I post a lot of free House Party opportunities and some of you are still not convinced whether you should sign up or not. So I thought you’d enjoy seeing this email from Kim:
I just wanted to thank you for posting about the Philadelphia Cooking Creme House Party. I was chosen to host a party this March and received a great party pack full of fun freebies! I’ve attached a picture. -Kim
I have tried soooo many times to host a party but they never pick me!!!
I’m hosting my first one next week with the Creme product. I liked the gift pack but was disappointed that they didn’t send enough ‘free’ product coupons for my guests – just $1 coupons. As far as the price to host I’ve tried to keep my cost down by shopping sales. I’ve known for a couple of weeks that I was hosting so I’ve been frugal. That is part of my theme-how to feed your family for less and host family and friends. I’m having about 10 people and I’ve spent about $26 on the food and goody bags to prepare 3 meals. I’m the only one of my close friends who coupons so I’m excited to get to share my thoughts on the subject while they get to try something new, socialize, and NOT have to buy anything. It’ll be fun for everyone.
I just tried the Cooking Creme with $1.50/1 coupon right in the dairy and $1/1 package of chicken tear off with the qualifying Creme purchase. With the coupons, it made the pricey product reasonable. The stuff is very yummy and you don’t need to add any other seasonings. It got raves from my hubby and it hid some veggies from my toddler with its creamy cheesy yummy-ness.
I chose the Savory Garlic and made a chicken florentine thing with frozen spinach and mushrooms over pasta.
I was selected to host my very first home P&G party in May! I am so excited, and hoping I get a great turn out! Anyone have suggestions or tips?
Thanks,
Monica
Love House Party! Have hosted a few and will have the Philly party next week. They are so flexible with your dates and what you do. We are having a potluck lunch. I will make the main dishes with the creme and others will bring sides and desserts. I always invite the required amount of people and then plan on 1/2 of them coming. We’ve gotten lots of fun freebies and had fun sharing with friends.
Keep trying is my recommendation if you haven’t been chosen, and have your friends try too! It’s just as fun to attend as to host!
I signed up for the philly house party, and its my first one. We have a small apartment that isn’t really conducive to having many people over, but on the website they encourage you to include out of town family and friends too. I am bringing the food to my in-laws and we will have 8 people there, and then I have mailed and handed out the goodies to several other friends/family since it came with 16 sets of freebies.
You can use the coupons this week to get it free at a local store, so I told my friends that coupon about the deal. For my family that doesn’t coupon I went ahead and got the free creme for them, since they wouldn’t use the coupon anyways, but will take the creme home to use. I also got a really good deal on chicken since I bought the creme and they had coupons on the chicken if you bought the creme, and it was BOGO too…
For the required pictures I am taking photos of the food, etc. since I don’t want to include photos of people, unless I happen to get a photo of someone’s hand or back that is unidentifiable.
I did one House Party last year and had fun with it! I got chosen to do this one too and am waiting to hear on a couple others. I am struggling with ideas on this one as I can’t actually do it this weekend, when supposed to, everyone is busy right now. I did post a picture, I think last time, but otherwise, I just commented and had fun!
I applyied for 2 so far and was accepted for both! One was last year for DiGiorno Pizza and Breadsticks and this Saturday I’m having the Johnsonville Italian Sausage one. I’d say stick to the food ones, otherwise you might end up having to provide snacks yourself for the others. I still am buying my own pasta as there are no free coupons that came for it but we all know that can be very cheap. They sent free coupons for 3 packs of italian sausage (comes with 5 in each), 12 for free chicken sausage (this is to share with the guests as it is a new product), free prego sauce, free sargento cheese, $1 italian sausage coupons for guests, summer sausage and deli bites (those came in the party pack), besides apron, spagetti scoop, napkind, plates… Pretty awesome!
just noticed how much I misspelled above… oops! Just looked at my party box again and remembered it also came with an oven mitt!
What exactly does a House Party entail? I’m not exactly sure what it is.
My favorite was the Ball Canning Party! They sent me a beautiful stainless steel HEAVY $80 canner with utensils, plus free coupons for jars, tons of boxes of pectin, recipes, bags for everyone and coupons. It was awesome, and it was fun making salsa with a bunch of friends. House Party rocks!
