Budget Graduation party tips?

[Sydnoahmom]

We love walking tacos! They had them at my Godson's graduation, along with baked potato bar. What was nice is that many of the toppings were interchangeable. They had taco meat (many put on potato too), bacon, shredded cheese, onions, sour cream, salsa, black olives, lettuce, tomatoes and butter. It was all set out on the bar and self serve. Bags of chips were available(cut open down the side instead of top to have more room for toppings)

I toyed with idea of baked potato bar as it is cheap and super easy, all prep work done in advance, but DD wants spaghetti and meatballs. Just told her tonight I would probably do it more as a baked dish tham pasta separate from noodles since it would be less messy. Also will have salad, fruit salad, garlic bread and maybe chicken as another option.

Want to get it all narrowed down so I can watch for sales. I love planning!

 

[The Princess]

When I did my oldest dd graduation party 3 years ago she chose the menu:
chicken, hot sausage sandwiches, sandwich ring, I made 500 meatballs for sandwiches, I made greens and beans, macaroni salad, pasta salad, fruit salad, tossed salad, a candy bar cakes and cookies (I'm sure that I am forgetting something)
My youngest dd is graduating this year and she is choosing her menu also. So far she wants:
our homemade pizza, chicken tenders, tossed salad,hot sausage with just peppers and onions no sauce, fruit salad,tossed salad, popcorn bar, cake,cookies.

 

[mrsbornkuntry]

bumping now that it's getting close

 

[PoohBearnTigger2]

My daughter's graduation party is next month and she requested walking tacos at the party. All of her friends and practically every kid I know loves them. Our local convenience store even sells them at the hot foods counter. They're very popular.

 

[sk!mom]

I don't know how budget it will be but here's our plan for DD's graduation.

She's doing several parties with friends in the next few weeks and will go to Project Graduation with friends overnight on Grad night. She graduates at 10 in the morning so I'm planning a come and go afternoon party for probably 30 to 50 people. I know that lots of family will come but most friends will celebrate that afternoon with their own families and then meet up with friends in the evening. I feel like I need to have a luncheon due to the number of family coming from out of town.

We're including a postcard party invite with announcements. We made announcements and invitations on Tiny Prints. All we bought from Jostens was the cap and gown. In my experience, very few people buy Josten's announcements anymore. Most seem to send custom photo announcements purchased from sites like Tinyprints, Shutterfly, or Snapfish.

Decorations- we're going with her college colors (she's over high school ;-)- Paper goods and table cloths will be purchased from Dollar Tree. I just did a baby shower for 40 people and the Dollar Tree paper goods cost me $9 so I should be able to do this for a similar amount. DD made a really cool ceramic piece with her college initials and colors. That will be the centerpiece. That along with balloons will be the decorations.

I'm doing a dessert table (round table) in the family room- cupcake tree (cupcakes baked by me the weekend before and frozen and then frosted the night before), glass containers with cookies ("She's a Smart cookie!"), and then Reeses cup grad hats.

This is Texas so one kitchen bar will have chips and salsa along with potato chips and other dips. A long table in the dining room will have a Chick fil A nugget tray (DD's fave), chicken salad puffs, meatball sliders, a Caesar pasta salad, and a fruit salad. I can make the chicken salad the day before and have the meatballs in a crockpot and then only have to throw the sandwiches together. The salad will be ready the night before and only need to be dressed just before. The fruit salad can be made that morning.

Drinks- Cherry limeade Punch, bottled water, wine, and beer. This will be set up on the other kitchen bar. Punch bowl, bottles of water with graduation labels, beer and white wine in the fridge, and a few bottles of red wine out.

 

[kellyg403]

This year will be my final high school graduation party with my first college graduation party next year.

We are in NC on the coast, and hot doesn't describe the last 6 graduation days. We typically have grads in the morning now, but 85 degrees with 100% humidity at 10 am is still HOT!

