Ladies, My son is turning 8 in August and we are looking for alternatives for his party. we have always been spoiled by the summer birthday and our large back yard and had big, all day parties in the past. however, after the cost of food and other birthday expenses i find myself spending several hundreds of dollars, money that we simply don't have this year. i looked into a couple of venues and found that even for a party of 10 the cost is close to $200.00. can anyone recommend a venue or an alternative to our traditional backyard party?? any ideas would be greatly appreciated. :-)!!!
S.
Some community centers rent a bag of outdoor game supplies for a nominal fee or maybe even free. I'd just order some pizzas, scoop some icecream with a homemade cake and let the kids have fun! Water balloons are cheap fun too! At this ages, kids just like to play and they don't need as much "entertaining".
Have fun!! :)
I recently had my 8 yr old's party at AGT Flip City (formerly all world gymnastics). It is a huge gym with 4 trampolines, giant foam pits, basketball,... I take my kids there often and they love it! There is so much to do, many parents like to play also. The prices are good, check out their website (www.allworld-gym.com) or
call ###-###-####. They are located at 14 Mile/Dequindre.
What about a city pool or rec center? Why do you have to have so many people cut the friends or allow one friend with close family. Make the cake yourself and be creative do the invites yourself.
How about having a party, but just having either a smaller gathering OR just saying, "Come for dessert" type thing? People understand that the economy is tight right now.
My youngest son was into Army stuff at that age and I did a backyard Army party. I made an obstacle course out of straw bales, used old tires to run through, etc. like a basic training course. I just served hot dogs, lemonade and cake. I'm sure you could find some activity ideas for whatever your son is into.
Another idea is to go to the beach at Walled Lake. I haven't been there in a few years, so I don't know what the admission price for the park is, but I think it was $4/person then. It's nothing fancy, but the kids could swim and then you could cook out on their grills. It's a nice little park (free for residents of Walled Lake). If you can't find info, try the city of Walled Lake.
Depending on how many kids are coming, you could check out The Bounce House. I think it was about $125 for 30 people - but food is not included. You could get a few $5 pizzas from Little Caesars, perhaps?
Hi S.,
I'm with Nicole on this one. A simple party with just cake and ice cream would be just fine. Growing up, my parents could never afford anything more than that, and since my b-day was in November, the parties were always held in our basement with cheap decorations. I NEVER cared that it wasn't elaborate; we always had a great time with simple games! Having a big backyard, you have many opportunities for simple (yet free) activities. You could throw down a slip-n-slide and the kids would have a blast! I personally don't know anybody who would be offended by coming to such a simple party, and if I did, trust me, I wouldn't want them there! Good luck!
Most bowling alleys offer a party for 10 kids for around $100-$125 and this usually includes a pin that everyone can sign and the birthday child gets to keep it as a souvenir, a hot dog and pop for each child (or you can upgrade to pizza) and paper products plus two games and shoes. Another place to think about is CiCi's pizza. You can rent their "party room" for $25 and then pay the buffet which is around $6.50 per adult with the drink and all you can eat salad, pasta, pizza and dessert and I think $4.00 per child. Another thought is to do a "home party" again but do it later in the evening (after dinner)and make it movie night with popcorn and snacks instead of a full meal or if you have a fire pit/bowl do smores, songs and stories around a campfire. Maybe Dad can even sleep out in a tent with a few of your son's closest buddies. Good luck!
Why not do a scaled down party at home with 8 of his friends. Just cake/ice-cream and games? I did something similar for my son's 5th and the kids had a blast. I usually do big parties every other year...and I know how much it costs. I think my son actually had more fun at the smaller party.
You can do water balloons, chalk painting, outdoor games like a potato sack race...
Or have it at a local park and bring the cake there and just let the kids play on the playscape.
I hear that! We have late July birthdays and have found that a trip to the lake during the late afternoon to be a great way to celebrate. We start the party with a slip and slide in our yard then make a parade to the lake. With the hour after 2pm, we don't have to plan a meal. Just snacks and cake. It really cuts the cost down!
PS: If you are interested in working in the medical field for commissions, we should talk!
S.
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Does your son play baseball - what about going to a local park and organizing a baseball game - do you have a friend who coaches baseball who would help? Then you could have a picnic on the grass.
Or do you have a friend who has beach access who would be willing to rent a space out - I think they're normally very cheap.
What about a sleepover at home - get some movies from the library - provide pizza, pop, and cake and let the kids hang out. Have fun - Alison
Hi S.,
I feel your frustration......and I don't want this to sound harsh.....but the following suggestion for you....did work for us, while raising our daughter.
Our children do not 'deserve' or 'need' to have a birthday party every single year. Spacing the parties out for our family....makes the parties more special for the children. You and your immediate family can celebrate their birthday with their favorite meal and of course ice cream and cake!
Remember, you are 'The Mom'....you make the call. My best to you as you make this difficult decision.
~K. T~
Try Arts and Scraps!!! Great fun and only $100 for 2 hours and up to 12 kids. Check out their website and call for more info. We had my son's 5 yr birthday party there and it was just great. Wonderful staff take care of activity and goodie bags and you bring in the food/cake.
Plus, you support a local nonprofit.
www.ArtsandScraps.org
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