Anonymous wrote:My best NoVa “whole class” elementary parties under $1000 total to date -

1. I paid the “Captain cookie” food truck to come to a park and handed out coupons for our guests to get 1 item of their choosing. I borrowed or bought yard games we’d use again - corn hole, giant jenga, ring toss, etc. I had coolers of assorted Gatorade, water, and seltzers.

2. Rented the community room at a local church or pool. Paid performer - magician, Great Zucchini, snake and reptile guy, petting zoo, etc. Safeway cupcakes, Pizza Boli’s pizza, carrot sticks and ranch dip, apple slices, water.
Paid my teenage neighbor and her friend their hourly babysitting rate to cut the carrots and apples, assemble the goody bags, serve pizza, and clean up.

3. Game truck + Taco truck in the pool parking lot when it was not pool season. We are members of the pool and I arranged it with the manager.

4. Bought Kiwi Crate robots for 15-20 4th graders. Served pizza and ice cream sundae bar in my yard.

5. Hired a company to bring 2 ponies made to look like unicorns to my cul de sac and had pony rides. Served lunchables and ice cream sandwiches per BD kid’s request.

Anonymous wrote:My DD has a June birthday. If your yard is big enough rent a bounce house, order pizza, have fruit , snacks, juice, water, and maybe a simple activity for kids not bouncing. Cake from Costco.
You need shade as well if you don’t have trees or shade awning or something.
For an activity I do some kind of art activity that can be taken home. You could even have a huge bin of Lego or other toy outside though.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We did a birthday party last year at NOVA wild, the old roer's zoofari. It was costly and not special. This year, I want to keep it simple as a backyard party, but would I regret it? its going to be in june, so I was hoping to have a low key thing but would the guests come inside? We just had another baby, do you think hosting at home would be difficult with the little one?

Last year, I paid 600 for the cake and 2000 for the venue. Is there a way to keep it lower than that without disappointing my kid?

Costco for the cake.

Anonymous wrote:We did a birthday party last year at NOVA wild, the old roer's zoofari. It was costly and not special. This year, I want to keep it simple as a backyard party, but would I regret it? its going to be in june, so I was hoping to have a low key thing but would the guests come inside? We just had another baby, do you think hosting at home would be difficult with the little one?

Last year, I paid 600 for the cake and 2000 for the venue. Is there a way to keep it lower than that without disappointing my kid?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Your kid isn’t going to be able to tell the difference between a $600 cake/cupcake combo and ones you make at home using $6 cake mix. You did that to impress the other moms.

I swear I did not know. We moved to the states two years ago, I had no idea.

Anonymous wrote:OP here- Yes, it was a custom cake(small, 6 inches) and 40 cupcakes. I know, I felt terrible as I paid it. I assumed it was the NOVA craziness, now I feel even worse

Anonymous wrote:My DD has a June birthday. If your yard is big enough rent a bounce house, order pizza, have fruit , snacks, juice, water, and maybe a simple activity for kids not bouncing. Cake from Costco.
You need shade as well if you don’t have trees or shade awning or something.
For an activity I do some kind of art activity that can be taken home. You could even have a huge bin of Lego or other toy outside though.