Budget a Christmas, office or New Year's Eve party: food, drinks, plates and decorations per guest, plus how many drinks and bottles to buy.
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With guests 20, food per guest $15, drinks per guest $10, plates, cups, napkins per guest $2, decorations total $60, venue or rentals $0, party length 4 hours, buffer 10%:
Party total: $660.00 · $33.00 per guest
Plan about 100 drinks (one per guest per hour + one) ≈ 20 bottles of wine or 5 cases of 24
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Subtotal = guests × (food + drinks + supplies per guest) + decorations + venue. Total = subtotal × (1 + buffer %). Drinks to plan = guests × (hours + 1); a 750 ml bottle of wine pours about 5 glasses.
Formula source: Plain arithmetic (guests × per-guest costs + fixed costs) plus a buffer; food price trends from USDA ERS. USDA ERS – food price outlook
Written and checked by the TanLabs Editorial Team · Last updated
$15 food, $10 drinks and $2 supplies per guest, $60 decorations, 4-hour party, 10% buffer:
| Guests | Total (10% buffer) | Per guest | Drinks for 4 hours | Wine bottles |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | $303.60 | $37.95 | 40 | 8 |
| 15 | $511.50 | $34.10 | 75 | 15 |
| 20 | $660.00 | $33.00 | 100 | 20 |
| 30 | $957.00 | $31.90 | 150 | 30 |
| 50 | $1,551.00 | $31.02 | 250 | 50 |
Fixed costs such as decorations matter less as the party grows: cost per guest falls from about $38 for 8 guests to about $31 for 50.
For a meal-length party, plan 6–8 appetizer bites per person per hour for the first two hours, or a full plate if you serve dinner.
A common planning rule is one drink per guest per hour, plus one. Always have non-alcoholic options and water.
Host a potluck, serve one signature cocktail instead of a full bar, and buy decorations after Christmas for next year.
Catered company parties often cost much more than a home party, because venue, service and bar packages are priced per head. Use the venue line for quotes.
A potluck or "bring a bottle" party can cut the food and drink lines by half.
At one drink per hour plus one for 4 hours, about 100 drinks; if half drink wine, roughly 10 bottles.
Sources: USDA ERS – food price outlook