
It’s hard to believe that something that grows right in your front yard can be so expensive, but we saw your eyes widen at the price tag on that floral centerpiece. Whether it’s a wedding, an anniversary, a fun summer bash or your gram’s 90th birthday, floral centerpieces can take a big bite out of your pocket. Thankfully, some highly crafty and creative people have come up with beautiful and affordable centerpieces that don’t involve flowers. Check out these 21 gorgeous non-floral arrangements, but don’t tell your florist!
1. Pom Poms: Thinking those paper party pom poms are out of style? Think again. String those babies together in one shape or lay them out in piles along a table for tons of color. (via Mokkasin)
2. Fruit: Colorful fruit can give you lots of color options for your centerpiece. Genius. (via Events Cherished)
3. Glitter Candles: Candles make a lovely glitter-and-glow centerpiece on their own, but who says you can’t add some actual glitter to them? As we always say, the more sparkle the better. (via A Practical Wedding)
4. Winter Cotton: This pick is a great in-between for nature and affordability. Not to mention the clean white look it provides. (via Ruffled)
5. Paper Flowers: Just because you can’t afford the real thing doesn’t mean you have to forgo flowers altogether. Make these paper beauties for your wow-worthy centerpiece. (via Scissors)
6. Pinwheels: Paper pinwheels make a simple go-to for an outdoor summer party. Let your guests take one home! (via Laurel Lane)
7. Succulents: Low planters filled with succulents are a great way to add some green to your centerpiece without breaking the bank. (via Willard and May)
8. Wooden Cubes: This DIY centerpiece is perfect for your Pinterest-worthy party. You can even choose your own color scheme. (via Tell Love and Chocolate)
9. Arrows: Homemade arrows are a centerpiece even the kids can help make! Don’t forget some arrow typography on those invites to match. (via Hostess with the Mostess)
10. Antlers: Looking for some rustic outdoor table decor? Antlers add a natural mountainous vibe that makes everyone feel woodsy. (via Oh Lovely Day)
11. String Shapes: Shapes like these are a bright, budget-friendly way to fill the middle of your table. Add some twinkle lights to be super fancy. (via The Knot)
12. Goldfish: Take your guests under the sea with this swimming centerpiece. They make great party game prizes, too. (via DIY Network)
13. Geometric Shapes: Replace bright flowers with bright geometric shapes that you can buy or DIY. We might have to throw a party just to use this awesome idea. (via Ruffled)
14. Painted Pumpkins: Are the colors for your fall shindig not really fall colors? That’s okay! Paint your pumpkins to match your theme. (via A Practical Wedding)
15. Monochromatic: Make a hodgepodge centerpiece look super coordinated with a little spray paint. That means anything, of any color, could be thrown into this centerpiece and still work. (via Philly Mag)
16. Tasseled Balloons: Balloons certainly help add to the festive feel of a party. Add some tassels and get ready to shimmy! (via Jordan McBride)
17. Apple Crate: You don’t have to be Snow White to love apples. Take advantage of the orchards and put a stack in the middle of your table. (via Polka Dot Bride)
18. Mossy Ideas: Succulents aren’t the only affordable green. Make this the centerpiece for a perfectly green tea party. (via Etsy)
19. Cotton Candy: How can you resist such a simple and yummy centerpiece? Your kids will thank you. (via Martha Stewart Weddings)
20. Heart Branches: This arrangement certainly spreads the love. We adore the pop of color that the pitcher brings to the table with it. (via Alisa Burke)
21. Feathers: Just some feathers and a wooden block? Sounds simple enough! Dip dye the ends of the feathers for a colorful, sparkly style. (via A Practical Wedding)
Do you have an epic non-floral centerpiece? We’d love to hear about it! Share below!
Welcome to Selfmade Finance School, our new money series with Block Advisors to help small business owners with their tax, bookkeeping, and payroll needs year-round. This week, we explore the tax implications of bringing family members into your business.
