Akanksha Goel is an expert at getting the party started - after all, she is the director of The Foreign Youth Club, which organises parties for expatriates in Singapore and in India.

The 11/2-year-old club has thrown parties for expats in both countries on budgets spanning $150 to $8,000.

Its last party held at Butter Factory club in Robertson Quay drew a crowd of 700.

Goel, 24, reveals that it spent less than $200 on the party. It used its presence on social networking website Facebook to let members know about the event, which saved on advertising costs. It also relied on sponsorship from the Singapore Management University Alumni Association.

INVITATIONS

Forget about printing cards or sending out text messages on your mobile phone. Make use of Internet-based social networking sites Facebook (www.facebook.com) and Evite (www.evite.com) to create guest lists and send out invites. Guests can RSVP electronically and put in details of whether they'll have friends along.

Cost: $0

VENUE

Stick to someone's pad. And tell the neighbours, so the music and milling people won't come as a shock.

Cost: $0

FOOD AND DRINKS

Stick to simple snacks like tortilla chips (three packets, $12) with salsa dips (three bottles, $13.80) and don't shy away from asking friends to bring food.

Create a list of dishes and e-mail guests asking them to pick one to bring so you'll end up with a variety of tempting treats.

Let your guests know to bring along alcohol if they want to drink. But in case some don't, stock your fridge with two bottles of wine (from $16 each), a bottle of liquor such as vodka ($55.65) and some beer (24 cans of Tiger beer, $60.80). Soft drinks and juices are always handy, too.

Head to supermarkets and wine suppliers to save on your alcohol bill. Wines at Cold Storage start from $16 while Wine Bos (47 North Canal Road, tel: 6538-7886) and Denise The Wine Shop (01-06A Balmoral Plaza, tel: 6733-4733) offer wines from $28 and $20 respectively.

Use disposable plates (50 paper plates, $3.70) and cups (20 plastic cups, $2.40) and keep a marker pen handy so guests can write their names on them. It saves from using new ones all the time.

Cost: $180.35 (all items from Cold Storage)

AMBIENCE

Dim the lights and create a party-friendly environment by moving furniture out of the way so guests have room to move around and dance if they feel like it. Looking to dress up your place? Light some tea candles ($3.90 for 100, from Ikea) or spread coloured sheets over the tables.

Cost: $3.90

OTHERS

Think of games and music to help guests mix and mingle. 'The fun's in meeting other guests and interacting,' says Goel. 'Try karaoke or drinking games. A little friendly competition will allow guests to get to know each other.'

Total cost: $184.25

Party planner Roger Kao, 35, recently co-hosted a singles party for about 50 people on a $400 budget, so Urban's challenge of 20 people on $500 was a breeze.

The theme of the party was 881, borrowed from home-grown director Royston Tan's hit getai movie of the same name.

Kao, who is the director of events company Comcepts, says: 'We kept things simple with food like cheese sandwiches and fish balls. We played getai music and songs from the 1960s and 1970s to get everyone in the mood and encouraged guests to come dressed to theme.'

His company is used to much bigger budgets, however. It has organised parties for multi-national companies and government agencies and worked with budgets ranging from $15,000 to $300,000.

'Guests now place a lot of emphasis on party venues, food, drinks and the ambience,' he notes.

'They're looking for a unique experience and are always on the lookout for new venues. Right now, relatively new areas like Dempsey Hill and Sentosa Cove are really popular.'

INVITATIONS

Just like the planner faced with a $200 budget, Kao recommends that you go online for these. Alternatively, create invitations on computer programs such as Microsoft PowerPoint and send those out via e-mail for a personal touch.

Cost: $0

VENUE

Use someone's home. Alternatively, if your guests are looking to dance the night away, book a table at a club. The Butter Factory at Robertson Quay will reserve a table if guests buy two bottles of premium alcohol, priced at about $200 each, while Attica, at Clarke Quay, will do so for about $500. Split the cost among guests and you'll have a place to party all night long.

Cost: $0 to $500

FOOD AND DRINKS

Go to a supermarket and buy ready-to-eat snacks such as sushi and chips, or ready-to-heat food like pizza. Grab some cupcakes and coat them with chocolate sprinkles for dessert.

Alternatively, ring caterers who charge about $10 per person.

Try Eatz Catering Services (20 Waringin Park, tel: 6789-0328), which offers a variety of buffet sets ranging from Japanese to Thai to Peranakan food and charges between $8 and $10 per person.