I wanted that one really bad, its sounded great! and I can all the time.
I was going to post the same thing! The Ball Canning Party was by far my favorite and, I think, the most generous party pack ever! I signed up for it never having canned before and I think that’s what they were looking for – canning for the next generation type thing.
I’ve hosted a few, some of them have been duds and required me to pay more out of pocket than I felt I should (like the Green Works one), but others have been really generous (like the Tombstone Halloween party). I got in on the Philly Cooking Creme one and the best is the Green Pan!
The Ball Canning party was the best (although we loved DiGiorno -and it was the least expensive to do). I did the Johnsonville Sausage party today. House parties give you a great opportunity to try some new products/recipes and practice hospitality. I would caution those that are on extrememly tight budgets that it does generally require some output of money for additional items unless you have a large stock pile. The Ball party was too early in the summer for my garden to be ready. For my first party I had to communicate clearly that nothing was for sale….now that I have done a couple of parties my friends are not concerned about being “sold” something. Part of my guests brought sides/desserts/drinks which helped with the expense and made it easier for me.
I have never been chosen, although I would love to do this! I guess I am too old! 🙂
I’m throwing the same party this weekend! I love that pan the best!!
The pan is great, I use it all the time, trying to talk my husband into letting me get more!
Congrats Kim on winning the party. I love cream cheese. Hope you post some recipes from the party.
We won the new year’s ps3 one – it was amazing!
We got 3 ps3 games, microphones for one of the games, 2 controllers, the ps3 eye, drink coupons, hats, noisemakers, light sticks, cups, napkins, etc. It is definately worth signing up!
The legal agreement you have to sign turns me off! Anyone else feel this way?
I’m definitely picky on which ones I apply for, but did the Oscar Meyer one last summer and the Zatarain’s one two days ago. Both were great, and supplied a lot of good freebies to keep the cost way down.
GETTING PEOPLE TO COME: For the Oscar Meyer party, we just invited people (using our own email, not the website) to come to a cookout celebration (we were celebrating so many huge, unexpected blessings – birth of our first child, paying off all our debt, and me getting my hearts desire = quitting my job to stay at home with our baby!). I think the final count was 62 adults and 21 kids! I gave the freebies (whistles, frisbees, balls) to the kids to play with and then get to take home. People asked why so many things (plates, napkins, etc) said Oscar Meyer, and I got to give a quick spiel on their new hot dogs and say they sent them for free for us to try out! Of course, there were many other costs for this one (we did hamburgers, too), but we had planned a celebration party anyway. Like others mentioned, combine it with a time you planned to party anyway (like birthdays). You don’t have to use their website to invite people, and since it’s not selling anything, it doesn’t feel like a bait-and-switch. After my party, tons of my friends signed up for house parties – they loved the idea!
MAKING IT CHEAP: It’s all about what they give you and what you’ll need, like others have said. Look at the party pack and think it through before applying. Zatarains party cost me less than $20 for sure. Lots of chicken on sale, a little sausage, and the supplies to make a dip and king cake were all I spent. I used the supplied decorations. We fed 12 adults and 4 kids and sent leftovers home with people.
I agree, the Potty Dance party was lame. It was really just a playdate for my mom’s group. LOL. I did get picked for the Gerber one a few months back, and couldn’t believe all the free stuff they sent!! I’ve probably applied for about 20, though, so my odds are not that great. LOL.
I love houseparty. I have noticed recently that you need to be selective. Some parties only include a couple of things and you will have some out of pocket expense, but others are a lot of fun. We usually invited families and let the kids play together. I have been able to host Athenos yogurt, Coffeemate Creamer, Bicycle Games, Chex Mix, Trivial Pursuit, and Next week we will have the Digiorno party. I almost quit signing up for them in the beginning, but then a friend got to host the last Digiorno party and so I started trying again. Since then she also got the Shutterfly party which was the best party ever. It is a great excuse to have friends over
I’ve been lucky enough to be chosen for two myself, Bullseye BBQ Sauce last year, and most recently the Zatarain’s Mardi Gras one (my party is this Saturday). I love getting that box of goodies, it’s fun! Definitly recommend it, although I will agree that you do have to spend a little money but it’s a good excuse to get some friends together in my opinion.
