Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:...as we've tried to save, I still feel like I need to pull money from my investments and/or savings accounts (not retirement accounts) to fund the event ...

So you have saved, you just don't want to spend that savings. There's no magic answer; you use up more of your savings or spend less.

Anonymous wrote:As long as people cover their plate it is break even. Those parties are cash gifts only and traditionally a much larger gift than a communion or confirmation or baptism.

One kid I went to school with bought a condo cash in Manhattan at 30 with his money. Parents threw it in stocks and bonds and hit a good streak