Guest Author - Rosemary Rugnetta

Since I will be having family and friends over this weekend for a birthday party, it seemed like a good time to go over my list and share what party supplies I keep on hand. By doing this, I don’t have to run out and buy everything all at one time and I always have them available in the event unexpected guests drop by. These come in handy when there are a lot of guests and you want to make clean up easy and quick.

You can store them in a tub like container, in the garage or even have a shelf dedicated just for this. I keep mine on a really high shelf that no one can reach so that they are not tempted to use them everyday.

Non-perishables

Plastic utensils including knives, forks and spoons.
Paper plates for cold food or coated plates needed for hot foods.
Plastic cups in different sizes. You can also use the paper type coffee cups. By keeping different sizes, you will always have some available for children.
A bag of balloons.
Rolls of crepe paper in different colors for decorating.
A package of napkins. You can keep a supply of the smaller sized napkins just for parties.
Paper table clothes to dispose of or vinyl table clothes that can easily by washed off.
Foil pans for cooking or setting out food. If heavily soiled, you can just dispose of them at the end of the party.

Perishables

Buy soda or juice when it is on sale to keep handy. Just remember to rotate your supply so that you know it is always fresh.
Most of us usually have mustard, mayo and ketchup in our refrigerators. Keep an extra one of each in your cupboard so you don’t run out in case of a party. Pickles, relish and salsa are also good to keep on hand.

One of the things I don’t like to keep on hand is chips, pretzels and crackers. They have a tendency to go stale if kept for too long.

Just remember that when the party is over, collect the unused non-perishable supplies and pack them away for the next time. Check to seek how much of the perishables you have left so that you can restock your pantry when the items are on sale. By doing this, you will know what you have left and can restock when your local store is having a sale.