I did the chex party mix party….FUN! and I got the Philly cooking creme one this weekend !!! I love the house party people 🙂
I love House Party! What a super fun pack. I’ve been selected for a few parties and it’s always been a great experience.
I’ve hosted several of these house parties and love the site. Getting ready to have a pizza party!
I have applied for several and never been chosen. But some friends of mine have been chosen for a number of them (Wii, Gerber, Jello Mousse, Coffeemate) and get a lot of great stuff. Usually they just combine the event with a game night which is something we often do as a group anyway.
i received my coupon for philadelphia creme. its a BOGO & 1.50 off Q
I definitley recommend as well. I was chosen for the Philly Cooking Creme House Party as well. Thanks for the link from your site about it. It is ALOT of free stuff. Thanks
I was able to Host a couple of House Parties…though only a few participants showed up, we had fun. The best one for me was the Wizard of Waverly Place Party that my daughter had for her birthday. So many gifts in the box. My contributions to the gift bags all came from Target’s Dollar bin. Targets had WOWP items marked down 75% !!! The kids watched the movie..loved the gift bags.!
Do you have to do the party on a specific day? I’ve only done one before, a Juicy Juice party, and didn’t have the “required” amount of people come. I’ve been scared ever since that I’ll sign up for another and it’ll have requirements I can’t meet!
Don’t be scared. Sign up again my first party was a Shutterfly party and not all of my guests showed. You can’t expect them too. It is really just about you getting the product out there.
I also am among the never chosen. My impression is that if you don’t have a blog, they won’t choose you. I also don’t use Facebook, so I’m sure that doesn’t help.
Anyone have experience with being chosen despite lack of a blog? If so, what do you think may have made them choose you?
I’ve never been chosen and I have a blog. 🙂 I have no idea, but House Party doesn’t seem to like my demographics. 🙁
I don’t have a blog and I def don’t facebook and I was chosen for the DiGiorno party. I agree to everything that they ask for except the one about having the media involved (I don’t want my face plastered all over the news). This was only the 2nd one that I applied for and the 1st one that I won. I have no idea how they pick or how many they pick. I did respond to their email fairly quickly though. It may or may have not helped me.
I don’t have a blog and was chosen for 2 out of the 2 I applied! I think knowing the product helps a lot, I personally wouldn’t apply for a party I have no interest in their product. I really don’t know if there’s a secret but both the ones I applied for ask if you usually host dinners and parties at your house, how many people usually come, how often you have them etc. They do this to promote their product so they want to make sure you are not just inviting 5 people for it. And I know sometimes not everyone come, so we just invited more than what we thought we could have over.
I was chosen for the DiGiorno Pizza and Hoops. The host package came last week and is awesome! Coupons for 6 free pizzas with sides (wings, cookies or breadsticks) and $4 off for guests, plates, wet-ones type wipes and a bunch of other stuff. I hosted a Psst party for hamburger helper in the past and ended up spending more money on meat and stuff than the value of the items the host pack came with. So, I am very impressed with this DiGiorno party!
I’ve done a few House parties and the DiGornio one last year was my favorite so far (sad I didn’t get it again this year) because of the great free pizza coupons! I did, however, get into the Cooking Creme party and am looking forward to it this Sat. I am keeping my skillet ( I needed a new one) what a great bonus!
I’ve also gotten chosen for the Cooking Creme party. Have you tried the skillet out I did it’s great. Heats up really fast. Only thing I wish it had a lid 🙂
I agree Melissa, great pan and so wish it had a lid!
Can you post the Philadelphia Cooking Creme Recipes? I wasn’t selected for that party but got some when they were free after doubles at Harris Teeter last week. I don’t have a clue how to use it though….Thanks.
They have some on their website. There should also be some stuck to the top of the lid. It just folds out and has some on there. I think there was one on the back of the container itself.
BTW – Really liked the chicken enchilada!
I agree – made the chicken enchiladas last night. Very easy and YUMMY!