The question for today is this: Does hiring your family members make sense for your business? Let me be clear. This is not a piece about whether hiring your family members makes sense for your relationships with those family members. As someone who is part of a family business, I could fill up a lot more than 600 words on my opinions about that. For today's purposes, we focus on whether it makes sense from an overall "good business and tax implication" perspective. As it turns out, there is a decent amount of tax nuance when it comes to employing your family. Let's break it down based on relationship to the employee:
You X Ventures for Unsplash
Spouses Who Are In Business Together
Personally, if I had to be in business with my husband, it would not go well. However, many couples build viable, strong businesses together and I say, good for them! Depending on how you have your business entity structured, it will make a big difference on the tax treatment of you and your spouse working as partners. Because a business jointly owned and operated by a married couple is generally treated as a partnership for Federal tax purposes, the spouses must comply with filing and record keeping requirements imposed on partnerships and their partners. The election to file two Schedule C (Form 1040) forms, (one for each spouse) permits certain married co-owners to avoid filing partnership returns, provided that each spouse separately reports a share of all the businesses' items of income, gain, loss, deduction, and credit. Under the election, both spouses will be subject to self-employment tax and on net earnings from self-employment and receive credit for Social Security earnings.
One Spouse Employs Another
If you have a dynamic where your spouse is an employee of your business, then your spouse's wages are subject to income tax withholding, Social Security and Medicare taxes. If you are self-employed (not a corporation or a partnership), your spouse's pay does not have to be included in your federal unemployment tax account (FUTA) contributions and payments. However, if your business is a corporation or a partnership you must include that spouse's pay in your unemployment tax contribution calculation.
Kobu Agency for Unsplash
You Employ Your Child
First, let's be clear. I work in my family business, but I am an adult, so I am treated just like a normal employee. However, if you, for example, run a family restaurant and want to hire your children under 18 to work for you, there are some tax benefits. But first, you should check with your state for rules on how many hours minors can work (in non-agricultural jobs) and reference the Fair Labor Standards Act for information on limitations on the kinds of work children can perform.
"This is an often overlooked or under-utilized strategy. Paying your children for true services they provide in your business can be a powerful tax-saving tool," says Cathi Reed, Block Advisors Regional Director. "If you are a sole-proprietorship or single member LLC, and the child is less than 18 years of age, the business is not required to withhold FICA or payroll taxes. The child can use his or her standard deduction against income you pay."
You Hire Your Parent
Oh dear. If you are brave enough to do this, know that you will need to pay Social Security and Medicare taxes on your parent's wages and make the appropriate withholdings, but you don't have to pay unemployment taxes. Now all you have to do is convince your parent that you are the boss. Have fun with that!
Is Hiring Family Members Worth It For The Tax Benefits?
"There are some positive tax advantages to hiring family members. It's important to treat a family member like any other employee. Hiring your children can result in substantial savings for businesses. Make sure your child has real, age-appropriate work to do and a reasonable pay rate, comparable to other employees. Consult with a Block Advisors small business certified tax pro to ensure that you are complying with all requirements," advises Reed. "Block Advisors, a team within H&R Block, is dedicated to meeting the tax, bookkeeping and payroll needs of small business owners year-round. To start working with the tax experts at Block Advisors, visit blockadvisors.com."
In my opinion, you should not hire a family member solely because of the tax benefits. You should always hire based on whether that person is right for the job and keep in mind how this hire could materially impact your relationship with that person and others in your family. Finally, as I mentioned, make sure you have a tax professional on your team when making these determinations. As you can see, things can get a little tricky!
*All details were sourced from IRS.gov and blockadvisors.com
The opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author and may not necessarily reflect those held by Kestra Investment Services, LLC or Kestra Advisory Services, LLC. This is for general information only and is not intended to provide specific investment advice or recommendations for any individual. It is suggested that you consult your financial professional, attorney, or tax advisor with regards to your individual situation. Comments concerning the past performance are not intended to be forward looking and should not be viewed as an indication of future results. Securities offered through Kestra Investment Services, LLC (Kestra IS), member FINRA/SIPC. Investment advisory services offered through Kestra Advisory Services, LLC (Kestra AS), an affiliate of Kestra IS. O'Keeffe Financial Partners and any other entity listed herein is not affiliated with Kestra IS or Kestra AS Investor Disclosures: https://bit.ly/KF-Disclosures