To Buy or to Rent – THAT is the question!!
What types of items fall into this dilemma? Some examples –
Outside heaters, generators, canopies, glassware, linens, serving dishes, chaffing dishes, tables, chairs, fire pits, lighting, audio visual, games, drink dispensers (for lemonade, ice tea, punch or water).
You can always rent just about anything you need!
My rule of thumb on whether to rent or buy is simple and practical – will I use this item again?
If so – how many times I will use it and do I have room to store it?
I calculate the one time cost to buy versus the repeat cost to rent , then make my decision!
Outside or patio heaters are a no brainer decision for me, unless you are not holding your event at your home, BUY!
Warming trays – Quite a long time ago I purchased commercial grade and style food warming trays. I used them once! What was I thinking?!!!
In the store they didn’t look that big but I found them too big for my food tables and took up too much storage space. I can’t remember, are they in my storage unit or I did I finally got rid of them? NOT a good purchase for my needs. Cost to rent or buy is about the same. RENT!
Folding chairs – In my opinion there is always a need to have a few extra chairs tucked away. To me, “a few” means 10-15! “A few” to you might be 2 or 3! You can rent folding chairs for about $1.35-$2 or you can buy folding chairs at Walmart for less than $10. Buy extra to have on hand and rent if you need more!
Canopies – Always a need for canopies! If you have anyone in your family that plays any outdoor sport, you probably have already invested in at least one canopy. Canopies – an absolute necessity if you are having a party in the summer. Shade for food or guests. Keeping both out of the direct sun!
Canopies are between $50-$200 depending on the size and quality. To rent a canopy it will set you back $85-$500, again depending on size and quality. BUY!
Portable fire pit – my husband purchased one last year and at first I thought he was CRAZY! Ha my bad – it turned out to be a tremendous purchase. It is heavy but we have used it for multiple events in multiple locations. He purchased ours from Amazon and it was under $100. The cost to buy or rent is about the same. If you have the room to store it and have someone strong to set it up – buy otherwise rent it and have the rental company set it up and pick it up.
Serving utensils, chargers, drink dispensers etc are all “buys” for me.
Glassware – RENT what you need if you are having a large party and do not have enough in your personal inventory. Why spend the next day washing and drying all those glasses when you can box them up and return them to the rental company!
Renting linens gives you flexibility on your color scheme without having your linen closet look like Bed Bath and Beyond. Also if you rent you will not have to wash, dry and iron all those linens. And no worry about stained linens – either you won’t use again or when you do use you hope no one sees the stain or you strategically place something over the stain!
What have you purchased for your parties?
What do you always rent and do you have a “go to” company?
I am interested to know how you decide whether to buy or rent.
