1st Birthdays: Budget?

inamra · March 2011

I'm not sure what is a "reasonable" amount to spend on LO's first birthday. I started to plan already and I feel like just food alone (not including cake--which I'm thinking about possibly doing myself to control sugar/additives/etc) is going to be at least $200. Is that too much? Then with decorations/favors/tableware/serveware/etc, it's at least another $100 or so. And I already spent $40 to reserve the park that we're going to have the party at. And I've also already spent about $15 on his outfit, not including party hat (which I'm also planning to make), which is reasonable IMO. Then, probably another $20 or so for DIY supplies. So I'm looking at a rough estimated total of at least $375?

I just read an article that first birthday parties range anywhere from $50 and up. I was just thinking how just reserving the park for the party is almost that much, which then got me wondering if I was spending (or planning to spend) too much?

I'm thinking about doing e-vites to save money and also because I think it's hard to get ppl to RSVP via snail mail. For those of you who did/are doing paper invites, how are you asking your guests to RSVP?

redshoegirl · March 2011

I think we'll be spending a bit less on food (maybe $200 but that includes cake and drinks) and probably half that on decorations, otherwise my estimates are pretty similar to yours. BUT we're also only having a very small part (probably less than 20 people including us) with a BBQ at home, so that definitely affects things - how many people will you be inviting?

Oh, and we're doing e-vites too - I know they're not The Thing To Do on the Bump, but it's how our group of friends roll. Stick out tongue

As to whether $375 is too much...it really depends on what you want/are able to spend. If you're rolling in dough, then dropping $2k on a party might not be too much. If you're on a super tight budget and barely making ends meet, then $50 might be too high. Know what I mean? We could spend more, but I figure that even though they only have one first birthday, it's also not something they're going to remember so I'm not going all out on it. Smile

inamra · March 2011

redshoegirl:
I think we'll be spending a bit less on food (maybe $200 but that includes cake and drinks) and probably half that on decorations, otherwise my estimates are pretty similar to yours. BUT we're also only having a very small part (probably less than 20 people including us) with a BBQ at home, so that definitely affects things - how many people will you be inviting?

So we're having a BBQ too, but I'm also gonna have all these other side dishes/food (or that's my plan). MH has a large family so just our family members is going to be about 25 people. Then we have our closest friends (and their kids) + church friends (who have kids B's age so they're his closest friends), and now we're looking at about 75 people invited (incl kids). Eek! I was originally aiming for 50 max...I've actually cut down the list from 85 but maybe I need to try to do more cutting?

Heh, if we were rolling in the dough, we'd be living somewhere other than renting this 1000sq ft townhome with almost no parking =P But we do have some money to spare for a modest party but like you mentioned, it's not something he's going to remember, so part of me is questioning my current budget. I think I originally had $200 max in mind and now it's ummm, almost 2x that and that's just my planning and I think ppl always end up spending more than they plan to? So that scares me...

Married2MrWright · March 2011

I didn't do food, just cupcakes and drinks. Our largest expense was the party venue, which was $125, but it included the music educator who worked with us and ran the party, including clean-up/set-up. So, the party, including food and decorations as well as party favors cost us about $200. We had 16 guests.

KShiz · March 2011

Yeah, the $$ gets out of hand pretty quickly. I don't remember the exact amount we spent, but I chalked it up to the whole, you only have one first birthday party and you only have one first born. So, in my mind, it's kind of a big deal. We're not doing anything close to that for her second b-day. We probably won't do another actual "party" until she's old enough to know the difference.

I think Lori had a good idea w/ limiting the food to cupcakes etc. We did cream puffs, cupcakes & just lunch meat platters (which we made ourselves since if you order it from a store, you'll pay about double).

For RSVP, we just had people email me.

Obviously you need to stay within your means, but it's a celebration of your baby, your new family and making it through the first year, totally worth a few extra $'s.

lelekay · March 2011

I'm just barely starting to think about this, but I will say that all of our guests will be from out of town. We don't live near our families, but they still insist on coming for his 1st birthday....I wouldn't have even pushed the issue, but they are the ones who have already brought it up, wanting me to choose a date for the party already so they can start making travel plans. Therefore, I'll definitely have to serve a full meal then, so I imagine it'll probably be about $150-200 just for the food, probably another $100 for drinks. Luckily, it'll only be about a dozen or so people, but still....it adds up! With decorations, cake, invitations, etc, I imagine they'll be another $100-200, depending on if I or my sister makes the cake (we usually do, but I might just go the easy route on this one and go to our local bakery). So even though I wouldn't imagine it would cost $500 to throw a 1st birthday party, I bet it probably will. And that's okay. He probably won't have another "party" for his birthday until he's a little older. And that's not counting his gift, which will probably be another $100 or more (we want to get a steel and wood radio flyer wagon for him).

MauiWedding08 · March 2011

for our party for 25ish people I spent around $150, it was at our house so that helped keep costs down b/c no rental fee and I could use my own plates for the most part.

