Saturday, August 20, 2005

A $3500 birthday party vs a frugal birthday party

The today show this week has been focusing on cheapskates and one show that caught my attention was that they showed a $3500 birthday party for a 7 year old.

I couldn't believe it. My budget is about $150 for the kids birthday parties. These folks spent $600 on catering, $200 for a cake for 32 kids and their parents. They decided they wanted to buy a moonwalk (those bouncing things) instead of renting (here you can rent one for the day for about $75). Party favors were another $400. I must be living on the wrong neighborhood or my kids have the wrong friends-because I have never gotten party favors that cost that much. Or maybe someone has a case of needing Live like the Jones. I wonder if they paid for it or did it go on the credit card.

Today did a piece right afterwards of how to do a frugal birthday party! A cirus theme!
Step right up to the greatest cheapskate party on earth
You don’t need to spend a fortune to create a magical, memorable children’s birthday party. The key to a successful party begins with selecting a theme and letting your imagination run wild. You don’t have to look further than your own closet, attic or backyard for some clever ideas. The way to distinguish your party is to spend the money on a handful of accessories that will give the party your own unique imprint, while building upon the chosen theme by incorporating recycled items from around your home. We encourage collaborations among all family members as well as friends. Not only does this inspire a sense of participation, but it also saves the expense of hired help.

Circus parties are PlumParty.com’s most popular children's theme, due largely to the universal appeal and the endless world of possibilities they offer. Here are some quick, inexpensive tips that can be adapted to virtually any space, either indoors or outdoors Continue reading

2 comments:

supermom_in_ny said...

I agree. I just had a surprise party on Saturday, for my son's 13th birthday. I had my daughter make the invitation,(they are into the urban scene and graffiti written invitations were never going to be found anywhere). It was scanned into the computer, printed onto photo paper I already had, cut and pasted it to the printed up versoin of the invite (with the info, like a postcard) I bought CDR's and they burned CD's as party favors, ($9.99 for a 20 pack.). I cooked all the food. I bought the plates, cups, utensils and napkins totaling less than $10.00. Cake cost me $25.99. I might have spent about $100.00. The party was a success. The remainder of invites were pasted onto the cover of the CDR's as a reminder of the day for the guests... they loved it and he had a great time!!! How's that for frugal?

Admin said...

That is great and frugal. I am sure that kids had a great time too.