We have tried a little bit of everything to make the day easier and better. My dh and I typically can not take more than a long weekend that includes the friday before graduation. Dh does like it better if we do not grill, not only is he stuck at the grill but usually its at noon or 1 in the afternoon. Again, very hot.

What I have found that works best for us is to have a pig pickin'. We have a local company that brings out the cooker with the pig fully cooked inside, to feed 40, all the fixings that include cole slaw, beans, hush puppies and chicken. Along with that they bring all paper products (paper plates, cups, utensils and napkins as well as serving spoons) ice, sweet tea by the gallons. I typically add a few things like a couple veggie trays and pasta salad. For desert, cake from Sam's or Food Lion and a few desert trays, water and soda's. I start buying the soda's well in advance (and few cases of different beers) when they are on sale to limit the amount I have to spend at that time. For the pasta salad, the pasta recently was on sale BOGO and I had a couple coupons so it ended up that I paid like 5 cents each for 5 boxes of pasta to make that day. The entire pig and fixings ran us about $575.00 including tipping the folks who delivered it that morning. I set up our delivery this morning and it was 8.00 per person for a total of 320.00 for the bulk of the meal minus tax and delivery tip.

I know its not terribly budget, but the heat alone makes for a long day. Its nice to have it all done and delivered. I enjoy spending the time with family and the graduate without a lot of hassle.

HTH some!

eta: The paper products delivered are all white, but I do purchase school colored napkins, cake plates and table cloth for the cake table. We decorate it with a board with pics of the graduate throughout high school, the diploma case, anything special we want. I purchase these items at the Dollar store and its is a little less expensive since we are only buying for the cake instead of the party as a whole.
Kelly

 

[mrsbornkuntry]

I think I've decided to go with a giant sub from Subway, probably 12 feet. The website says 6 feet will feet up to 25 people which is about how many we're inviting. Has anyone done this? I'm wondering about how to keep it cold.

I also think I'll make some fruit cups with some cut up watermelon and cantaloupe and have a veggie tray along with chips. I can't believe how fast graduation is approaching! I have already started buying pop and bottled water. I'm not serving alcohol.

Do you buy your child a graduation gift? I'm thinking about it, but then again I'm paying a lot of college expenses too and her birthday is 10 days before graduation (she's getting an iphone for that). I'm thinking maybe a college t-shirt.

 

[PoohBearnTigger2]

I think I've decided to go with a giant sub from Subway, probably 12 feet. The website says 6 feet will feet up to 25 people which is about how many we're inviting. Has anyone done this? I'm wondering about how to keep it cold. I also think I'll make some fruit cups with some cut up watermelon and cantaloupe and have a veggie tray along with chips. I can't believe how fast graduation is approaching! I have already started buying pop and bottled water. I'm not serving alcohol. Do you buy your child a graduation gift? I'm thinking about it, but then again I'm paying a lot of college expenses too and her birthday is 10 days before graduation (she's getting an iphone for that). I'm thinking maybe a college t-shirt.

We aren't serving alcohol either. Subway is a good idea! We are doing a cookout style party since my hubby loves to grill and the walking tacos. I'm not buying my daughter a graduation gift. We are throwing the party for her so that's my present to her lol. We are also going to Disney World in August. Money is just flying out the window here lately lol. Can't believe graduation is so close!

 

[sk!mom]

I think I've decided to go with a giant sub from Subway, probably 12 feet. The website says 6 feet will feet up to 25 people which is about how many we're inviting. Has anyone done this? I'm wondering about how to keep it cold.

I also think I'll make some fruit cups with some cut up watermelon and cantaloupe and have a veggie tray along with chips. I can't believe how fast graduation is approaching! I have already started buying pop and bottled water. I'm not serving alcohol.

Do you buy your child a graduation gift? I'm thinking about it, but then again I'm paying a lot of college expenses too and her birthday is 10 days before graduation (she's getting an iphone for that). I'm thinking maybe a college t-shirt.

