Sarah Kulchar

First birthday and party planning on a budget begins!


Can you believe that Asa's first birthday is right around the corner? MY LITTLE BOY WILL BE ONE IN ABOUT A MONTH. Stop the press. Stop time. As a new parent, people are always (always) telling you that time goes by fast and to cherish every moment....and even though it gets super annoying old very quickly, sadly it is 100% true. It feels like it was just yesterday that we were finishing his nursery, taking bump pictures, and learning about cloth diapers. It doesn't feel like it has been nearly a year since we raced to the hospital. How can this be?
I guess when I look back over the last year and think of all the diaper changes, hours spent nursing, and milestones...it does seem a bit more plausible. There have been a lot of moments where we have stopped in our tracks and thanked God for this blessing of a child. There have been a lot of moments where we have asked God for help. There has been balance, growth, and joy, and I can't wait to celebrate it.
Some people might think that kid's birthday parties are a bit silly, but from my perspective, a celebration is a great way to recognize a child's life, the hard work put into that year as a family, and the blessing that the child is. To add onto that, who doesn't like a reason to get together with those that you love and celebrate? On the other hand, I do think that it is important to keep things a bit reeled in...no need to spend a ton or money or wear yourself thin in order to make the party happen. With that in mind, I think that having a plan for the party is my insurance policy to stay on budget and keep stress levels low.
Without further adieu, let's talk party planning!


Image Sources: One // Two // Three // Four
To start off, let's just get the budget out there. As a first time mom, I really have no idea what is a frugal, reasonable, or extravagant budget for a birthday party. Is $50, $150, or $200 the going rate? Who knows. What I do know is what we can afford, what needs to be provided, and such. We are planning on having at most 35-40 people if EVERYONE comes (which won't happen of course) and are going to be serving a meal. In addition, of course I want to have some cute decorations, a cake, and some cupcakes. The budget will be $100 or less. No fudging. That might seem tight when you include food for all of those people, but I am determined to make it work. Really, I would like to keep it under $75, but we will see! Here is a breakdown of what I am thinking as far as a plan:
Theme. The theme for Asa's party is "You are my sunshine." This theme works great for so many reasons. When we were
Invites. This is one of those times (there are a lot of these) where being married to an artist/designer is absolutely awesome. We spent $16 on invites. I purchased a few sets of blank cards and Josh whipped up a custom design for the inside. He printed them off (for free), cut them down to fit perfectly in the car and I taped them in using photo adhesives I already had! I addressed them this past Sunday night and they are going in the mail tomorrow after I buy the stamps! We will have to add a bit to the cost for the stamps, but it won't hurt too much. I'll consider this task done. Don't worry, I'll post pictures of the finished project soon!
Location. We're having it at home! For free!

Decorations. Here is where my handy-dandy crafting skills, pinterest, and the dollar store come in. I am going to see how little I can spend on this by raiding my crafting supplies, extra fabric, and only buying whatever else is needed from the Dollar Tree- where everything is literally a dollar. Making everything by hand will save a lot of money, and luckily things like this are my jam, so I'm not overstressed about it.

Food. Again, a great way to save money in this area is to make it yourself! We have decided to serve tacos, which besides the purchase of the meat, is a very inexpensive meal. The plan is to serve beef and beans (cheap) as the protein option, a plethora of veggies as toppings, and chips/salsa as a side. An extra bonus is that my mom has offered to bring a bean dip, too! By choosing a simple meal, watching sales, and using coupons, I hope to keep the food budget at a bare minimum. :)

Dessert. Surprise, surprise...I'm going to make the desserts, too! I plan on making Asa a smash cake because let's be honest...they are ridiculously entertaining. As a treat for the rest of the guests, I will probably make up some simple cupcakes or cookies. Nothing too fancy as long as its delicious-right?

Birthday gift. This one might come as a shocker or maybe not...but we don't plan on buying Asa a birthday present. It's not that we don't think it would be fun, but we buy him things as he needs them, are throwing a party, and he will probably get more than enough from other people. How much stuff does a one year old really need? I do have my eye on making him a fun teepee/tent to play in, but have not setting any deadlines as of yet.

Entertainment. This area will be really easy for us. There will not be a ton of kids at the party, so we plan on laying out a few lawn games and streaming music from a free online site. Simple, but I think it will work itself out just fine in the end.

If you'd like to follow along as I collect inspiration for his party, you can check out the pinterest board that I started. There are so many great ideas on decorations, food, and saving money! Click the board below and we can connect!



A budget tip I'm trying to remember: make it a fun challenge. Sometimes living on a "real, you don't have a lot of wiggle room budget" can be daunting and exhausting but when you start to look at it as a game it can become fun. For me, I am trying to see this party as a way for me to beat my budget. The more I can stay below it the better! It almost feels like a race that I get to win no matter what because even if I meet exactly my budget- I still win, and being under budget is just a bonus!
What are your party planning tips? Any budget-savvy ideas for this mama?

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