Hey party people!
Every Monday, I post what I’m calling party ponders. These are questions or issues that come up when planning parties. I’ve posted about how much food to prepare for a party & when to send out invitations. Since this blog is called Parties for Pennies, I knew that it was about time to post a party budget.
I know. I hate budgets too. Budgets aren’t exactly the ice cream & cake part of party planning but they’re useful for keeping yo’ mind on yo’ money & yo’ money on yo’ mind (sorry…couldn’t help it). I’ve created a party budget printable that you can use for any party you plan….well, almost. Weddings are more complex. I’ll try & do a wedding budget printable one of these Mondays…I promise.
Party Budget Printable by PartiesforPennies.com
(Just click on the link above to print this out)
This is a really simple budget. It just offers some guidelines. I’ve come up with this from my own party-planning experience, so you may need to tweak it for yours.
Start by determining your overall party budget. Believe it or not, most parties on average cost several hundred dollars. Things add up quickly. This will help you set some boundaries so those pennies don’t run away from you.
Once you determine your budget, fill in the $ Allowance column with the total dollar amount based on the percentage. For instance, if my total budget was $100, under the $ Allowance column next to Food, I’d put $50. Do that all the way down. This gives you a ballpark idea of how much you have to spend in each category.
You may find yourself spending less in one category. If that’s the case, you can supplement other categories. For the watercolor baby shower I’m throwing this Saturday I sent the invitations through email (special circumstances). The money I saved from that category is going toward the decoration category.
I added extra space between each item/category so you can make notes as needed.
For the Parties for Pennies Facebook community: The answer is 13%! A survey by Cafe Moms said that 13% of parents spend over $500 on their child’s birthday parties.
Have a great Monday…and don’t forget to Party On!
p.s. This is YOUR official invite to the party… on the PartiesforPennies facebook page! Click here.
I want to say that I don’t spend that much for birthday parties for my children .. but honestly, I don’t think I’ve ever sat down and totally calculated everything — and I know that it can add up quickly. Thank you for this printable. I am definitely going to use it — next for our family is the twins 7th birthday in August! It will be interesting to see what I come up with!
A twins birthday would definitely be challenging to plan! Good luck & I can’t wait to see pictures! Thanks so much for your comment!! It was great seeing you guys the other weekend! <3 Heidi
Oh, this is very useful. Thanks Heidi!
Thanks Ashley!! <3 Heidi
Hi Heidi,
I just found your site and am very excited. Your site is great. We have recently started a party planning website and would like to put a link to your website on ours. If there is anything specific you would like us to link, please let us know.
Thank you,
Pat
Pat, Thank you soo much! That would be awesome. Just the main page would be great – http://www.PartiesforPennies.com. Thanks again! <3 Heidi