In general we're not a big "party people", but I do enjoy hosting now and again.  Particularly since we have our own space for it.  We've had one party so far, an apartment warming back in November, and with Valentine's approaching I had the itch to try to bring my friends and neighbors together again.

I'd say there are three keys factors for all good parties.  People, food, and entertainment.  These can take all sorts of forms, themes, and sizes.

To do a party cheap, I think the key is to try to use what you already have, and try to get your guests to all contribute something (usually food or drink).

To get people here, I printed out my own invitations.  Food wise, we're going to do potluck this time.  Our theme is "A Sweet and Cheesy Valentine's Day Party". So we're asking everyone to bring something sweet or something cheesy.  We're providing the drinks ourselves.  Mostly sodas and lemonade (probably pink lemonade...to push the cheese factor) with a bottle or two of sparkling grape juice.

For entertainment, we're planning to use the karaoke machine that I got with Christmas money a couple years back.  We may also pull out some card games or board games.

I bought some cups and a red plastic table cloth from Dollar Tree for $2.  I'm going to try to hunt down a multipack of mini-blow bubble bottles (I associate bubbles with a fun Valentines).  We've decided our goal is to spend less than $20 on party materials.  I'll try to include a breakdown in a follow up post.