I will be hosting this party on Sunday, but I do think that only a few of these parties are really a “good deal.” With this one, for instance, I needed to buy all of the ingredients (at least three pounds of chicken breasts, pasta, rice, pizza crust mix, etc.) and the only free things are a pan (that really doesn’t compare to my current one), an oven mitt, and four cooking creme coupons. Also, the coupons for the guests are only for $1 off, while the ones in last Sunday’s paper were for $1.50, the printables online were $1.50, and there were $1.50 blinkies at my local grocery store!
I did appreciate the Dance Party 2/Dance Kids party, since I didn’t really have to spend anything and I got both games free. I also liked the Kleenex Hand Towel party since they sent tons of freebies and good coupons AND they included a $10 pre-paid Visa for party supplies.
I must say, after making these recipes (Easy Chicken Enchiladas, Easy Tomato-Basil Pizza, and Creamy Florentine). I LOVE this stuff. So yummy, and all my guests agreed! I got lots of compliments, which was weird, because all I did was follow the recipes 🙂
I got to do the Athenos Greek Yogurt house party and I found out about it after we had already planned my sister-in-law’s baby shower for the same day, so we combined the two events. I just used the greek yogurt in several of my party dips and discreetly handed out the coupons and favors to people as they were leaving the shower. My sister-in-law knew about it and thought it was humorous.
I also got picked to host a Kraft party and got all those goodies!!! Cant wait!
I was chosen for a Fisher Price Party in 2008. It was wonderful. They sent us the four newest toys that FP had released just in time for Christmas. I would estimate the total of the toys at around $250. The kids had a ball playing on the toys, and my daughter enjoyed that she got to keep them for herself. They also sent coupons and free smaller FP toys for all the guests. I have not hosted one since then, but I think I might look back into it.
How do you sign up for these parties? Do you just invite friends and family over? Sounds like fun.
Join HouseParty.com and you’ll get emails about upcoming parties you can apply for. I did the Coffeemate and Digiorno. The freebies are awesome! Plus, it’s nice to have a reason to invite everyone over. I just invite family to mine, but we fill house fast. 🙂 Coffeemate even sent out $5 amazon cards if yu finished a recap and gave photos of the pty afterwards. Totally worth it!
How do I get in on the hosting a house party would lvoe to do this
Go to http://www.houseparty.com to register and then apply for the upcoming parties you are interested in!
I was just selected for the DiGiorno Pizza and Hoops party and the party package was AWESOME! Thanks for opening my eyes to House Party!
I was chosen to host two – one for Betty Crocker cookies in a pouch and one for Sauza Tequila. The BC one was okay – but it still costs a ton! I had to have people come over to make cookies and I got two coupons for free cookie pouches and then 50 cents off coupons. Plus, I had to buy all of the additional ingredients – cocoa, flavoring, food coloring, sugars, etc. The Sauza one was a total bust. They sent three coupons for $5 off a bottle of Sauza – not cheap stuff so the coupon barely made a dent. Then they sent uber-cheap plastic margarita glasses that had “Sauza” printed all over them, a wooden cutting board no bigger than my hand, and a plastic yellow apron with Sauza on it. Again, I had to buy the tequila and then all of the flavorings for “fancy” margaritas – sour mix, fruit juices, other alcohols to make flavored margaritas. Thinking back, I don’t think I would ever do it again. I can have a fun paty on my own and do it much cheaper!
I’m hosting this same party on Saturday…I’m so excited! I’m using the amazing skillet they sent as my “grand door prize” and giving everyone who comes a little packet of goodies with the other stuff pictured above! I’ve picked out 4 recipes to make so that everyone can try the new Cooking Cremes in each recipe and I’m also making some dessert, too. Gonna be a great time with some fabulous friends! 🙂
I love reading all your comments. How do you get to sign up to host a party? I have never heard of this before. Please share your secrets!!! Thanks so much!
Where do you all go to get these awesome opportunities? I would love to host a Nutella or Coffeemate one!
