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How much do you spend on your kid's birthday party?
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Anonymous
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We've always done parties at home, but this year, I feel like my 6 year old would like an activity party, probably mini-golf or maybe a bounce place.
How much do you spend on: -venue -food -cake -goody bag -paper goods -other? Total? Then how much do you spend on a gift? |
Anonymous
| More than I'd like to admit. I thin we typically spend $150-$250 on the venue (tickets, rent a place, etc) and then another $100 on cake, food, and decorations. After all of that we probably spend about $100 on gifts for the birthday child. So, $400 total? Ack. |
Anonymous
| Yes, even if we do a "cheapo" party at our house, between food and drinks, goodie bags, pinata and decorations, and a gift or two, it is probably $200. This year, I think we spent $130 on 2 gifts, $250 on a bounce, $50 on goodie bags, and another $100 on food and drinks - yikes, that's nearly $500! |
Anonymous
| PP here. Before I get slammed I should clarify that the $50 was for goodie bags and decorations, cups, plates, etc. |
Anonymous
| We've been spending over $500 but that's because our kids are little and so far there have been lots of adults there. We like to feed everybody well. No bounce house or goodie bags yet. I suppose next year (3rd bday) we'll have to start with that stuff. We don't spend much on gifts for our kids because other people buy them so much crap, and at this age a $30 Little People set is as exciting as a $100 bike. |
Anonymous
| To each his own, but I would be really happy to see this trend ( expensive parties for small children) die. It is unnecessary and our kids have had just as much or more fun at very low-key inexpensive parties. Pizza, an ordinary cake and some friends is all you really need. Some of the parties I have attended that my kids were invited to were really over the top. Not a good values lesson for the little ones. |
Anonymous
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We've had a few expensive parties with moon bounces, a venue, etc. The cost ranged from over $400 for the moon bounce party (which we stretched into two parties since we had the moon bounce all day), to about $200 for a county pool party, to $300 for a home party. However, I imagine the costs going down in the future now that my kids are getting older. Rather than having larger and more expensive parties (laser tag, really?), I picture more sleepovers or movies followed by pizza with a smaller group of kids.
And as we all know, people don't entertain that much today. So if you spend $400 on a party once or twice a year, is it that different than in the olden days having a $100 party four times a year? For us, its one of the few times a year when we have all the friends and family over. So its ok to spend some money. Additionally, everyone else is doing the same thing, so you get 20 parties a year out of birthday events. |
Anonymous
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Like one of the PPs, my kids are still really young, so they're not having kids oriented parties yet. They're more for extended family and friends. We serve some nice homemade food, wine, and some kind of healthy-ish treat, like banana bread muffins (served with bday candles for the 2 year old).
But when we have true kids birthday parties, down the road, I don't plan to spend a lot of money. Put out some food, set up some games, and serve a home made cake. We haven't bought birthday gifts yet, since they get so many from other people. But when they're older, they will likely get something from us. I bet we'd spend anywhere from $10 to $50 on a gift. |
Anonymous
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We never mean to spend a lot...but when you add up the costs, it gets high even when I didn't intend on it. The most recent one was at a playground, and I didn't think it would cost more than $100. In the end this is what it cost:
-$160 decorations (paper plates, tablecloths, goodie bags, balloons, cups, etc) -$140 food, cake, drinks -$50 location rental -$30 gift The first year, I think I spent about $600, second year, maybe $500, and this year a little less. My goal is to keep spending less, not more. But sometimes, parties that look as if they didn't cost that much, and seem low-key, still cost a lot! |
Anonymous
| Wow 400 to 600 for a children's birthday party seems a bit much. Hasn't anyone heard of buying stuff from dollar stores or clearance items? Also whats wrong with cheaper food like pizza and homemade cake? I have never known anyone to spend so much on a birthday party. I think the most expensive part was the present and even that wasn't that expensive. I guess if you have to have a party with a venue you could even do a party at the park and just limit how much junk you provide for the party. Just some thoughts. I prefer to save some money and use it for more important things like college down the road or unforseeable surgeries, etc. Just because you have a lot of money doesn't mean you need to spend all of your money. |
Anonymous
DD's birthday party at the park cost about $500. And no, it didn't break the bank. And yes, we are saving a lot. And yes, we served pizza and there were no goodie bags. |
Anonymous
| DD's last party was just under $300 total (that included entertainment at home, goody ITEM--no bag o crap, cake from Costco and gift). That is the least I have spent so far. I would prefer to spend under $200 total but it's worth spending more to not have a group of kids running around wrecking up my house (winter parties not able to be outdoors for DS). |
Anonymous
I'm with you on this. |
Anonymous
| We spend between $200 and $400. These posts always have responders who suggest a simple party. In my experience, the at home parties cost maybe a $100 less than the ones at a venue and the stress for me is huge. I know some people get pleasure from planning rather than anxiety and I wish that was me but it's not. So the extra money is well worth it (less than a cost of one therapy session for example!). |
Anonymous
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$450 for DS who turned 7 this year and it makes me sick to think about it. We're definitely cutting back next year; no more big parties until he turns 10.
Where did we get the idea that they need to have a "party" every year, anyway? What's wrong with a few friends over for pizza and cake, especially on the non-big years .... |