Budgeting for a Child’s Birthday Party
Sticking to a budget is something I have trouble with, especially when it comes to throwing a child’s birthday party. I’ve tried the envelope method, the “I’m only going to take this much out of our account” method and even tried the credit card method. The only option that I haven’t tried is the Visa Prepaid Card.
It all starts with the decorations.
I like to shop garage sales, Free-Cycle and asking around for hand me downs. Last year at my daughter’s birthday party, I was able to get the table decorations and Hawaiian grass for cheap from a friend online.
The beach party favors were put together with some great bargains that I found at our local party shop. I was able to create 8-10 beach party favors for under $20.
Food at a child’s birthday party can be a big expense. Because of my daughter’s age and nap schedule, our parties always get planned around the lunch hour. Lunch hour parties usually mean you need to prepare food for your guests. When you have 15+ guests at your party, this can add up quickly.
Food preparation usually involves planning of a few meal ideas and running to the grocery store to buy the stuff to create them. Grocery prices these days are outrageous and I was finding that the food was becoming the main problem of our parties. Last year we catered in salad, pasta and a few sides. Still a big cost factor, but it seemed to help us stay in control a little more with our spending.
Visa Prepaid Cards seem to be a good option and I’m thinking about giving it a try this year.
How does a Visa Prepaid Card Work?
Purchase a Visa Prepaid, load it up with the money I am budgeting and then buy what you need. By using a Visa Prepaid card, I can’t over spend and that is the appealing feature for me. No overdraft fees, no screaming husband, our events will only be planned with the money that is available on the card.
Check out this video and see how easy it is to activate and load a Visa Prepaid Card
Birthdays aren’t the only time a Visa Prepaid Card could come in handy.
Thinking about all of the other times we overspend…
Some of those times include vacations, Summer BBQ’s, Home Projects, Holidays (especially Christmas!). I could definitely benefit from a Visa Prepaid to help with better budgeting during any time of the year.
Do you have times when overspending a problem for you?
Disclosure:
I am blogging on behalf of Visa Prepaid and received compensation for my time from Visa for sharing my views in this post, but the views expressed here are solely mine, not Visa’s. Discover more at http://www.VisaPrepaid.com or view more Visa Prepaid videos at http://www.youtube.com/visaprepaid.
childrens parties can be SO expensive.. so i love this post
I think a visa prepaid card would really help stay on a party budget. I think it would help stretch your dollars. I also like to reuse and repurpose things and am always looking for a bargain. Whats important is to just enjoy and have fun!
I always overspend when it comes to planning birthday parties for the kids. I end up buying way too much food! i also overspend at Christmas time..
i’ll be doing more garage sale shopping for party items this year–great idea!
Thanks for the helpful tips. I have my son’s birthday party coming up soon and it is always nice to have a few ideas to stay within budget!
I Like Using A Visa Pre-Paid Card For Holidays And Special Occasions, It Keeps Me Right On Budget!:)
My husband is turning 40 next month and I have to plan out his birthday ASAP! Prepaid Visa would have come handy for year round planning , wish I would have seen this a while back so I could have saved up money for his party!! LOL
I like the idea but I always go over my budget so this year I just want a small party of 8 friends that I can handle both financially and physically!
This information couldn’t have come to me at a better time! I am currently planning my son’s birthday party for June and need to start thinking about a setting a budget before I go any further with purchasing and planning.
Budget?? What’s a budget? LOL Just Kidding! Does that answer the question on overspending?! I think this would be more helpful for dh – he is the one who will spend and then not tell me (I take care of the bills) so I think we have more money than we actually do! :-)
the prepaid visa is a great idea!
Great idea for the Prepaid card, because it’s too easy (and tempting) not to stay within budget with a credit card!
Thank you Aditi!!
That’s not a bad trait to have Janet! I’m envious :)
I can definitely see how a prepaid Visa is helpful for people who tend to overspend. I am the complete opposite and am really cheap! I have no shame in admitting it! ;)
i ike your beach party favors
What a great idea! I never thought of the prepaid Visa…We typically have to have 2 parties for different sides of the family…the prepaid Visa would ensure I said in budget.
Never thought of using the visa prepaid cards for budgeting.
I love the prepaid Visa idea! We save cash but it is much easier to grab it when you are heading out the door or quickly in need. Loading money to a card is a great alternative!
Thanks for commenting!
Thanks! Glad I could share them with you
I’m such a last minute planner too, the older they get the more it gets put off. Happy early birthday to him! What’s his choice of theme?
So glad I could help you Jeannette!
This is my problem, every single time. Glad I could give you useful tips! Thanks for commenting.
It was a great time! Thanks for commenting :)
There are lots of uses that I could think of when using a Visa Prepaid card. I really like the idea of only being able to use the money that’s there instead of creating debt with money I don’t have.
I think having one Visa prepaid card per kid during Christmas would help me make sure that I spend the same amount on each kid. I always end up forgetting what I’ve already bought and how much I’ve spent per kid.
What a great idea! I have tons of pre paid cards from giveaways I’ve won over the years That I’ve been saving for occasions like birthdays and such. It really helps out a lot. Thanks for the post!
prepaid is definitely a great budgeting tool!! your daughter’s party looks like it was a fun time :)
I wish I would have thought of it sooner!
I would have never though of using prepaid cards as a budgeting idea….clever!
I have put on many parties.. kids, parents, friends.. and always go over. This is a great tip.
Fabulous tips! I always go WAY over the top on birthday parties and then I can’t even enjoy it because I’m too sick about how much I spent. I think you just provided me with the solution!
What a great tip! and timly too! Its my DS7’s birthday at the end of the month and I still haven’t started planning! eek! I better get on it!
Great tips!