8 Cheap Summer Party Ideas for Small Spaces
Looking for party ideas can become infinitely more complicated when you live in a small space. As we head into the season of leisure, get-togethers and parties are on everyone’s minds.
So, we’ve delivered ideas to help you make the most of your small space for a summer party. They’re easy, simple, and budget-friendly. Best of all, you can use these ideas whether you decide to stay in your air-conditioned apartment or the outdoor patio. Find inspiration in the passages below.
Main Takeaways
- Focus on strategically placed seating, or even blankets and pillows instead of chairs.
- Get a small bar cart and even smaller guest list.
- For budget-friendly decor, add lush greens, thrift store finds, reusable supplies, and supplies you already have around the home.
Table of Contents
Maximizing Small Spaces on a Budget
If your rental apartment or home has limited room for guests, inside or outside, the property managers in North Virginia have got you covered. Take a look at some party ideas that will help you squeeze the most out of every square foot.
Strategic Seating
To ensure mingling goes smoothly, you should set up seating that invites easy conversations. This is one situation where small spaces, like apartments, may pose an advantage. After all, little nooks can be more intimate and cozier.
To make the most of this, huddle your furniture close together, all facing the same way. Of course, maintain room for your guests to move around comfortably.
Have a bar cart
Bar carts are an all-in-one summer party solution. They’re compact and they’re a crowd-pleaser.
You can move it as necessary and store it away whenever you require more space. What’s more, you can stock it with liquors, wines, and even assorted snacks. The top of the cart can even serve as the appetizer serving area in convenient reach for your guests.
Don’t Use Chairs
Chairs can take up too much space for small spaces. Instead, make use of pillows, cushions, and blankets to create a cozy atmosphere. Even better, you can easily add or remove them to adjust for your number of guests. Also, you can just pick them up to clean them up when your guests are gone. To enhance this, you could apply a mixture of textures to give an eclectic feel.
Keep the Guest List Small
Limit your summer party guest list to those who matter most, like your close friends and family. As nice as it would be to have dozens of people, it would overcrowd your small space. By limiting your list, your role as a host is much more manageable. After all, it’s a lot easier to entertain 5 guests than 50. The logistics are just so much more small-scale.
Also, if you keep the guest list to a minimum, you can minimize your costs, too. You can stay on a budget, especially since drinks and food costs can add up for a crowd.
To boot, this will give you a more intimate outing. It will make everyone feel more comfortable because they can get to know everyone better.
How to Get Summer Party Decor for Less
Your party ideas don’t need a bombastic budget to have a huge impact. Here are some ways to spread every penny as far as it can go.
Add Lush Greens
When you add flowers and greenery, it makes your small space seem warmer and more welcoming. It adds an ethereal, natural vibe to your spot. So, spruce up your space by scattering some plants and flower arrangements across your area.
Repurpose Items You Already Have as Decor
There’s no reason to blow your budget on pricey décor when things strewn around your home could do the trick. Accomplishing this will simply involve a bit of creativity.
For example, you can fill mason jars on hand with flowers to use as centerpieces. Or, you could add string lights to create a dreamy, laid-back atmosphere. Banners, tablecloths, and other little touches can make a huge difference. Best of all, you can reuse these whenever you want for parties with all kinds of themes, not just a summer party.
Find Affordable Decor
If you do want to go with bought décor or furniture, you don’t have to splurge. You have other options, like thrift stores. These places are filled with party ideas that could surprise and delight your guests.
Additionally, the Facebook Marketplace and other local haunts might have some cheap items you can snag for a cheap price.
Get Reusable Party Supplies
Paper plates may seem easy now, but it’s actually more economical to buy reusable cups in the long run. These can be lightweight, easy-to-carry cups like plastic ones. This way, you create less waste and save more money.
The Fine Print to Remember as a Tenant
Let’s get into the not-so-fun, but necessary, reminders. This conversation isn’t a walk in the park. Still, we need to have it to prevent you from getting into trouble with your landlord or the law.
Tenants are leaseholders, which makes them fully responsible for their guests. So, they must adhere to their landlord’s lease and guest policies, whatever those might entail. Each landlord has their own policies. For example, it could include rules for how many guests you can have and for how long a time.
Tenants also must stay mindful of their small space and neighbors when entertaining. They can meet their hosting obligations by following certain practices:
- Obey Local Laws– To avoid getting in hot water, you must obey local laws related to gatherings. It goes without saying, but the best party in the world isn’t worth a potential night in jail.
- Limit the Guest List– Because you have limited space, you shouldn’t invite so many people that the floor shakes and breaks. Furthermore, if you have too many people, you can’t keep track of everyone at your summer party.
- Keep Control of the Situation – You must keep a rein on your guests to ensure they’re not disturbing your other tenants or getting too rowdy. After all, while you have the right to have fun, other tenants have their right to peace and quiet. One way to do this is by telling guests where the party is so they don’t disrupt neighbors.
- Protects Guests and the Property– When you add guests to the mix, you can never fully predict what could happen to them or the property. So, you should always be aware of your surroundings and stop potential disasters in their tracks. For instance, you should ensure that partygoers are sober before driving home. Furthermore, you should remove tripping hazards.
- Keep Your Neighbors in the Loop – Neighbors might be alarmed to see a surge of strangers on the property, out of the blue. Because of this, it would be smart to give your neighbors a heads-up about your party.
- Get Everything Setup in Advance – The more prepared you are, the less chance you have of making mistakes. So, if you want to play music at your summer party, test the speakers beforehand to ensure they’re at a non-disruptive volume.
Rent with BMG
With the above party ideas, you can make your summer party much simpler and cheaper. You can achieve a memory that will last a lifetime, even in an indoor or outdoor small space.
When you host events in an apartment, you need landlord approval to do many things. In turn, you need a landlord who is responsive and respectful, and who will balance their need for order with your right to leisure. One who will tirelessly work with you to find outcomes that work for everyone.
And this goes beyond simple parties. It extends to even more important matters like repairs, air-conditioning, and more. All in all, you deserve a landlord who is dedicated to your success as a tenant. Unfortunately, if your landlord has a lot on their plate, they might not be able to give you the experience you want.
Luckily, if your rental home has a property manager, this headache can disappear. Property managers’ sole job is maintaining a property and keeping their tenants happy. So, when you live in a place with one, resolving day-to-day rental concerns can be exponentially easier. Luckily, we have created a special site to compile the latest rental listings, all in one place. Contact us today to make your rental experience more stress-free.