Ours will be fairly small, so I'm just going to spend whatever it takes to put on a nice little party for him. At first, I was going to go all out, but I've changed my mind. I want it to just be family and close friends and pretty low-key. I'll probably spend around $200-300 including his gift (spash/water table)
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I am thinking between 300 and 400. We are having a fmaily party with about 30 people at our house and I want to get a few gifts plus we are going to get platters of food. Hopefully the weather is nice and we can be outside most of the day!
Seriously?! As little as possible. We are planning to have family over for a BBQ. I got some of the plates, banner, etc at the dollar store. I am making the cake, so that is what $4 for ingredients? It is the EVENT that matters, not the budget or really the details at all. You'll remember who was there and how messy DC got with their cake.
Ours will be fairly small, so I'm just going to spend whatever it takes to put on a nice little party for him. At first, I was going to go all out, but I've changed my mind. I want it to just be family and close friends and pretty low-key. I'll probably spend around $200-300 including his gift (spash/water table)
This exactly, except I we are getting her a different gift. Personally I don't get the whole giant bash thing b/c they are too young to remember. I'd rather go all out for a later birthday she will remember.
We had a budget of 500. In my family first birthdays are a big deal.
Invitations: 40
Decorations: 125
Favors: 50
Cake and Cupcakes: 70
Food and drinks: 150
Table cloths, napkins and that sorta thing: 70
Gifts: 100
So obviously we went over budget a little bit. But not by a ton. We are lucky that we did not have to pay to rent the hall and that we have relative who owns a jump house
We had a budget of 500. In my family first birthdays are a big deal.
Invitations: 40
Decorations: 125
Favors: 50
Cake and Cupcakes: 70
Food and drinks: 150
Table cloths, napkins and that sorta thing: 70
Gifts: 100
So obviously we went over budget a little bit. But not by a ton. We are lucky that we did not have to pay to rent the hall and that we have relative who owns a jump house
Pretty much this. Although we really haven't allocated an amount for gifts. We are also spending 30 to rent a pavallion.
Entirely too much. First birthdays are big in our families, and we have a lot of family and friends that will want to celebrate his first birthday with us.
Seriously?! As little as possible. We are planning to have family over for a BBQ. It is the EVENT that matters, not the budget or really the details at all. You'll remember who was there and how messy DC got with their cake.
We ended up spending right around $350 which is about the max that I wanted to spend.
It broke down like this:
Invitations: $30
Decorations/Plates/Cups/Napkins/Serveware: $80
Food: $160 (we did everything ourselves so this included cake, burgers, potato salad, baked beans, brownies, cheese and crackers, and fruit for 20 people)
Outfit: $20
Gift: $60 (Anchors Away Pirate Ship water table from BBB with a 20% off coupon)
I'm glad I'm not the only one who is spending between $300-500. My parents never really had b-day parties for me. When I was in middle school, my friends would throw parties for me, surprise parties at each others house. So, for me I want to throw big parties for my kids.
I was hoping to keep it all under $300, but there's not much chance of that. I think I can come pretty close, but my family is huge, so we're looking at about 60 people for just close friends and family. I have been able to get a lot of things for free - I bought a lot of decor & favor items with amazon gift cards from swagbucks & a survey board I belong to, I got his Leapfrog scout dog with pampers points, I have a $50 shutterfly credit from my credit card rewards (for invitations), and I was able to get his PBK anywhere chair for free with a PB gift card from my credit card rewards. I think food & drinks will be the biggest expense with the number of guests I have.
I won't say an exact amount for fear of being mocked, but I will say that even though we are spending quite a bit on his party, we are by no means having anything extravagant. We are hosting it at our house, so no hall rentals or anything, we are making 75% of the food ourselves but might pick up some chicken platters from a local deli as well. But DH has a huge family, and just parents, siblings and their spouses, and nieces and nephews put the guest list at over 35 and then add in the other close family members and friends and we at about 75 people. So even buying burgers, hotdogs, rolls, drinks etc for that many people adds up. Throw in the cake, party bags for the kids and beverages. I did spend a bit more on decorations than I would like for his circus theme. Oh and we might be renting a moon bounce for the kids (mainly the older cousins, not the one year old), but a local rental place charges a really low rate if you go pick it up yourself.
And yes I know my child won't remember his first birthday party, but his father and I WILL. We are blessed to have so many people in his life who want to celebrate with us. Sure I could bake a few cakes from a $2 cake mix and call it good and DS wouldn't know the difference, but this is what we want to do for him. We like to entertain and we can afford to spend it, so why not? Future parties will be pizza and cake and immediate family only until he is old enough to invite his little friends.
