Budget Wars - A New Hope (with apologies to George Lucas)

Bobarella

f0xh0les wrote: »

Your NSDs are amazing Bob, I always end up failing, probably because I keep finding amazing bargains, but even the odd 80p always annoys me.

Sorry to hear DS is unwell, but it is cold, wet and horrid outside anyway.

Thanks Foxy. Your bargains are amazing though.

Deleted_User wrote: »

Yay to the NSD's, very impressive.

Hope DS is feeling much better by tomorrow. There's so much going about at the moment, I blame the cold snap.

Thanks PM02

PurpleFairy26 wrote: »

Hope your son is feeling better Bob and it doesn't get passed on to you or hubby. I've got a horribly wheezy chest that started yesterday that I hope doesn't develop further. There seems so much going about.

Thanks PF. Hope you feel better too.

Bobarella

crazy_cat_lady wrote: »

Hope ds is feeling better soon Bob xxx

Thanks Cat. Good luck with the printing demons today!

Bobarella

Morning All

DS is back to school today, I don't know what was wrong yesterday really. He wasn't physically sick or anything else so we will just have to out it down to a funny spell and move on.

It's a glorious day today. Bright blue skies and mild. I have just staggered back from the retail park with the gift for DS birthday this weekend. Cost £39.99 and I got £5 off using a voucher. And all the shopping for his party. He isn't having a large event, and DH and I are doing all the running of the party ourselves. As I work in this world I know how expensive big parties can be. Venue hire+ entertainer and you are looking at around £350 these days (in London) and that's before you provide a party tea, gift bag, and presents!
I just spent £71 in Mr S and that included one present at £35 ( which I have the cheque from his grandparents to cover) I am going to provide mini pizzas, hot dogs, garlic bread, crisps, salad, popcorn. Then home made biscuits, cupcakes and birthday cake. And that's enough!

I will be making party bags from cut up wrapping paper, and my husband is going to draw some characters that my son wants as part of the theme. So everything will revolve around that. Think pin the tail on Buzz light year etc (only sadly a far less endearing set of characters as he's too old for Woody and co) I still remember the day DS started school and I nearly burst into tears in the bank when 'youve got a friend in me' started playing. Not Toy Story obsessed honest

Tommorow I won't be going anywhere as it will be all about the party. And Sunday I am working bits of the day so have high hopes for 2 NSDs in a row!

Bob

f0xh0les

Must be a weekend for it, I have 2 birthday parties to get kids to today. Good luck and all that and _party__party__party__party_HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO DS:dance::dance::dance::dance: and congratulations to you on your baby being one year older.

Bobarella

Thanks so much Foxy like many of us I had a rough trot trying to bring him into the world. 2 weeks overdue, I was taken in on week 43 told I had suspected pre eclampsia and couldn't go home. I was devastated as I wanted a home birth and had the pool ready to go! Was induced the following morning nothing happened. Spent the following night in agony alone as apparently I wasn't in actual labour! By the following night and under threat of the next stage in the induction process I said enough enough and had an epidural. By the following afternoon I still hadn't produced so they called it a day and gave me a c section. He was just shy of 10 pounds and had apparently had the cord around him which stopped labour progressing. I will never forget hearing his first cry or my husband telling me we had a boy. Memories.

Bobarella

So today. We started the process of clearing the lounge and dining room as much as we could to prepare for the party. I took DD out in the buggy for around an hour which includes a stop in at Pets at Home so we could let her out for a walk as the weather was foul. Got back by 10.30 and DH had done so much. I made the cake yesterday so just needed to finish off the buttercream and icing. I then also cooked the hot food, made up the salads etc. We were ready 30 mins before the big off. Thrifty things I did:

- Made my own party bags by cutting up a gift bag and sellotaping the sides to make squares. Saved around £3 for a pack
- Made cupcakes and birthday cake. Sains sell a 12 pack of cupcakes for £6, and their cheapest birthday cake is £5.
- I reused candles I have collected from various kids parties at work. Once they are lit no one notices if theyve already been used £2 saving
- I filled the party bags with all the things we had in our stash from other parties. Saving £3 on buying a new pack of party bag fillers
- Total grocery spend was £35 to cater for all the kids and provide lunch for us and leftovers for supper. Works out less than £5 per head to entertain the children for 2 hours.
- Didn't buy 'party' plates, cups or napkins. Just used our own supplies. £5 saved.
- Wrapped the cake to take home in tinfoil £1 saved on napkins
- Served water to drink or squash if they asked for it. So much sugar in a party tea saving on the drinks is a good thing anyway. £3 saved on fizzy or fruit juice.
- We made games up using existing games we had at home, and customised them for our sons desired theme. Saving on not hiring an entertainer £150

All told a good afternoon. The funny thing was despite the rain and the cold all of the children wanted to go in the garden, so coats and shoes went on and they did. I really don't see why people need to hire soft play centres when kids will happily go outside in low temperatures.