I’m hosting a cooking creme party this weekend also. I’m excited about it! Loved the goodies, especially the pan. 🙂
I was chosen for this one and am really sick so I’m letting a friend host it for me this weekend. I told her she could have the stuff. She had never done a party and was thrilled. 🙂 I will be going though. 🙂
I’m hosting this party, too! I was so excited when my pack came in the mail–we call it “Christmas on the Porch” anytime a big package arrives! My daughter’s birthday party was already scheduled for this weekend, so we’re doing the Cooking Creme party with it! I’m looking forward to trying out some of the recipes!!
I’ve signed up for about twenty of them, and have never been chosen. What’s the secret to getting picked? I’d given up.
I think you need to respond to their emails quickly. The most recent parties that I was accepted to happened to be ones that I responded to in the middle of the night (I guess insomnia does have a payoff sometimes!)
I am hosting my first party on March 19th for the Digiorno Pizza & Hoops Party! I am so excited and the items I received for free were wonderful!
I also got picked for the DiGiorno party. I must say that the coupons were awesome! I got 6 coupons for free pizzas and 15 coupons for $4 off! Plus a bunch of party supplies. They are also on sale this week at Highlander (Kroger) for $4.77 so the thought that someone could feed their family for .77 sounds really good to me! I tried to get into the Johnsonville one (as we love their brats) but I didn’t get picked. I have been signing up for every one that I come across.
I was just chosen for the Nutella one and it came with 10 travel coffee mugs, samples, coupons, and giant jar of Nutella. Fun!
Yum…I want in on the Nutella party…I never saw that one!!
I love Nutella, I totally missed that one. Too cool
I’m hosting a Johnsonville one tomorrow and it is awesome (free food + 16 free coupons to hand out to my guests!). I also did the Just Dance 2 one and got that game and Just Dance Kids for free! I have attended quite a few parties as well, I love House Party!
I got in on the Johnsonville party too! This is one of the highest-value coupon House Parties that I’ve seen. I think they sent 16 free chicken sausage coupons in my party pack. A value of up to 4.99 I believe. That’s a great discount!
I signed up for a Tapas party but haven’t heard. How do they let you know?
Crystal,
I just wanted to let you know that I also received the Philadelphia Cooking Creme party pack and was so excited when I received it. The stainless steel skillet is worth about $60…i love it!!! It’s prob the best skillet Ive ever owned 🙂 So I’ve applied for other parties like the Little Debbies and Tapena wines. I hope I’m chosen for one of those esp the wine party 😉 Thanks for all your great postings!!!
I’ve done 2 parties through them, one was for the premiere of the TV show HawthoRNe and the other was this past Halloween for Tombstone pizza. The Tombstone party had 7 pizzas, 4 packs of Toll House ready to bake cookies, and 6 bags of Wonka candy furnished through free product coupons. We also had games and tons of decorations provided as well, along with lots of high value coupons to give out to party guests.
I have done many House Parties in the past, and was also chosen for this Philly Cooking Creme party as well. I love the Green Pan! It’s not hard to get chosen, just keep trying for the ones that interest you.
I have hosted alot of these parties and the goodies are unreal! my first party I got a free frozen Margarita machine with carry case worth over $300! plus party supplies. I always try for these parties, haven’t been chosen in awhile but I will keep trying. My family is amazed.
Have you ever invited lots of people and no one can come? This is my first party, but I’m having a hard time getting people to come…
That’s funny, it’s what I always think will happen so I don’t sign up. We have plenty of friends and church connections but my closest friends are very busy as I am and they’re not couponers. I know two ladies who coupon a lot and they’re not the type to be interested in a house party. It’s great for everyone who can participate but I don’t think it’s for me.
I usually stick with families. A couple of families from church and we are good, number wise. Sometimes, just one family if it is a big family. We each take some of the free stuff for guests and share them with other friends, so the advertising aspect is taken care of, as well.
The Juicy Juice one I did was the weekend of Hurricane Ike (or was it Rita???). Regardless, everyone evacuated at the last minute so that party didn’t actually happen. Since they only sent me a partial kit anyway I didn’t cry over it though.
