Get the party started with free help

You may know Evite.com as a cool spot for sending free invitations online. And it most certainly is. No more stamps. No more paper-cut tongues from licking envelopes. No more waiting for RSVP phone calls.

Last year, folks sent out more than 125 million online invitations, according to the company. That's $170 million saved on invitations, envelopes and postage.

Now the site does more: It helps you figure out how much liquor you'll need, and how much the soiree will cost. Say you're having 15 friends over for a two-hour party. You'd consider them all "average drinkers." So you'll need a case of beer and five bottles of wine.

Are two friends "light drinkers" and 13 "heavy drinkers"? Plug in the numbers and — you'll need two cases of beer and seven bottles of wine. How much will this cost (since you have refused all offers from guests to bring something yummy)? Let's punch in the numbers and — you could do it bare-bones for not much more than $100.

The site also has a party checklist, ideas for themed parties, suggested menus and recipes.

Among the site's ideas for an Oscar party (just in case you forgot, the Academy Awards show will air at 5 p.m. Sunday on KOMO) is to have guests play Oscar bingo. Here's how to play according to Evite:

Before the party, create bingo cards with common Oscar happenings: a winner crying, a presenter mangling a nominee's name, the orchestra cutting off a winner's speech, a joke falling flat. Give each guest a card to mark during the broadcast. Award prizes for each bingo.

Check Evite.com for more Oscar ideas.

Seattle Times staff contributed to this report