Organization is the most important aspect of party planning. One of the best tools that I like to recommend to people I work with is party planning software. With it, you can schedule meetings with caterers, track budget information, and set priorities. But what if you don’t have the money to invest in this must-have tool?
My clients have refused when I suggest buying party planning software. The number one reason I get from these people is because they don’t want to spend money on something they can only use a couple of times.
They really should use it every time they entertain, but really, people are lazy. They don’t want to go through the whole process of setting up and making everything perfect for every party. They usually only talk to someone like me and go out of their way when celebrating milestones like anniversaries (25th, 50th, etc.), retirement, weddings, and certain birthdays (70s and up).
I’m the kind of person who can’t throw a party; I can’t throw all my planning finesse into that. That’s why I think it’s extremely important to have some kind of party planning software to help you. If you don’t want to buy something extra, adapting the tools you already have is the best alternative.
The best option is Excel. Many computers these days come with Excel loaded on them. With this software, you can create charts, graphs, and calendars. The multitude of mathematical functions available in Excel make it an especially good budget tracker.
If Excel isn’t already loaded on your computer, you can with Word. It doesn’t have anything like the functionality of Excel, but it does have some of the same abilities as Excel; you can format data in Word tables and use some of the basic addition and subtraction functions. However, I would like to warn you that the learning curve is quite steep to get Word tables to look and act similar to Excel tables.
For a calendar, you can use the app that comes with most cell phones. With it, you can schedule and keep track of your appointments associated with your party planning. You can also set reminders about payments and dates when you need to complete various phases of your schedule.
Is all this talk about Excel and Word out of your head, and do computers tend to scare you? If so, you really should spend some time and get up to speed with the technology. There will only be more in the next few years, so you might as well start learning now. Ok, enough reading…
Your easiest solution to organization is to purchase party planning software. All of your options are integrated and work together to help you with all phases of your planning, including scheduling meetings with vendors, tracking budget information, and prioritizing tasks. But, if you can’t afford it, you have the option of using tools you already have like Excel, Word, and your cell phone.