Thanksgiving is right around the corner which means Friendsgiving is too! Once October rolls around, my favorite time of the year begins. With Halloween, Friendsgiving, Thanksgiving, and Christmas coming up, there is so much to celebrate. I am sure so many of us love this time of year given how much there is to celebrate. I am also sure many of us dread this time of year…. as there is so much to celebrate. With so much to celebrate comes so much to do. However, with the holidays comes a lot of expenses and stress as well.
Planning for the holidays does not always have to be stressful. With strategic planning and getting ahead of things, everything can go to plan and smoothly. I am someone who plans for the holidays as soon as the summer hits. It is just easier to get things in to order that way.
Although there is still time, planning ahead is a great idea to make sure things go smoothly. With Thanksgiving and Friendsgiving coming up, and more holidays following, this time of year can be stressful and expensive. I am here to show you tips on how to host the perfect stress free Friendsgiving, without breaking the bank!
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Friendsgiving Invitations
Let’s start with the basics! Who do you want to invite? When is everyone most likely available to attend?
While you think of that, here are some invitation ideas!
Although it is cute to send mailed invitations, a digital invite made in Canva is free! Canva is a website that allows you to personalize different templates whether it be for Instagram, Pinterest, or invites. It is super simple to navigate and you can really make the invites your own.
However, if you want to mail out an invite, you can print out your Canva design and mail your invitations instead of sending them digitally.
Lastly, if you decide you’re short on time and can’t figure out how to use Canva, there are plenty of affordable invitations on Amazon! See some fun ones linked in the pictures below.
Food
You can’t begin to plan Friendsgiving without thinking about food! However, to keep this stress free and affordable, I suggest focusing on the Turkey and assigning other foods to your guests.
For example, maybe ask some friends to focus on their favorite sides and others to focus on the yummiest dessert or drink options. Not only does this free up your time to decorate and plan, but it also saves you so much money from having to purchase and make all of the groceries yourself.
However, if you are the one bringing in food yourself, there are so many cute ways to deliver your sides and deserts for Friendsgiving.
For cute desert holders, you can store them in cute baggies for people to grab or take home with them. These are super cute for the overall Friendsgiving aesthetic and if I am chosen for desserts this year, I will be ordering them myself!
However, if you are bringing the sides or main dishes, these Thanksgiving themed food containers are so cute! Not only do they make transporting food incredibly easy, but they fit the theme so well.
Activities
It is hard to have a fun Friendsgiving without any activities! Whether it be board games, get to know each other games, or simply playing a movie, there has to be something to do for your guests. If you are hosting it is important you have something set up to make the evening more fun!
I found some popular game options to have at your Friendsgiving linked in the images below. My friends and I personally use all of these games for girls nights and have so much fun with them. I absolutely plan on having all three at my Friendsgiving this year. The best part is that they can be used from event to event and year to year, not just for Friendsgiving.
Decor
Simple decor is all that is needed for an aesthetically pleasing Friendsgiving, however, it is also awesome to go all out! Having Friendsgiving decor will really bring in the seasonal theme to the party. I like to find items I can reuse throughout the year or from year to year. That often consists of fall colors, simple designs, and no “Thanksgiving” labels on items like table cloth.
Not only that, but decor can help with your cleaning process to make the event less stressful. Having a table cloth, paper plates, or more will help with cleaning up your party.
For the table cloth I love the idea of having something simple with fall colors. Not only can it be used year round, but also for your annual Friendsgiving and Thanksgiving.
Music
Having a little bit of music playing in the background is always ideal for events like Friendsgiving! I suggest creating a shared playlist ahead of time with everyone who has RSPV’d so everyone can add their favorite songs. You can make collaborative playlists on Spotify by simply adding users to the playlist you make. From there, your friends can add songs, playlists, and more to your Friendsgiving playlist.
With that said, if you want to play some Thanksgiving football or a movie that is also a great idea for entertainment and noise.
Friendsgiving Themed Pictures
Lastly, Friendsgiving pictures! If you wanted to make your Friendsgiving just a little more exciting, having a photo booth would make the event even more memorable. Having more opportunity to get cute pictures gives your friends and self more things to look back on when it comes to reminiscing on the holidays.
Setting up a Friendsgiving photo booth does not have to be expensive and can be split amongst the friend group as well. However, in the long run, this could save you money from having to repurchase them in the future. They should last a while and be able to be used in future Friendsgivings or even your family Thanksgiving.
Finally, I hope this list of ideas makes your Friendsgiving less stressful and expensive. Share this with friends or family to help split up some of the ideas, and see more holiday relate blogs here!
