Search Results for: blog birthday parties on a budget 1

How Much Did You Spend on Your Child’s Last Birthday Party?

I know it wasn’t more than $360,000. We can’t all roll like Daddy Diddy, but as parents we do want to make our children happy, and celebrating a milestone like a birthday with a big party, often means digging deep. But how deep do you dig? My five-year-old is dreaming of a huge bash to commemorate her sixth year of life (which thankfully doesn’t happen for a few more months). She has been begging for a safari-themed party at our local children’s museum. For three hours, up to 20 kids can dine on lion-shaped cake, make toilet paper roll binoculars, … Continue reading →

Frugal Birthday Gifts for Preschoolers

We love going to birthday parties. However, my post-Christmas budget does not always enjoy the cost of birthday presents. We need to bring one, of course, and it needs to have some sort of four-year-old wow factor. But what to bring, and how can we be frugal about it? I have been creating a few birthday gifts for preschoolers lately. My favorite preschooler birthday gift is the play silk. These are easy to get from Dharma Trading or other online retailers, and you can often find blank white silks in art stores too. Dye them with some Koolaid powder and … Continue reading →

How I Saved on Birthday Goodie Bags

My daughter’s birthday party is this coming weekend. Naturally, she asked for a Disney princess theme again. I recently spotted color wonder kits in a princess theme for only $5 a piece. This seemed like a great bargain for goodies to hand out to the party goers (the kits normally go for $7.99 to $9.99 elsewhere), but when I added up the number of kits who would be attending, I found that it would cost me $5 times 15 kids (plus 3 more if I wanted to give my own kids goodie bags) for a minimum of $75. Ouch. Yes, … Continue reading →

Budgeting for the Holiday Meal

This year, it looks like we will be hosting Thanksgiving again. It is a preemptive strike on our part to avoid the arguments and indecision about who is hosting and where and when. Plus, we would rather trade the extra work for the travel and knowing that we can just zip our kids into their beds at the end of the day. Another reason that I am looking forward to hosting Thanksgiving this year is that we have our brand new (used) cherry dining room table that we picked up at a yard sale. We can finally seat 10 people … Continue reading →

$15 Fun

What is the most fun that you and your entire family can have for just $15? Make this challenge a part of your regular family fun and you’ll save money while having some great new experiences. Our entertainment budget is pretty much non existent. Paying for food, the mortgage and our heating oil seemed more important. We seldom do anything together as a family for entertainment if it costs money, unless there are really special circumstances. That said, we have still be able to have plenty of fun times, especially during the summer. Challenge the members of your family to … Continue reading →

How to Celebrate Good Times on a Budget

Think you can’t afford to have fun on your birthday, anniversary, or other milestone? Think again. The month of May is chock full of special occasions for my family. From birthdays to Mother’s Day, Memorial Day to graduations, there’s no shortage of celebrations in the coming weeks. Typically, I would be concerned that all of these “big days” would put a big dent in our family’s budget, but as I mentioned in my previous blog, fortunately these special occasions are yielding some major savings. My email inbox is filled with deals from hotels, theme parks, and restaurants offering freebies and … Continue reading →

List of Budget Categories

Whether you are just getting started on your first budget or taking the time to renew your money management systems, the following list should help you. Often the hardest part of a budget is simply separating your spending into different categories. So grab your checkbook, bank statements and credit card bills, and get started on a budget today. Typical budget categories include: Cash: Have an budget account for miscellaneous cash you take out for little expenditures. This is simpler than trying to keep track of each piece of gum or soda you buy. Childcare or babysitting: If you have kids, … Continue reading →

The Marriage Blog Week in Review for Jan 20-26

Good morning, if you noticed a curious lack of the marriage blog week in review, I have to plead guilty. I wrote most of it, but yesterday, my daughter had a birthday party and we went out together to attend. It was a roller skating party and for those of you who follow my fitness blog posts, you know that my daughter and I have been roller-skating a great deal frequently, well we enjoyed ourselves roller-skating, but I was whipped after an hour and half on the skates and my legs felt like spaghetti. I’ll talk more about that in … Continue reading →

Budget Strategies: Don’t Forget Work Expenses

One area that is often overlooked in budgeting is that of work expenses. These items can sneak up on you, and may make you wonder where all the money is going. It is important to consider these items as you make up your budget. If you both work, it is even more important to plan for these expenses. It may not be fair to take this money from blow money or allowance categories, since many of these expenses are not by choice. Here are four work expenses categories to consider. 1) Does your office have a monthly fund for birthday … Continue reading →

Budget Strategies: Gifts and Birthdays

As you sit down and plan your budget for the year, you should budget for gifts. You should plan for each family member’s birthday. You can also plan for extended family members. You may also want to plan for a few extras that may come up as surprises throughout the year; this could include birthday parties that your children are invited to. Here are five ways to plan and budget for gifts for the upcoming year. 1) First you need to write down whom you are planning on buying gifts for this year. This should include Mother’s day and Father’s … Continue reading →