Mommy's Time Out: Birthday Bang for Your Buck

have become quite the pricey project.  From who to invite, to where to host the event, to proper etiquette, parties have become less about the child and more about the venue. At what age does it end? 

In my childhood years, birthday parties consisted of a moderate amount of chosen friends, playing “Pin the Tail on the Donkey”, eating cake, and opening presents with paper birthday cones atop our heads.  Parents dropped children off at the host’s residence and came back a couple hours later to retrieve their child. Simple, no frills, inexpensive.

More recently, the standard birthday parties beginning at age 2 can run a parent upwards of $350.  Parties are no longer held at homes, but instead, held at alternate sites.  Although this takes the pressure off of parents in respect to preparing their home, worrying about weather related issues, and guests overstaying their welcome, it becomes quite expensive.  The average birthday party venue costs about $250 for 60 minutes of directed activity and 30 minutes for pizza and cake.  This price doesn’t include cake, pizza, drinks, goodie bags, tips, and decorations.   The cost can go even higher if you choose to exceed the number of allotted guests; guests bring siblings, or decide to feed parents.  A tad excessive, although I fully admit to feeding into this trend.  However, having 3 children with birthdays within 40 days of one another causes me to need a separate savings account for spring time.

My eldest daughter recently turned 5.  Due to last minute booking, we decided to have the party at the only venue with an opening, in Stoughton.  I was pleasantly surprised to see a price of $209 included a private room for cake and pizza, 30 minutes of staff directed activity/games, 4 tokens per child, free passes for all children,  and unlimited play time in the main area for all guests. The quoted price was for up to 10 children and you could opt for paying for more guests. All pizza, cake, drinks, table cloths, and paper goods included.  All I had to do was show up. The party was assigned a staff member who handled the directed activities and serving the food. I was free to chat with parents, take photos, and enjoy the party. 

Another alternative would be to have the party solely in the main area and simply pay for each child’s $7 admission. The children would have been completely content without the directed activities and it would have been possible to purchase pizza and cake to serve at one of the many tables in the main area. Great venue, stress free, reasonably priced, and highly recommended.