How to Create a Budget for a Murder Mystery Party

Hosting a murder mystery party demands little in the way of a budget. Your party can be as elaborate or inexpensive as your budget demands. The basic requirements are a murder mystery game kit, a location for the party and guests. A little brainstorming and knowledge of how much money you have to spend are enough to get you started.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Location for party
• Murder mystery game kit
• Pricelist for your venue
• Total number of guests, including age range
• Checklist of required props, costumes and accessories

Throw a Murder Mystery Party on a Budget

1. Examine your finances to determine how much money you can comfortably spend on your party.
2. Write down your budget figure, which should be 10 percent to 15 percent less than the maximum your budget will allow.
3. Organize a list of game expenses. Include game price, venue rental (if necessary), food and drinks, costumes and accessories, props, prizes and any miscellaneous costs and allot a percentage of your budget to each.
4. Visit toy stores, hobby shops or bookstores for game kits. Alternatively, search online for "murder mystery game kits" for games you can download or order.
5. Create a guest list based on the number of players required by the game you select. Remember that fewer players are easier on a budget than large groups. Look for games requiring fewer than 20 people.
6. Make your own invitations, decorations, props and prizes.
7. Choose a game where costumes are minimal or optional, or have guests come as they are.
8. Hunt through thrift stores for accessories you can use to create inexpensive costumes.
9. Host the party in your own home or that of a friend or relative, if possible. If no private home will work, ask about borrowing or renting a community center, church, school auditorium or even a local park to keep costs down.
10. Serve soft drinks, punch and water in lieu of alcohol or ask guests to bring a bottle to share.
11. Establish a mysterious environment using light and sound. Shade overhead lights and turn lamps to unusual angles to create shadows and pockets of darkness. Develop a playlist of sinister music and sound effects to accent the background.
12. Forget serving dinner. Instead, serve buffet-style snacks and finger foods or invite your guests for a potluck dinner.

Tips & Warnings

• Know how much you want to spend before you begin to plan your party to avoid having to scale back after planning.
• Borrow clothes and accessories from friends and family to decrease strain on your budget.
• Keep your guest list small.

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