ConGRADulations! Your hard work has paid off, and it’s finally time to celebrate the time and dedication put into your education; but what’s worse than feeling more stressed than excited about a party that’s for YOU?! In this guide you will find all the tips and tricks as well as different ideas in order to create a super-fun, stress-free, yet low-cost graduation party!

Photo Ops

You can cross the professional photographer right off your list of expenses because this year you are the photographer. Thanks to modern-day technology, mostly everyone owns a phone and almost all phones come with cameras on them! Even flip phones have cameras on them nowadays. 

Grab a table cloth or flat sheet, some crepe paper, some balloons and BOOM – you have yourself an inexpensive yet on trend photo-op for you and your friends. 

PaperMusePress

Another option is to grab some wood pallets from your local grocery store. These are free as grocery stores will otherwise just dispose of them. Grab some balloons, maybe some paint, and cut out some letters/numbers and there you have a very expensive (looking) photo backdrop. 

Miranda McManus

Food

Next up is food (because we all know most people come for the food). One low-cost and super easy food idea is a Doritos Walking Taco! Grab yourself a bulk pack of single-serve Doritos Nacho Cheese chip bags from Sam’s Club or Costco, along with some ground beef, taco seasoning, and your favorite taco toppings such as cheese, sour cream, pico de gallo, and hot sauce! You can arrange these items in an assembly line so it is easy for guests to assemble their Walking Tacos. 

Step one, grab a bag of Doritos. Step two, crush your bag of Doritos up. Step three, dress your now crushed Doritos with taco seasonings. Step four, enjoy! You now have a Doritos Walking Taco that was easy and stress free for both you and your guests!

EatingOnADime

Alternatively, if you want something more traditional yet still easy hotdogs and hamburgers on the grill are perfectly in season and a safe option! Grab your favorite condiments, some hotdog and burger buns, and some good ole classic Lays potato chips. This option will be sure to fill the bellies of all your guests.

Now for my favorite course, dessert! One of my favorite dessert options is chocolate covered strawberries, but they can be expensive to order and time consuming to make. A great alternative for this would be to grab your mom’s old CrockPot, some melting chocolate (or just regular chocolate chips and add some butter to help melt the chocolate into a creamy consistency), and let the chocolate sit on low. Then fix a fruit tray – or buy a premade one – and let your guests dip their fruit into the crockpot of ooey-gooey chocolate goodness!
EatingOnADime

Another fun and easy dessert option would be to set up an ice cream bar for your guests to enjoy! Grab the essentials, bowls, ice cream scoops, toppings, and of course, the ice cream. A safe option would be to stick to chocolate and vanilla, but you could add some strawberry too! Make sure to pick up some whipped cream, sprinkles, chocolate chips, marshmallows, M&Ms, and other yummy toppings for your guests to enjoy. 

Culinary Hill

Entertainment

What’s a party without some entertainment? Make sure you have some form of entertainment lined up in order to give your guests something to do. A good start would be to grab a speaker queued up with your favorite music throughout the years. One way to make it sentimental and fitting would be to take all your favorite songs from each grade and compile them into a playlist. When your friends hear a specific song they may be reminded of a memory they have with you surrounding that song making it nostalgic for everyone. 

Another idea is to create a slideshow of pictures with you and friends through the years. Ask your friends and family members to send you their favorite pictures and memories, and compile them into a slideshow. Put some sentimental music behind it, and display it at your party for guests to watch. This is sure to draw in the attention of all your guests and bring them down memory lane.

Venues

Now that you have the contents of your party put together, you need somewhere to host this party. Places like local rec halls, churches, neighborhood amenity centers, or even your own backyard, are all low-cost (if not free!) and readily available venues. Sometimes these venues will even supply you with basic furniture such as tables and chairs or they sometimes come equipped with kitchens to prepare and store food for the party! And remember, never underestimate the power of a little color with the decorations you supply. They can make an old place new again!

Hopefully by now, it is evident that you do not have to spend a lot of money in order to have a killer graduation party. All it takes is a little bit of elbow grease and planning in advance to save you hundreds of dollars and still come out with a super fun graduation party!