I feel your pain. DD's 18th birthday is 2 days before graduation. Her gifts for both will be things that we'd want/need to buy for college anyway. We were always staunchly against TV's in kids bedrooms and then she was a teen who doesn't watch TV much and the next thing you know she's headed off to college so her birthday gift will be a TV. Grad gift will be a new laptop. Her high school laptop is pretty much done.

We're also doing a graduation trip with 2 other families (my sister and brother's families who both have a child graduating) to WDW in August. This will be in place of our normal Summer vacation.

 

[clh2]

As far as grad gifts go, we took DD on a trip to NYC. We did not actually go until DD finished her first semester, since DH refused, i mean REFUSED to go in the summer. To be honest, going the week before Christmas was awesome!

Many memories that trip. She was done with the semester by about dec. 10 that year.

Our DD is an only, so, we didn't need to do something similar for other kids.

Good luck to all of you with upcoming graduations! That last month of school goes fast, then a summer of parties...then your babies will be gone if they are off to school!

 

[kymom99]

For my son's first birthday, we had a long Subway. We had a lot of people there and it was at a park, so we didn't have our kitchen for cooking. My niece worked at Subway at the time, so she was able to help with the arrangements. I will say, I think if I had it to do over, I would do trays of smaller sandwiches instead of the long one. As you said, it is hard to store. If you get trays, you can put some out and replenish as needed. For work, I often arrange for lunch for my coworkers. There are about 25 of them. I like to go to Kroger and get sandwich trays from the deli. I have found this to be the most inexpensive way to go. I can get more with the money I have to spend.

 

[Eastern]

Wow a lot of good ideas, I am going to steal some of them.

 

[Carina]

We did a taco bar last year for my DD's graduation.

We fed 20 people for $80

I borrowed 3 crock pots plus used my own, in them we had
-Spicy pulled pork, used enchilada sauce (bought a pork loin at Costco used 1/2)
-Ground beef with taco spice
-Shredded chicken with another type of spice
- Rice and black beans ( Zatarans boxed)

In front of that we had...
-Tortilla's baked in bowl shape ( done the day before) arranged on a platter
I did 30 for the 20 of us - there were leftovers.
- lettuce
-shredded cheese
-diced tomato
-green onion
-corn
-refried beans
- 2 kinds of salsa
- diced jalapenos
-sour cream

It was a HIT! Guests were photographing their plates of food!

I have never had so many people feast on so much food with that many compliments for such a low price - and best of all... all the prep is done ahead!


The only thing we were low on at the end was meat - but we didn't run out- I made lots but most people chose all 3 meats plus the rice and beans.

My kids want to have a summer party this year and have another taco bar.

 

[Kellydelly]

I think I've decided to go with a giant sub from Subway, probably 12 feet. The website says 6 feet will feet up to 25 people which is about how many we're inviting. Has anyone done this? I'm wondering about how to keep it cold.

I also think I'll make some fruit cups with some cut up watermelon and cantaloupe and have a veggie tray along with chips. I can't believe how fast graduation is approaching! I have already started buying pop and bottled water. I'm not serving alcohol.

Do you buy your child a graduation gift? I'm thinking about it, but then again I'm paying a lot of college expenses too and her birthday is 10 days before graduation (she's getting an iphone for that). I'm thinking maybe a college t-shirt.

12 feet of sandwich is too much, why double what you need? Fill in with some side salads like pasta and potato and you would be better off . You can buy a cheap kiddie pool and fill it with ice to keep the sandwich and salads cool.

 

[disneymom3]

Phew' I got confirmation today on the park facility we wanted to rent. Now we can officially have a party! The building is across the street and around the corner. It costs $50 for the whole day and they have 45 chairs and 3 rectangle banquet tables.

We are doing the party from 2-5 on a Sunday afternoon. Not sure what to serve. We are doing cake, a candy bar, pasta and potato salads and.....do you all think we need a meal type of an item for that time of the day? Oh, fruit salad too.