You know it’s coming.
Along with the avalanche of school papers that will start hitting your house come September, so begins a steady stream of birthday party invitations.
Our school has a policy that if you are on school grounds and deliver a party invitation to one classmate, you pretty much need to invite the whole class. Similar to the “I hope you brought enough gum to share with the class” or when Mr. Hand took Spicoli’s pizza…
Everybody gets a party invitation (whether you want them at your party or not.) And guess what? If your kid gets a party invitation and the rest of the class is going, THEY want to go too. Even if they don’t know (or even like the other child. Anyhow, Grant gets swept up in the group invitations and it seems like every week there is a party to go to. I don’t know about you guys, but I don’t budget $20 a week for Gifts For Strangers.
What I do do is plan ahead, which is easier on my pocketbook as well as my stress level. About this time of year, Target’s toy section goes on clearance…
I stock up on silly toys that little boys like. Instead of paying $25, I pay $6. Much more affordable. I take them home and put them in my gift closet.
I love having this. Not only does it save money, it saves me a bit of stress. I hate having to do last minute gift shopping. The few times that we had to scramble for a gift, we ended up stopping at the grocery store on the way to the party and buying a gift card for Jamba Juice or a movie or something and spending the $20… Gah.
Keep a few gifts on hand, along with some child appropriate birthday cards and some gift bags, and you’ll always be ready to go. (And sit for 2 hours at Pump It Up… the whole time, thinking about the things you still need to do -or would rather do- like cleaning the kitchen, making dinner, running errands, drinking a shot of tequila, getting the oil changed in the car, calling the insurance company, writing a blog post, making cupcakes for the bake sale….)
MiMi says
August 23, 2011 at 7:00 PMI’ll take a shot of tequila, the Bakugan and one of the Mighty Beans, please. 🙂
Debbie--http://refreshrestyle.com/ says
August 23, 2011 at 7:39 PMShots and savings, my kinda day!
Lori E says
August 23, 2011 at 7:40 PMIt is so out of hand. I made it clear to my boys early that they didn’t have to attend every party that they were invited to. If it wasn’t someone who had played at our house (or if it was a nice kid whom I wanted my kid to hang out with) then they didn’t necessarily get to go to the party.
Our kids parties were about 90% held at our house and they always had a good time. They could only invite the kids that they actually hung out with or maybe one or two new friends.
It is just a gift grab otherwise. Inviting kids that bring a gift and then never hanging out with them after. Blech.
Xazmin says
August 23, 2011 at 7:53 PMThis is such a great idea. Also, once in a while there are some real gems at the dollar store. A few months ago they actually had REAL Littlest Petshops there!
We just went on a b-day shopping trip today, but this time the kids had to use their own money to purchase the gifts (they have been working for grandma this summer). They were much more conscious of how expensive the gifts they chose were!
Kelli says
August 23, 2011 at 8:01 PMI’m on top of this tip pronto. Jamison wasn’t invited to a ton of parties last year but it’s better to be prepared. AND now with Caleb in school I’m sure he’ll be added to my list of party goers.
- Laura says
August 23, 2011 at 8:29 PMThat is _such_ a good idea!! I’ll see those clearances but I tend to think of immediate needs, but now I’ll be thinking further out, thank you!!
I especially enjoyed the part in the parentheses!! However, I do think you should have added “drinking a shot of tequila” a few more times!! 😉
Jen says
August 23, 2011 at 9:22 PMI am with you on the clearance toys! I need to make a trip to Target tomorrow. They always have the BEST clearance items!!
Beverly@southernhomesweethome says
August 23, 2011 at 11:26 PMI love that idea.. I had a gift closet 26 yrs ago now I had a treat bag in my closet for the grands. They love it. Same principle, $1 bins at target for the treat bag. Smart Mom not to have a budget strain.
GirlRural.com says
August 23, 2011 at 11:41 PMI’m glad I’m not the only mom that hates kid’s birthday parties. Guess I’m odd because we celebrate birthdays as a family doing something memorable like Disneyland, or a movie and dinner, or LegoLand for this year.
Maggie @ Midwestern {Sewing} Girl says
August 24, 2011 at 1:24 AMAmen, sister. I, too, have a bunch of toys ready-to-go…and it’s awesome…
Our school doesn’t have that birthday policy…and I have to say, thank goodness…I’d be nuts…;)
Shawn says
August 24, 2011 at 2:06 PMI have always wanted a gift closet but have yet to be organized or energized enough to accomplish it!
JessicaW says
August 26, 2011 at 1:46 AMI am a fan of McDonald’s gift certificates. I get them in the $5 booklets. Perfect for kids. My kids don’t eat McDonalds’ food (we eat gluten-free) but they love the ice cream, which is great… and $5 will get you four sundaes and changes. BARGAIN! especially as a kid with a gift certificate.
Dawn and Jana says
August 29, 2011 at 6:46 PMYou should get a Kindle (or the app on your phone) and read while you are waiting for the party to be over! Love the gift closet idea, mine is currently empty but I need to build it back up. ;(