Casuarina Curry Restaurant (126 Casuarina Road, tel: 6455-9093) serves local favourites like roti prata and nasi briyani at $10 per person.

Do note though that there are still delivery and set-up costs to contend with, and these range from $20 to $60.

Total cost of catering works out to about $220 for 20 guests.

If your guests are big eaters, serve food like pasta or potatoes that contains lots of tummy-filling carbohydrates.

Serve a range of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks: juices and soft drinks as well as wine and spirits (five bottles of juice, $40; 60 cans of soft drinks, $27; a bottle of vodka, $55.65; four bottles of sparkling wine, $131.25, all from Cold Storage)

An old party trick involves mixing sparkling wine with different juices - such as orange, cranberry and apple - so there's more alcohol to go around, plus there's variety for everyone.

Cost: $473.90

AMBIENCE

Skip unnecessary decorations. Instead, grab some fresh flowers from nurseries along Joan Road such as Ji Mei Flower (5 Joan Road, tel: 6285-0017), which sells 20 stalks of roses for $11. Get about 40 stalks and you're all set.

Cost: $22

Total cost: $495.90 (if the venue is free)

So anything goes on the party front. Who ya gonna call? Well, Audrey Yeong, a consultant with public relations, marketing and events company Access Communications, doesn't bat an eyelid.

While her company organises parties for small groups to large corporate companies from budgets starting from just $500, she is clearly no stranger to extravaganzas when she tells Urban that hosts these days are looking for 'private parties'.

The clued-in Yeong, 28, advises: 'Being seen at the most popular venues used to be the rage, but now hosts are seeking out secluded and unexpected locations as party venues.'

Yes, forget all those hip, hot places around town - a quiet cove in the moonlight is where it is truly at.

INVITATIONS

Send each of your 20 guests a personal message in a pretty glass bottle ($8 each, from Barang Barang, 05-01 Plaza Singapura, tel: 6339-1146) filled with a little sand. You'll need about 20 small bags of sand ($1 each, from Posh Florist & Gifts, www.poshonline.com.sg).

Tie a ribbon around the bottle neck to complete the package. You'll find pretty rolls of ribbons for $10 each at Spotlight (05-11/19 Plaza Singapura, tel: 6339-1146).

The invitations from a printing firm will set you back $60 (from Chin Hiap Hong Corp, 101 Boon Keng Road, 03-06/08, tel: 6744-0978).

Cost: $250

VENUE

Whisk guests away for the evening on a rented yacht from yacht charter company and distributor, Kingfisher Marine (03-01, 1 Cove Avenue,

tel: 8183-8771). Its yachts are docked at ONE???15 Marina Club at Sentosa.

One night's hire of a yacht for 20 guests including crew, fuel, tax and canapes is $20,000.

Cost: $20,000

FOOD AND DRINKS

Mere details, dahling. Leave it to the efficient caterers from ONE???15 Marina Club (01-01, 11 Cove Drive, Sentosa Cove, tel: 6305-6989, e-mail: catering@one15marina.com). Guests enjoy a never-ending stream of champagne ($6,600 for 42 bottles) served by butlers ($300 for a pair), as well as anything else they might fancy from the bar ($5,000 for full bar and bartender).

Canapes ranging from smoked salmon to peppered venison to desserts will be served by the boys in black-and-white, too.

Cost: $11,900

AMBIENCE

Decorate the yacht with 1,000 lush red roses ($2.20 each, from Posh Florist & Gifts) and 15 hanging oil lamps ($20 each, also from Posh Florist & Gifts) to get the mood right. Ambient lighting ($3,000, from Access Communications, 04-07 Soon Wing Industrial Building, 2 Soon Wing Road, tel: 6287-7048) completes the package.

Cost: $5,500

OTHERS

Chauffeur guests to and from the yacht in three limousines ($1,000 each for a day's rental, from ezyLimo, tel: 6314-9162). Oh, and entertain them by flying pop star Fergie from The Black-Eyed Peas over to perform (estimated at $250,000). Hire a DJ to spin party tunes in between her sets ($300, booked via Access Communications).

Make sure the night is captured for posterity by hiring a professional photographer for the night ($1,500, booked via Access Communications).

Say good-night to guests with a goody bag (worth $60 each and prepared by Access Communications) comprising a mini-bottle of champagne, a vial of sea salt and a mini toy yacht.

Cost: $256,000

Total cost = $293,650