Parties on a budget

'Tis the season to be jolly, fa la la la la la la la la... Bah Humbug! It's that party time of year again and much as we're supposed to be happy and have a great time, full of Christmas cheer, the reality is a little more sobering.

With bank balances brought screaming into the red, scales groaning under the weight of all that festive food and our livers crying out for the long-off long-shot of a New Year's resolution to steer clear of the hooch, it's easy to see why many among us look on this time of year with dread rather than excitement!

As daunting as it may seem though, it doesn't have to be all that scary, just follow a few of these simple tips and it doesn't have to be just your children bubbling over with festive enthusiasm.

It's party central and for us girlies that usually means needing a new outfit for every outing - God forbid anyone should see us in the same outfit twice!

Plan it out though and you could find that you don't need as many new clothes as you thought. With different groups of friends, it's likely that you will have the odd party that no one from a party you've already been to will be at so there's no reason not to repeat an outfit you've already worn.

The other thing to bear in mind is that often, our Christmas party outfits never see the light of day throughout the rest of the year so buying new party clothes every year isn't money well spent. Why not gather your girlfriends together, bring along your old Christmas outfits, mix up a few cocktails and swap clothes with your friends - clothes look different on each person that wears them and you'll still feel as if you have a few new outfits, without having to break the bank to get them. Add your own accessories and no one but your close friends will ever know the outfit wasn't bought especially for the occasion.

Another pitfall of the party season is that with so much entertaining going on it's all too easy to pile on the pounds. Between the dinner parties, cocktails with nibbles, turkey with all the trimmings and all the New Year's celebrations, keeping trim is next to impossible but if you know you're going somewhere that's going to be full of tempting food for you to gobble down, eat something healthy before you go out.

It will help fill you up so that all those tasty (but calorie-loaded) goodies won't be quite so tempting. It also has the added bonus of lining your stomach before you go and guzzle down gallons of Christmas cheer. Be careful though, if you're going to a dinner party, don't fill yourself up so much that you can't eat anything your host has spent the day slaving over a hot stove preparing!

While on the subject of all that Christmas cheer, unless you're a teetotaller you can be sure your kidneys are not going to be thanking you for all the partying going on but there are a couple of things you can do to help avoid them shutting down all together as well as minimising the morning-after effects.

I have three words for you: Milk Thistle Tablets - great for helping the liver breakdown and detoxify.

If you're out somewhere you know drinking is going to be a major pastime, try to have a glass of water between beverages.

Alcohol dehydrates the body which in turn contributes hugely to a hangover the next day.

Also keep a couple of headache tablets and a large glass of water on your bedside table before you go out so that when you get home you won't forget to take them.

If, however, you forget to take any of the above precautions and you wake up feeling like you've been run over by a freight train, a stodgy breakfast, as unappealing as it will feel, will help make you feel a bit better. Vitamin C can also help in your recovery although it will do you a lot more good if you take it before you go to bed.

As preachy as it may sound, might I suggest if you're going out drinking, don't drive. Apart from the added (but avoidable) expense of a huge fine, a spell in the cells, a court appearance and perhaps losing your job - if you're caught driving under the influence, sobering up the next morning to find you've killed someone might well put a dampener on the whole festive season... Just a thought!

Another major expense at Christmas? Presents. There's no miracle cure for your bank account on this one but it is possible to minimise the damage. Most people (me, guilty, your honour) go out shopping with only a vague idea of what they want to get people and end up spending a lot more than necessary. Don't follow in my footsteps! Make a list of who you have to get presents for and how much you can afford to spend on each and, however tempting it might be, don't stray from your list.

As for feeling as if you have to take presents to every house you're invited to, never underestimate the power of homemade goods (well if you can cook anyway). Buy a few inexpensive baskets and some festive ribbon to wrap around them and spend a few hours in the kitchen making biscuits or muffins.

With a little bit of luck some of these tips will show you Christmas doesn't have to be painful, so go out and enjoy it to its fullest. At the end of the day, the New Year is just around the corner and if you've overindulged and overspent, you have a whole year to try and set it straight again.