How much should your child's birthday party cost?

[Deleted User]

le_loup wrote: »

You are all mad!
Call yourselves MSEs.
Nuts.

If you spend within your means, in a fashion you enjoy then there is nothing 'non-MSE' about it.

E.g. our party would have cost more if we'd not got 'mates rates' on all the party decorations or made the food ourselves. That's MSE-style. Getting the best value for the best cost, whether you're holding a 20k wedding or a £50 party at home.

castle96

took a bunch of lads to the woods once. played 'army' games, peashooters, pop, crisps. they all said it was the best birthday party they had been too ! Total cost approx £10

Goldiegirl

ringo_24601 wrote: »

If you spend within your means, in a fashion you enjoy then there is nothing 'non-MSE' about it.

I agree.


Being 'MSE' doesn't have to mean spending nothing at all unless you can possibly avoid it.


It's all abut managing your money to enjoy your life to the full

Ne5555

when mine was 4 we had it in indoor play centre(I chose) and probably spent around £200 he was happy,
this year when he was 5 he only wanted to invite 5 of his friends.I took them to cinema £1 each on a saturday morning afterwards took them to burger king, kids meal and a cake probably all together £50 and he was happy.
all he wanted was to see his closest friends.This year I will let him choose it

ColdIron

When I was a lad my birthday party was Pin The Donkey On The Tail and Musical Chairs with a iced sponge cake baked by my mum and balloons. I invited a few kids in my street and my best friend from school. All great fun as I recall. Cost to my mum? Probably less than 10 Rothmans

le_loup

You was lucky.
We couldn't afford Rothmans ............

JuicyJesus

ColdIron wrote: »

When I was a lad my birthday party was Pin The Donkey On The Tail and Musical Chairs with a iced sponge cake baked by my mum and balloons. I invited a few kids in my street and my best friend from school. All great fun as I recall. Cost to my mum? Probably less than 10 Rothmans

Aye, back in the day that was my idea of a birthday party. Table of snack foods and a cake with some fizzy drink - £20, tops.

£145 for a party for a few hours for a few kids who wouldn't care if they got the cheapest of the cheapest sh*t to eat and played musical chairs for some sub-Christmas cracker toys, but will still wreck your house and spend their time banging their heads off things either way, is completely and irredeemably insane. That is more than my monthly food budget, twice over.

Since when did spending stupid amounts of money on immature people who don't care what you buy them either way become the done thing? (Insert joke about my ex girlfriend here.)

[Deleted User]

I think this thread just jinxed me. Just got another party invite.. for February! What's worse is there are two on the same day - so i'll need to endure 4 hours of party entertainers.

pjread

I think the last one came in about £150. I thought that was a bit top-heavy. As others have said, back in the day I'm sure it was dodgy egg mayo sandwiches and a pack of jaffa cakes, then sod off to the park to kick a ball about... (evidently the wife doesn't entirely agree - and to be honest, it is quite nice to not get the house trashed though...)

brewerdave

...the "keeping up with the Joneses" element is the most depressing thing of modern kids parties.My 2 year old !! grandaughter recently attended a party -they had bouncy castle, entertainer, loads of food and alcohol for the adults - and there were lots of kids and their parents!!Now my daughter is worried about looking cheapskate with other parents at the nursery if she just invites a few of the other children .!
Some schools don't help -recently there was a lot of fuss in the press about a school head suggesting that ALL classmates should be invited to a child's birthday party to avoid feelings of exclusion!!!