FYI....before you judge. we were originally going to do something at home or a free hall and spend maybe 500. However b/c of some medical issues we cannot play host and hostess and have decided to have it at a local restaurant....we live in an area where you can't host food/drinks for 50 pp (amount of ppl we are inviting) without spending at least 1500..which is the majority of the money we are spending. we searched high and low and negotiated this price... the rest will go for a gift, kids favors, cake, etc
We had a budget of 500. In my family first birthdays are a big deal.
This exactly. Most of the budget is food. we are inviting about 50 people, so I think $500 is fair. We're doing a BBQ so it's not fancy or anything. I'll probably go over a little, too
ETA--to the people spending more than this, I TOTALLY understand. We also live in an expensive area and with family and close friends, the list is long and food is expensive, esp if you have to have it at a restaurant. Don't worry about what others think--you do what's best for you.
FYI....before you judge. we were originally going to do something at home or a free hall and spend maybe 500. However b/c of some medical issues we cannot play host and hostess and have decided to have it at a local restaurant....we live in an area where you can't host food/drinks for 50 pp (amount of ppl we are inviting) without spending at least 1500..which is the majority of the money we are spending. we searched high and low and negotiated this price... the rest will go for a gift, kids favors, cake, etc
I totally get this. I would love to have it at a restaurant so I don't have to worry about cleaning before and after, making food with a 1 year old underfoot, etc. But around here the least expensive places I have found are at least $14 a person for lunch, plus tax and gratuity which means for 50ish people its around $900. And most place were a few dollars more than that per person! A restaurant was out of our budget, so I looked at halls but didn't want to pay $300 or $400 just to rent a place and still have to provide all the food and do all the cleanup. So at home it is!
Oh and if anyone is looking for a great food idea that isn't too expensive, I used Famous Daves catering before for my husbands graduation party (got his executive MBA last spring.) for $7 a person I got quartered chickens, corn bread, mashed potatoes and corn on the cob and had a ton of food. For $25 they delivered it to my house, provided all the plates, napkins, utensils, BBQ sauce, etc and set up the chafing dishes with sternos and pretty much set everything up for me! I was about 2 weeks from my due date so this was a great help!
FYI....before you judge. we were originally going to do something at home or a free hall and spend maybe 500. However b/c of some medical issues we cannot play host and hostess and have decided to have it at a local restaurant....we live in an area where you can't host food/drinks for 50 pp (amount of ppl we are inviting) without spending at least 1500..which is the majority of the money we are spending. we searched high and low and negotiated this price... the rest will go for a gift, kids favors, cake, etc
I totally get this. I would love to have it at a restaurant so I don't have to worry about cleaning before and after, making food with a 1 year old underfoot, etc. But around here the least expensive places I have found are at least $14 a person for lunch, plus tax and gratuity which means for 50ish people its around $900. And most place were a few dollars more than that per person! A restaurant was out of our budget, so I looked at halls but didn't want to pay $300 or $400 just to rent a place and still have to provide all the food and do all the cleanup. So at home it is! Oh and if anyone is looking for a great food idea that isn't too expensive, I used Famous Daves catering before for my husbands graduation party (got his executive MBA last spring.) for $7 a person I got quartered chickens, corn bread, mashed potatoes and corn on the cob and had a ton of food. For $25 they delivered it to my house, provided all the plates, napkins, utensils, BBQ sauce, etc and set up the chafing dishes with sternos and pretty much set everything up for me! I was about 2 weeks from my due date so this was a great help!
that sounds delicious! yes I am usually one to do things at home (we have the space a yard etc). in fact up until recently we were doing it at the firehouse where my brother is the captain (free of charge)....however would require set up, clean up which is not doeable right now I considered hiring someone and asking for help but it became very expensive to hire. Can you imagine that we got a great deal and it was 25 pp.... madness.... its the area...
We had a budget of 500. In my family first birthdays are a big deal.
Invitations: 40
Decorations: 125
Favors: 50
Cake and Cupcakes: 70
Food and drinks: 150
Table cloths, napkins and that sorta thing: 70
Gifts: 100
So obviously we went over budget a little bit. But not by a ton. We are lucky that we did not have to pay to rent the hall and that we have relative who owns a jump house
This sounds pretty much in line with what we'll end up spending. Scary how quickly it can add up! Still trying to decide if we're going to have it at home or use the splash park down the street for the kids to play in.