Food budget was less than $50 (although my mom made 2 salads and DIY'd some nice sugar cookie favors)

I served simple sandwiches - (egg salad, tuna, and turkey/cheese), fresh fruit, and bought chips and served water and punch (pineapple, ginger ale, and lime sherbet).

Cake was $50 (but it was 3 tier which is not necessary) so that would have been an easy place to cut costs.

Additional costs included paper supplies for a DIY banner and hats $10, paper plates for cake (since they matched the theme) $10, balloons $20, his outfit was just a $1 thrift store b-day boy shirt and a $3 bib from the party store.

So yeah, it was kind of a lot - not sure what kind of party you could throw for $50 - even a costco cake costs $20...

MrsNicole&Brian808 · March 2011

In "old" Hawaii, babies rarely survived to see their 1st birthday, so it was a big deal that came with a big celebration (traditionally referred to as a "Baby Luau"). Some people still hold to this tradition and the celebration can grow to wedding-sized proportions, with families paying thousands of dollars for venue rental, catering/cooking food for 100+ guests, entertainment, party favors, centerpieces, etc.

Although I've been thinking about it now and then, we haven't started planning H's 1st birthday party yet. We're still debating whether to keep H's party to an intimate family gathering or doing something larger. It can get out of hand so quickly, though! "Well, if we invite Uncle, then we have to invite cousin and her 3 kids, too." Stick out tongue OMG, and I can hear MIL saying, "You should invite so-and-so because they invited me to their kid's/grandkid's 1st birthday." It's a flashback to those wedding planning days alright!

lola808 · March 2011

KShiz:
Yeah, the $$ gets out of hand pretty quickly. I don't remember the exact amount we spent, but I chalked it up to the whole, you only have one first birthday party and you only have one first born. So, in my mind, it's kind of a big deal.
Obviously you need to stay within your means, but it's a celebration of your baby, your new family and making it through the first year, totally worth a few extra $'s.

Totally agree. By Hawaii standards, we're having a small and simple party -- probably around 50 guests and just hosting it at a rec center. We're going for a festive and fun feeling, especially for the kids. It'll probably cost $600-750, but I think that's money well spent for the occasion. It's a celebration of his life, after all -- and something that we can all savor and remember, even if he can't. :-)

Rec center rental: $20

Decorations/lawn games: $150

Food/drinks: $350

Lifeguard for pool: $80

Invites: $20 (Thanks to Nicole for designing these for me!!!)

Goody bags: $50

Cake: my sister is gifting this

My friend recently went to a 1st birthday party that cost $15K, and I've been to a number that were hosted at hotel ballrooms with buffet meals and alcohol. Like a second wedding! Now to me, that's nuts.

Oh and our RSVPs are either by phone or email.

lola808 · March 2011

lelekay:
And that's not counting his gift, which will probably be another $100 or more (we want to get a steel and wood radio flyer wagon for him).

This is what we got A for his 1st birthday, too! Amazon has great sales, so I bought it early when it was hugely discounted -- about $80 with free shipping. I think it will be so much fun and will last a long time.

MrsNJSwimmer · March 2011

KShiz:

Yeah, the $$ gets out of hand pretty quickly. I don't remember the exact amount we spent, but I chalked it up to the whole, you only have one first birthday party and you only have one first born. So, in my mind, it's kind of a big deal. We're not doing anything close to that for her second b-day. We probably won't do another actual "party" until she's old enough to know the difference.

I think Lori had a good idea w/ limiting the food to cupcakes etc.

ditto - it got out of hand fast! And MH wanted everything, and I just fell into it - balloons, decorations, etc. It adds up so fast! I like Lori's idea too.

inamra · March 2011

lola808:
KShiz:
Yeah, the $$ gets out of hand pretty quickly. I don't remember the exact amount we spent, but I chalked it up to the whole, you only have one first birthday party and you only have one first born. So, in my mind, it's kind of a big deal.
Obviously you need to stay within your means, but it's a celebration of your baby, your new family and making it through the first year, totally worth a few extra $'s.
Totally agree. By Hawaii standards, we're having a small and simple party -- probably around 50 guests and just hosting it at a rec center. We're going for a festive and fun feeling, especially for the kids. It'll probably cost $600-750, but I think that's money well spent for the occasion. It's a celebration of his life, after all -- and something that we can all savor and remember, even if he can't. :-)
Food/drinks: $350

Yeah, originally I was thinking more $300 just for food alone but I decided that maybe I'll make most of the food (plus favors and hats and decor) and OMG, it's gonna be so tiring!! I can see myself so pooped and probably dead during the party, which doesn't sound fun...I don't wanna end up making all this food to save $ and then end up passed out at LO's first birthday party!