I went all out for my first House Party – Barilla Pasta, and only 4 people showed up. I was highly disappointed, but we still had a great time. I guess they didn’t love pasta as much as I do! =)
Most of our friends are new parents, as are we… and although they’d love to hear about the product and use the coupons, they just aren’t willing to commit time away to come over. I know the advertising will be easy as I can hand the party kit goodies out, but I don’t want to break any rules. What kind of follow-up is required after the party? I know they want you to post pictures, etc., but can’t figure out what all is required. If nothing else, I suppose my parents can come over for dinner… it will just be a small ‘party.’
I don’t like posting pics of myself or anyone else on the internet, to be honest – especially not on a site where I can’t completely control them. I’ve even taken my kids’ pics off my own blog. That said, it hasn’t seemed to interfere with them picking me for this recent party.
There is a follow-up survey and guests get a follow-up survey with some or all parties.
We only had 2 other kids show up at our Pull-Ups party after a bunch of last minute dropouts, but the kids still had fun. They mainly just played and ate anyway, so it was just like a playdate.
I had a party once and yup no one showed up.Very hard to go through.I cried and cried and 21 years later will not ever forget it.
Least I know people win these house parties.I have signed up for many but never have won.
Ooh, that stinks! I don’t have a lot of parties because I have anxiety about that happening, I don’t think I could take it! People are so rude nowadays too, it seems like even if they say they are coming they don’t come. Or don’t bother to RSVP at all! In the mom’s group I am in, I am shocked at how flaky people are.
I hosted one and was surprised that about half the people I invited DID come … but most either just stopped in for 15 minutes or left after an hour … ah well. I explained this was not a sales party, but I think some people still thought it was and others just didn’t really get that it was supposed to be a party of friends enjoying each other AND free stuff ; )
I am hosting the cooking creme party too and not many are coming. I even told them that I was NOT selling anything!
I got to host the Coffee-Mate one also and it was amazing! I did the at work party and I got an actual coffee maker, tons of samples, and lots of free coupons!
That does look like a lot of fun! Am I the only one that hates the name though? Cooking cream…I don’t know why either. I don’t mind Whipped Cream. Cooking cream just sounds like shortening to me or something.
Oh, the cooking creme is yummy! I’ve already tried it on some enchilladas. It’s just flavored cream cheese with a thinner consisitency.
Totally agree. Name turned me off!
Agreed that the name is kind of weird – but I used some in a recipe for homemade alfredo sauce and it was delicious!
I got the party pack for this one, too. It was a really nice deal. The cooking ‘creme’ is tasty, but not healthy in any way (as you’d expect). And, yeah, the ‘creme’ part of the name creeps me out for some reason.
The cooking crème (original flavor) is the taste of philly cream cheese, and the consistency of melted cream cheese. I have tried it in place of cream cheese in beef stroganoff and it was positively amazing! Don’t let the name fool you – just think of it as heavy whipping cream ‘cream’!
That’s so funny! I said the same thing about the name! I don’t know WHY I don’t like it, though. It just sounds weird or something.
I just did the pull-ups one. It was lame, to be honest.
I’ve done a Juicy Juice one that was decent but had technical problems (they didn’t ship me all my stuff) and a Fisher Price one that was well beyond excellent.
I just did the Pull-Ups party too and thought it was totally lame. I thought that each guest would at least receive a Pull-Up, but they only offered one coupon for a free pack for the hostess. So I ended up giving one diaper from my pack to each guest. The coupon also didn’t cover the whole cost of the diapers and I had to pay $5.50 out of pocket. Of course, I also had to pay for the food and party supplies as well, so totally not worth it for the few coupons and DVD they gave us in the party pack.
I couldn’t get anyone to do that goofy little dance, either…which, to be honest was fine…I don’t need my 2 year old prancing around with her legs crossed like that anyway, lol.
And yes, I thought they would send a sample pack for each guest. The $2 coupons and DVDs are available on their site, so they aren’t anything special. Maybe a higher dollar coupon for each guest would have been ok, though. My guests weren’t interested in the code cards either.
I definitely recommend them, too… I got to host one of the Coffee-Mate parties in February, and was sent a ton of samples of coffee, creamer, coupons for free creamer for me and 16 guests, as well as several large board games (Cranium was one!). Couldn’t believe it until this huge box showed up at my door!