. For example, a black cape can be great for a vampire, witch, warlock or magician. A red dress can be great for a vampire, Little Red Riding Hood, Snow White with the addition of a white apron, Heidi with the addition of a white pinafore, a salsa dancer with the addition of some multicolored ruffles at the hem and some maracas, and so on.

Make Your Own

If you need to start from scratch because nothing fits or you already got rid of it or gave it away to a charity shop (a great source of cheap costumes, then try creating one of these frugal and fun costume ideas for your kids this year:

1. Weatherman (or Weathergirl).
If your child already has rain gear, such as a yellow jacket and rain boots, you can easily add to this attire for a creative costume. Outfit a large umbrella with craft paper lightning bolts and raindrops or snowflakes strung up on fishing line. This simple costume is super cute and very cheap to make.
Many “occupational” costumes are simple to make using materials you already have in your home. You may need to buy a costume hardhat to finish off a carpenter or construction costume, for example, but the cost is much lower when you can use your own blue jeans/carpenter’s jeans, flannel shirt and tool belt from home. For a policeman costume, you would need a blue shirt, dark trousers and a badge or emblem such as NYPD.

2. Crayon.
This is another fun costume you can make with things you may already have. Take a solid color shirt and pant set and adhesive-backed felt. Create “CRAYON” or a color label with black felt. Make accents for the wrists and ankles that coordinate with a typical “Crayola.” Finally, top it off with a pointed party hat in a coordinated color for the perfect sharpened tip on your crayon. You can also roll them in a craft paper tube in the appropriate color with CRAYON written on it, and the hat. Hold up the crayon roll with shoulder straps made out of the craft paper or a couple of matching socks stapled to the paper.

3. Animal costumes.
Animal costumes are easy to make, beginning with a leotard or a single-colored outfit and a coordinating fabric or felt. Attach ears to a headband, and create a tail that you can safety-pin to the waistband. A little face paint goes a long way, but doesn’t cost much to acquire. Dogs and cats work well as quick animal costume ideas.

Get more creative with lizards, birds and other animal costumes depending on what materials you have at hand. Ear headbands and various animal headpieces can be found in a party store but are easy to make. For young children, you can striped or fluffy fabric to turn your child into a lion or tiger. You can find free patterns online that will help you judge just how much fabric and trim you will need.

With enough planning, you can create your own costumes quickly and easily, often with items that you already have at home. This will allow your children to get the most out of their Halloween experience without forcing you to spend more than you can afford.
Halloween is now an important holiday that many schools participate in, with parties, costume parades, bakes goods and more. Your child will not want to be left out, but luckily you can get them a great costume if you refurbish last year’s, shop at a charity store for one, or make your own at home.

Further Reading
YOUR RECESSION SURVIVAL GUIDE: How to Save Money and Even Boost Your Income in This Recession

Smart Spending Strategies

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