Toronto Star
· collected 2026-10-12 · by Ritika Dubey The Canadian Press
The article discusses strategies for hosting affordable holiday parties amidst rising costs. It advises setting a budget to avoid financial strain, emphasizing research and planning ahead. Experts suggest involving guests by asking them to bring dishes or drinks, sharing the expenses, and using second-hand items for decorations. The piece highlights how food is typically the biggest expense, urging hosts to be mindful of spending limits while maintaining party quality.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-12,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
Throwing a holiday party can be costly, especially with rising prices for disposable plates, cups, decorations, snacks, and party favors. Financial experts advise setting realistic budgets to avoid financial strain, particularly affecting students and young adults. Kalee Boisvert from Raymond James Ltd. suggests simplifying budgeting by researching costs online and noting expenses on a phone app. Tanya Reynolds, senior vice-president with MNP’s consumer and corporate insolvency group, emphasizes that planning ahead helps manage finances better compared to last-minute decisions. Setting expectations for spending in each category can prevent overspending and financial stress after the event.
Written for “Holiday Party Budget Tips” on 2026-10-12,
grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.
Throwing a party may seem simple: just send a Partiful invite to a bunch of people and hope they show up.
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they → throw → people
But hosting a gathering is more than an invite.
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hosting → host → invite
It comes with a price tag, even if it’s meant to be low-key.
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it → come → tag
Things like disposable plates and cups, decorations, snacks and party favours add up and can take a bite out of money meant for essentials.
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Things → add → essentials
That may sting more for students living alone for the first time and young adults just entering the workforce.
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That → sting → workforce
Experts say setting expectations and a budget could save hosts from dealing with the aftermath of a financial mess.
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setting → say → mess
Kalee Boisvert, a financial adviser at Raymond James Ltd., said people often get in their heads about budgeting — like it’s homework.
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it → say → budgeting
But it can be as simple as researching online what things cost and writing down how much you’re willing to spend on specific categories on your phone’s notes app.
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you → research → app
“It really just means helping yourself set the expectations of where you want to land approximately on your expenses.”
Whether the party was a last-minute decision or something planned weeks ago also affects budgeting, said Tanya Reynolds, senior vice-president with MNP’s consumer and corporate insolvency group.
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Reynolds → mean → group
“If you’re planning a bit out, then perhaps that budget can be a little bit bigger because you’ve been saving for it,” she said.
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she → plan → it
“But if it’s a last-minute decision, then really recognize what you have available to spend.
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you → ’ → what
”
Deciding the kind of party helps zero in on the budget, she said.
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she → decide → budget
For example, whether it’s a sit-down dinner or a snack bar-style gathering can sway your food spending.
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’s → ’ → spending
If it’s a holiday dinner with friends, are you planning to foot the bill for all of it or is it a potluck?
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it → ’ → it
“Your budget can be whatever you can afford and what seems reasonable to do without spending more than you have, without using credit, and without taking from somewhere else to cover the cost,” Reynolds said.
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Reynolds → afford → cost
Food is often the most expensive part of a gathering, and with climbing food prices, the pressure on a host to buy snacks or set up a charcuterie board can become overwhelming.
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pressure → climb → board
The cost of food started to add up for Reynold’s 21-year-old daughter, as she prepared for a dinner party for eight a few weeks ago.
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she → start → eight
“If you’re just going out and buying produce for yourself, maybe it doesn’t seem so extravagant, but when you’re purchasing enough for eight people, you can really see the cost of that go up,” she said.
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she → go → that
Offering an open bar and trying to emulate esthetics from social media can also lead to mounting costs for the host.
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Offering → offer → host
Reynolds said she helped her daughter set a budget and they came up with a plan to share some costs with the guests.
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they → say → guests
“She asked them to bring an item to the table, which was going to keep with her theme,” alongside a bottle of wine, Reynolds said.
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Reynolds → ask → wine
Together, they crowdsourced decorations from friends and family and filled in the gaps with second-hand items from online marketplaces.
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they → crowdsource → marketplaces
Tempering expectations is key when social media trends dictate what your parties should look like, said Janine Rogan, a chartered professional accountant and founder of The Wealth Building Academy.
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Rogan → temper → Academy
She said a gathering can be as simple as each person bringing their favourite cheese and calling it a night.
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person → say → it
Activities, such as painting ornaments for a Christmas tree together or some kind of craft activity indoors, would also allow quality time with friends without spending a fortune on entertainment, she said.
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she → paint → entertainment
“Staying within your budget is obviously more important than spending more than you have to try and impress people,” Rogan said.
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Rogan → stay → people
Boisvert agrees.
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Boisvert → agree → ?
She recalled a client who wanted to purchase a new couch before she hosted her family for Christmas.
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she → recall → Christmas
“Really ask yourself: Would I still be buying this if I wasn’t having people over?” she said.
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she → ask → people
She suggested not putting pressure on yourself as a host to be elaborate and stick to being casual; otherwise, “you’ll find yourself probably avoiding it altogether.”
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yourself → put → it
“Then maybe you lose the opportunity of having fun events with other people.”
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you → lose → people
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 12, 2026.
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report → publish → Press
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