And because we're having a BBQ (since I already paid the $ for renting the tables & all the BBQ pits in the park), I don't think we can really cut back on the food and make it a cupcake party...but that IS a good idea for cutting costs otherwise...

myday1708 · March 2011

That's probably about what we spent... I got a lot of balloons, party hats, blowers, a sign, tablecloths, pink/green plates, napkins and cups. We also got two cakes, burgers, hot dogs, buns, condiments, soda, water, wine, beer, ice, potato salad, nuts, chips, dip, fruit, cookies.... And we had to buy two coolers and an extra folding table and chairs. I also blew up and framed her monthly photos... And got yellow ducks as favors that I tied favor tags to. Oh, and I splurged on her pettiskirt, bloomers, birthday tee... And of course we did a birthday photo shoot...

So maybe we spent twice that... It did add up fast! We tried to be low key and used Evite tho, so no paper invites. At least we saved a little there! LOL

lola808 · March 2011

inamra:
lola808:
KShiz:
Yeah, the $$ gets out of hand pretty quickly. I don't remember the exact amount we spent, but I chalked it up to the whole, you only have one first birthday party and you only have one first born. So, in my mind, it's kind of a big deal.
Obviously you need to stay within your means, but it's a celebration of your baby, your new family and making it through the first year, totally worth a few extra $'s.
Totally agree. By Hawaii standards, we're having a small and simple party -- probably around 50 guests and just hosting it at a rec center. We're going for a festive and fun feeling, especially for the kids. It'll probably cost $600-750, but I think that's money well spent for the occasion. It's a celebration of his life, after all -- and something that we can all savor and remember, even if he can't. :-)
Food/drinks: $350
Yeah, originally I was thinking more $300 just for food alone but I decided that maybe I'll make most of the food (plus favors and hats and decor) and OMG, it's gonna be so tiring!! I can see myself so pooped and probably dead during the party, which doesn't sound fun...I don't wanna end up making all this food to save $ and then end up passed out at LO's first birthday party!
And because we're having a BBQ (since I already paid the $ for renting the tables & all the BBQ pits in the park), I don't think we can really cut back on the food and make it a cupcake party...but that IS a good idea for cutting costs otherwise...

Yeah, the Budgetzilla in me wants to see what we food could provide to lower the costs, even if it just means bringing in some stuff from Costco. But really, the money saved would not be worth the extra hassle. I want to enjoy the day with my boy and be in festive spirits throughout... that's the whole point!

myday1708 · March 2011

We had a BBQ in our back yard and got all the food and drinks at COSTCO. I don't cook, so we did burgers/hotdogs and potato salad, chips, pretzels, nuts type of stuff. That's all you need for a BBQ! Easy peasy!

mrspresley · March 2011

what's "reasonable" is up to you, i think. i do think that spending thousands of dollars is a bit much, but otherwise i think it depends on the family, # of guests, etc.

i honestly don't know how much we spent, i never really sat down and added it all up. i know i splurged on her bday outfit but otherwise we kept costs down to a minimum. we only had about a dozen or so people, so my mom did the cooking and i did desserts. the tablecloths, plates/cups etc i got on sale on diapers.com but they're also pretty cheap at walmart (i don't think they have fun colors at sam's or costco but w/a boy they might have blue?) favors were edible and i made those ahead of time and froze them to help save time. in the end it was really low key and i was glad it was that way. oh and to answer your Q, i did evites and had people email or call to RSVP.

my cousin had a friend who threw a huge party with 200 people and it was like another wedding! they even hired a company to do valet parking for the guests! (it was held at the grandparent's house) that's a bit ridiculous, if you ask me.

i would say keep costs down where you can but don't be afraid to splurge on a few things - remember to have fun and don't stress too much over it! don't lose sight of that - it's about having fun and celebrating his big day! )

jaymers99 · March 2011

MrsNicole&Brian808:
In "old" Hawaii, babies rarely survived to see their 1st birthday, so it was a big deal that came with a big celebration (traditionally referred to as a "Baby Luau"). Some people still hold to this tradition and the celebration can grow to wedding-sized proportions, with families paying thousands of dollars for venue rental, catering/cooking food for 100+ guests, entertainment, party favors, centerpieces, etc.
Although I've been thinking about it now and then, we haven't started planning H's 1st birthday party yet. We're still debating whether to keep H's party to an intimate family gathering or doing something larger. It can get out of hand so quickly, though! "Well, if we invite Uncle, then we have to invite cousin and her 3 kids, too." OMG, and I can hear MIL saying, "You should invite so-and-so because they invited me to their kid's/grandkid's 1st birthday." It's a flashback to those wedding planning days alright!

Yup, I've been to 1st birthday parties that are almost as big and elaborate as weddings. When I was planning our wedding, one of my husband's co-workers was having a 1st birthday party luau at Hale Koa with live music, centerpieces, and favors. I think they spent more than we did on our 250 person wedding...

I guess it all depends on how many people you have and how elaborate you want it. $200 doesn't sound too bad...

Married2MrWright · March 2011

myday1708:
Oh, and I splurged on her pettiskirt, bloomers, birthday tee... And of course we did a birthday photo shoot...

I did too. These expenses are not factored into my $200 for the party I mentioned above but if they were, well, we'd be at least double too.

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