Anyway. I am tired now. But not from the party, DD didn't give us the best of nights...hot bath and early bed for me

Bob

1LuckyLady

Bob, Happy birthday to your ds, sounds like a fantastic party! You sound just like me with the candles/party favours! We have all the candles from 0-9 from my niece who is a 2yrs older then my eldest, the only problem we've encountered so far was this yr when my eldest turned 11! as I only had the 1 number 1! I found 2 normal cake candles and used them instead, when he's 12 it won't be a problem! hehe I used to have a box with all collected party [STRIKE]rubbish[/STRIKE] I mean favours in. Every yr dh would roll his eyes at me when I made up the party bags!

Hope you get a better nights sleep

Bobarella

Thanks 1LuckyLady with all your Thrifty ways you should write a book! Are your family very Thrifty? Mine weren't so all my ways are self taught.

DawnW

Bobarella wrote: »

So today. We started the process of clearing the lounge and dining room as much as we could to prepare for the party. I took DD out in the buggy for around an hour which includes a stop in at Pets at Home so we could let her out for a walk as the weather was foul. Got back by 10.30 and DH had done so much. I made the cake yesterday so just needed to finish off the buttercream and icing. I then also cooked the hot food, made up the salads etc. We were ready 30 mins before the big off. Thrifty things I did:

- Made my own party bags by cutting up a gift bag and sellotaping the sides to make squares. Saved around £3 for a pack
- Made cupcakes and birthday cake. Sains sell a 12 pack of cupcakes for £6, and their cheapest birthday cake is £5.
- I reused candles I have collected from various kids parties at work. Once they are lit no one notices if theyve already been used £2 saving
- I filled the party bags with all the things we had in our stash from other parties. Saving £3 on buying a new pack of party bag fillers
- Total grocery spend was £35 to cater for all the kids and provide lunch for us and leftovers for supper. Works out less than £5 per head to entertain the children for 2 hours.
- Didn't buy 'party' plates, cups or napkins. Just used our own supplies. £5 saved.
- Wrapped the cake to take home in tinfoil £1 saved on napkins
- Served water to drink or squash if they asked for it. So much sugar in a party tea saving on the drinks is a good thing anyway. £3 saved on fizzy or fruit juice.
- We made games up using existing games we had at home, and customised them for our sons desired theme. Saving on not hiring an entertainer £150

All told a good afternoon. The funny thing was despite the rain and the cold all of the children wanted to go in the garden, so coats and shoes went on and they did. I really don't see why people need to hire soft play centres when kids will happily go outside in low temperatures.

Anyway. I am tired now. But not from the party, DD didn't give us the best of nights...hot bath and early bed for me

Bob

I always used to do similar for my children's parties Bob - and seeing as the youngest is now 34, and they still talk about their childhood birthday parties, there was really no need to do any different
Mind you, it would have been rare in any case back then to hire somewhere special for kids parties, or book entertainers etc, expectations here, as elsewhere, seem to have increased over the years! I don't think it is necessarily the children's expectations though - none of my grandchildren have ever had a party involving all this stuff either (more like you describe, with HM cake etc), so it certainly isn't universal!

1LuckyLady

Bob, You've commented before about my dad being very handy! From cutting hair (he used to perm mine when I was in school!) to diy, to gardening, etc he was an accountant so has always looked after the pennies. My parents worked hard and were mortgage free etc relatively young and retired early. I learnt from them, my sis on the other hand is always in debt and has strange priorities as far as I'm concerned. She is in a far worse financial situation (single mum, 0hr contract, idiot absent father etc) and I think she focuses on the wrong things, eg she does the cos/shopit cashback things and saves 25p etc here and there but then has a full sky tv package etc.