Punchbowls have fallen out of favor in recent years, likely due to easier methods of providing beverages for large gatherings, combined with the hassle of storing a punch set. However, I think they can be a money-saver for some frugal households. Here's why:
I bought this punch bowl, cup and ladle set at Value Village for $6.99 this past month. I already have 12 punch cups in this pattern, which I bought at a thrift store several years ago, so the new set brings me up to 24 cups. My old cups have been well-used, so I won't factor in their cost in this calculation. The punchbowl has an 8 quart capacity. We had about 30 guests at the reception, the other weekend. I made 2 gallons of blackberry lemonade, using bottled lemon juice, sugar, and frozen wild blackberries. If I had served commercial beverages, I would have bought 2 2-liter bottles of soda pop and 2 half-gallons of juice, spending around $6. Each quart of homemade lemonade cost about 25 to 30 cents. 8 quarts cost me $2.00 to $2.40 -- a savings of $3.60 to $4, compared to buying commercial beverages. My punch cups were sufficient in number for our guests, so I saved about $2 to $3 on purchased plastic cups (bought in 10-packs from Dollar Tree). So, my savings from this punch set is now up to $5.60 to $6.00, or about $1 short of the cost of my new punch set from Value Village. I will be hosting a similar reception in one year, when my other daughter graduates. It will take me less than 2 receptions to pay for the cost of the punch set. I will use these pieces for several other events in my own home, and now there is a punch set in the family to be loaned out to others.
Should I want to sell this set, I could make $20 or more in profit. This same pattern punch set is currently selling for $24.99 on ebay. So, my purchase price of $6.99 was a pretty good deal.
I almost always see punch sets in Value Village and Goodwill, which is a good thing for those of us wanting to buy a set. When I went out shopping last month, I was pretty confident that I would find a set or at least a punchbowl.
The bonus with buying this punch set was in avoiding single-use beverage containers, which would end up in a landfill.