I'm not judging people who spend more, I Just wanted to clarify that just because we only spent 120 doesn't mean bdays aren't a big deal to us.I think ours was quite nice. We just didn't waste money on decorations and such (dollar stores baby). We also made all of the food except the cake.It was in the afternoon so it was all apps. We had about 30 people I think it was a nice first bday....at least IMO. You can make something a big deal without spending a ton of money.
Again, not judging those who do at all. I just didn't like that spending money was being equated with bdays being a big deal.
Re: how much is your budget for LOs first birthay party?
I wanted to do DS birthday for around $200-250 but I blew that budget today when I ordered the cake. So far here is our budget...
$35 to rent pavillion
$40 decorations
$130 cake
I am hoping to get all the food for around $80-100
I will probably spend another $30 for party favors
Seriously?! As little as possible. We are planning to have family over for a BBQ. I got some of the plates, banner, etc at the dollar store. I am making the cake, so that is what $4 for ingredients? It is the EVENT that matters, not the budget or really the details at all. You'll remember who was there and how messy DC got with their cake.
I want an 80 degree day to spend on the deck.
This exactly, except I we are getting her a different gift. Personally I don't get the whole giant bash thing b/c they are too young to remember. I'd rather go all out for a later birthday she will remember.
DD1 born 5/24/10.
Missed M/C at 14 wks Feb 2012.
DD2 born 5/14/13.
Missed M/C at 9 wks July 2015.
We had a budget of 500. In my family first birthdays are a big deal.
Invitations: 40
Decorations: 125
Favors: 50
Cake and Cupcakes: 70
Food and drinks: 150
Table cloths, napkins and that sorta thing: 70
Gifts: 100
So obviously we went over budget a little bit. But not by a ton. We are lucky that we did not have to pay to rent the hall and that we have relative who owns a jump house
Pretty much this. Although we really haven't allocated an amount for gifts. We are also spending 30 to rent a pavallion.
All of this.
We ended up spending right around $350 which is about the max that I wanted to spend.
It broke down like this:
Invitations: $30
Decorations/Plates/Cups/Napkins/Serveware: $80
Food: $160 (we did everything ourselves so this included cake, burgers, potato salad, baked beans, brownies, cheese and crackers, and fruit for 20 people)
Outfit: $20
Gift: $60 (Anchors Away Pirate Ship water table from BBB with a 20% off coupon)
Around $50.
I plan on doing the cake myself and some simple decorations.
FYI....before you judge. we were originally going to do something at home or a free hall and spend maybe 500. However b/c of some medical issues we cannot play host and hostess and have decided to have it at a local restaurant....we live in an area where you can't host food/drinks for 50 pp (amount of ppl we are inviting) without spending at least 1500..which is the majority of the money we are spending. we searched high and low and negotiated this price... the rest will go for a gift, kids favors, cake, etc
This exactly. Most of the budget is food. we are inviting about 50 people, so I think $500 is fair. We're doing a BBQ so it's not fancy or anything. I'll probably go over a little, too
ETA--to the people spending more than this, I TOTALLY understand. We also live in an expensive area and with family and close friends, the list is long and food is expensive, esp if you have to have it at a restaurant. Don't worry about what others think--you do what's best for you.
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that sounds delicious! yes I am usually one to do things at home (we have the space a yard etc). in fact up until recently we were doing it at the firehouse where my brother is the captain (free of charge)....however would require set up, clean up which is not doeable right now I considered hiring someone and asking for help but it became very expensive to hire. Can you imagine that we got a great deal and it was 25 pp.... madness.... its the area...
This sounds pretty much in line with what we'll end up spending. Scary how quickly it can add up! Still trying to decide if we're going to have it at home or use the splash park down the street for the kids to play in.
Photographer-$350 (not including prints)
Invites-$50
Decorations/serveware-$100
Birthday outfit-$90
Cake-$90
Probably spend another $100 in food.
I'm not judging people who spend more, I Just wanted to clarify that just because we only spent 120 doesn't mean bdays aren't a big deal to us.I think ours was quite nice. We just didn't waste money on decorations and such (dollar stores baby). We also made all of the food except the cake.It was in the afternoon so it was all apps. We had about 30 people I think it was a nice first bday....at least IMO. You can make something a big deal without spending a ton of money.
Again, not judging those who do at all. I just didn't like that spending money was being equated with bdays being a big deal.