When I started planning Lil’ Tea Cup’s birthday party, I knew that I wanted the party to be extra special, but also knew that I didn’t want to spend a ton of money. When I started looking on the internet for ideas, I realized that there are just so many ways that you can get totally out of control when it comes to spending for a party. First birthday parties in particular seem to have gotten quite extreme!
I tried to create my inspiration board keeping things under control. I wanted to make the majority of the decorations and reuse some special pieces from my bridal shower and our wedding. By saving in some areas, I was able to spend a little more on some special details. I know no one likes to talk about money, but I think it is good to keep things real!
Here is a breakdown of the final budget…
I N V I T A T I O N S
I had my eye on some beautiful ones online, but then I discovered the clearance section at my local craft store. I found a box of do it yourself wedding invitations that would work perfectly for the theme. I printed them on my home computer and off they went out to guests.
Cost – $9.00 + the cost of stamps
F O O D & D R I N K S
We stuck with an in-between party time, skipped the lunch or dinner option and went with different kinds of ice cream and various toppings. I also made cake and cupcakes myself. Beverages were lemonade and different kinds of soda which I purchased on sale.
Cost – $65.00
D I Y D E C O R A T I O N S
All crafts were made from scrapbook paper I already owned and tissue paper and streamers from the dollar store. I developed all the photos used at the party when Shutterfly was having its 50 free print offer.
Cost – $15.00 { seriously! }
R E U S I N G D E C O R I T E M S
I already had chalkboards, mason jars and lanterns.
Cost – Free!
B A L L O O N S
Lil’ Tea Cup loves balloons and I couldn’t resist getting some for the party. I bought a “party balloon package” which had 12 helium balloons in various colours and 1 special balloon. {We chose a silver number which sadly is in none of the photos.}
Cost – $20.00
F A V O U R S
I purchased all the water toys and bubbles at the grocery store in the clearance section. The berry boxes were recycled from when we bought blueberries this summer. The stuffing was reused paper stuffing from an online order I placed in the past and saved for reuse.
Cost – { 8 favours } $12.00
P H O TO G R A P H Y
All photos were taken by my sister and my friend who are very talented! Thanks ladies!
Cost – Free!
F R E S H F L O W E R S
I am including these in the “spend” section even though they were in season and fairly inexpensive. It is certainly not necessary to have fresh flowers at a first birthday party, but I love them and am hoping to pass on my love of blooms to Lil’ Tea Cup. Not to mention I thought they looked so pretty!
Cost – $25.00 for 3 bunches of 6 sunflowers and one large bouquet of hot pink carnations
T A B L E & C H A I R R E N T AL S
We had about 40 people {mostly little ones} at Lil’ Tea Cup’s party, and I wanted them to have a place to sit down and enjoy their ice cream and cake. I rented three large round tables, linens for them and 24 chairs
Cost- $75.00
H I G H C H A I R
This was certainly was not a necessity, but I got a pretty good deal. I got lucky and found someone selling one for next to nothing online.
Cost $15.00 + $10 for the spray paint.
L I L ‘ T E A C U P ‘ S O U T F I T
I wanted something special for my little one to wear, and after lots of searching I ended up purchasing a birthday hat, a special dress and a onesie. I love them all and although they were a splurge, I don’t regret them at all!
Cost – {with cost of shipping to Canada } Birthday hat – $34, Dress – $52, Onesie – $10
P A R T Y S U P P L I E S
I love paper straws and special party dishes. I went a overboard ordering all the cuteness I could find in this department.
Cost – $70 { ouch, I really didn’t mean to spend that much here! }
and the final total is….
Lil’ Tea Cup is afraid to look…
Total cost – $412.00.
Not terrible, but WAY more then I wanted to spend in the end. I am thankful we will not be throwing another big bash at least until she turns 5! When all is said and done, I am glad that everyone had a great time and that I think Lil’ Tea Cup had a wonderful time at her party, which is the most important thing to me!
Did you have a budget for your little one’s birthday and did you stick to it?
blogger / nectarine / 2010 posts
I had a budget to “not spend too much.” I can’t recall how much I spent, but it wasn’t too much at all. I ordered a party package on Etsy and printed all the decor myself. This year we’re doing the ice cream shop during an in-between time too. The biggie this year will be entertainment for the kids. We’ll see what budget friendly ideas I can come up with.
blogger / pomegranate / 3300 posts
Food is always our biggest. We have a big family and close group of friends so food is HUGE! I like the idea of just ice cream instead of a meal.
GOLD / wonderful pomegranate / 28905 posts
Great job! Thanks for sharing; I really appreciate it.
blogger / eggplant / 11551 posts
It’s always great to see a real budget! Food will definitely be our biggest splurge at J’s 1st birthday, but there’s no way around it. Food is at the center of Asian culture and the 1st birthday is a huge huge deal in Korean culture. We’ll likely be serving tons of catered Korean food.
papaya / 10560 posts
I wanted to spend under 300. We had our party at a local restaurant that didn’t charge to use the room *AWESOME* ordered about 250$ of food, I emailed invites, and spent about 25 in decor. A 1/4 sheet cake and smash cake was 30. I came close! I feel like I did good and got tons of compliments on the party.
pomegranate / 3225 posts
wow, your party looked amazing and I think you did really well on your budget! I have already spent a bundle and my LO’s party is still three months away! Thank you for sharing your resources!
guest
Thank you for posting a reasonable budget party! It always makes me sad when people give up on decor because they think it costs too much. Beauty can be cheap!
blogger / apricot / 424 posts
@Mrs. Stroller: entertainment is certainly a big things and a pricey one!
@Mrs. High Heels: Yum.! Can I come?!
@Mrs. Train: I am still eating the leftovers ha ha!
@locavore_mama: Thank you for reading!
@matador84: Amazing! 300 was my budget too…apparently I need to avoid the paper party goods!
@kml636: I hope some of them will come in handy! Have fun at the upcoming party