Graduation Parties Simpler This Year

I've discovered that this year, more graduation parties are "home made." Rather than having them catered or purchasing platters of food, parents and relatives are purchasing the indgredients and making the refreshments themselves.

• They may serve cold cuts, cheese and rolls. But they purchase specific amounts of sliced meats at the deli and arrange them on platters.
• They purchase ground beef and franks and hold a barbecue.
• Instead of buying ready made salads, they are making potato, pasta, and cabbage salads.

In our household, with a granddaughter graduating from high school, we're serving hamburgers and franks from the grill. My husband cooked a chicken in the smoker yesterday and we're slicing it on another platter. The other grandmother made salads yesterday. Our daughter did purchase a decorated cake with Kara's name written on it.

As I looked around and asked around, I found more people were doing this and better keeping within their budgets. Yes, a few, because of a time crunch, are purchasing ready made, but many must watch the outflow of cash more carefully this year.

What are you doing for graduation parties?

Refreshing Party Pizzazz

I'm refreshing this blog as I help a friend research party material for her party planning business. She had so much fun planning her daughter's wedding that she didn't want all that research and experience to go to waste.

Why not share it with others to make their parties and weddings memorable and enjoyable occasions?

So many resources are available online, she found. Thus, she didn't have to go traveling around town or to other nearby locations to find much of what she and her daughter needed.

What has been your experience in party planning? Do you use online resources?