I am planning a birthday party for my daughters and I think I have lost my mind. My love for planning and organizing has taken over and I have completely lost sight of reality. Here is my reality: I am only one person and my husband will kill me if I spend one more dime on this party!
I have to scale back a bit and remember what is really important: Spending the day with friends and family, not having everything perfect.
Why am I making such a big deal out of this birthday party? Of course I want it to be fun and memorable for my kids, but there is another underlying pressure. I read a lot of other mom blogs and I am bombarded with images of perfectly decorated cakes, creative games and adorable decorations. Tipjunkie.org is filled with amazing birthday party inspiration, but it’s enough to give anyone a complex!
So here are a few of my tips for planning a perfectly unperfect party….
- Keep the party from 1-4…Long enough to have a good time, without worrying about making a huge meal for everyone! Light snacks and cake is all you need!
- Make a few things yourself and delegate or purchase the rest! I am making cupcakes and push pop cakes, but purchasing a large cake and fruit and veggie trays.
- Pick a theme! I LOVE theme birthday parties! It doesn’t have to be expensive and you can find millions of ideas online. A theme makes the party that much more memorable and fun! We are having a ZOO theme this year.
- Spend your money where it counts! Decide on a birthday budget and then make a list all all the things you “want” for the party. Now you can get a good idea of where to put your money first. Odds are there will be more wants than money to buy them all, so plan to spend it where you get the most bang for your buck! I decided this year to hire ZOO 2 You to come to the party. This is a cool exotic petting zoo that comes to YOUR home! I thought $200 for an hour show was a steal, and though it is a huge chunk of the budget, it is the biggest bang for my buck!
