Debt-free Birthday Opinions for 5 yr.old

iVillage Member
Registered: 08-04-2004
Debt-free Birthday Opinions for 5 yr.old
5
Mon, 11-15-2004 - 1:21pm

Hello, I was hoping to get a few opinions. I am trying to celebrate my son's fifth birthday the debt-free way! :)


In the past we have invited friends and family over and ordered pizzas or cooked hotdogs/hamburgers, had a large cake, supplied party favors for all the children.


This year we are TIGHT! I was thinking of only inviting my son's grandparents over to our home for some cake and ice cream one evening. I already have a gift for my son, and I'm sure his grandparents would bring one too. The question is, will my son feel the difference? I don't want my children to want for anything, but this is a hard time of year financially.


What would ya'll do? Do you think he's too young to care what we do? Thanks for any comments! :)


iVillage Member
Registered: 06-17-2003
Mon, 11-15-2004 - 2:45pm
I think it's great that you're scaling things back a bit & I would bet that the thing your son wants the most is to feel special for his birthday, & that doesn't have to mean a big party. How about a birthday boy breakfast of smiley face pancakes or whatever he likes? Maybe rent the latest movie (Shrek 2?) and watch it together? If he's in school you could bake cupcakes for his class if the school allows it. When my son was 5, he was always wildly excited to go to the taxidermy place by our house & the little local airport to watch the planes take off. He also was just as happy with a few small presents, individually wrapped. I think your son will love his birthday, regardless, as long as he is fussed over a bit.
iVillage Member
Registered: 06-18-2004
Mon, 11-15-2004 - 5:40pm
My DD only had a birthday party for her first birthday. Her second bday we went for pizza with her grandparents (they paid for it) and had a birthday cake that my mother made. For bdays 3 and 4 we went to Chuck E. Cheese and had a cake for her at home. For her 4th bday we invited some friends over to help us eat the cake but asked for no gifts. All of her relatives send her gifts before her birthday and she opens them all on her birthday so she doesn't know the difference.

I am considering having a party for her for #5 because she's in school now and has a few friends, but then again the Chuck E. Cheese idea is working and about once a month they have coupons in the Sunday paper for up to $30 off of their different plans. I ususally pick one in the middle and get about 75 tokens, a large pizza and 4 sodas for $25. As a four year old, she has never missed having a party.

I think as long as you make your son's day special, he won't care what you do. There are many ways to make it special. I agree with the other poster, just starting the day with his favorite breakfast (perhaps served to him in bed) is enough to make anyone feel special.

BTW my DS is two and hasn't had a birthday party. I refuse to spend money on something that is more for me than him. I realized that important lesson after spending $500 on DD's first. Let's face she remembers nothing about that day.

Kellie

iVillage Member
Registered: 10-06-2004
Mon, 11-15-2004 - 9:31pm
Hi and I read this on another board, but it was for an adult surprise birthday, who wanted to do something different. Since your budget is tight - how about going to a dollar store and purchasing toys and things and placing them stratigically(sp?) thru-out your home. Personally, I thought this was a great idea and I don't even have kids, but I plan to do this for my DP. And after a special smiley face breakfast, he'll have all that energy to burn. Good luck in whatever you decide.

 

iVillage Member
Registered: 08-04-2004
Mon, 11-15-2004 - 9:48pm

Thanks you guys! I appreciate all the advice and support!


I feel good now, knowing that it is ok not to have a big party. Sometimes you just need to hear it from someone else's mouth to be secure in your decisions.


I love the breakfast idea, and also the dollar store scavenger hunt idea! Very fun! Also, I think we may do a small dinner with the grandparents (which will be mostly for their benefit!).


Once again, thanks for responding! Just a few more weeks to go and then my "baby" will be 5!!!! Freak me out!!!

Avatar for lovmy2kids
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
Tue, 11-16-2004 - 4:17am

I think it's perfectly okay not to have a great big birthday party. We have a rule around our house that every other year you get a friends party and on the opposite years you get a family party. I have taken my kids to some big parties of their friends and I think it is really obscene how many gifts some of the kids rake in. I don't think it neccessary to over indulge. Just make sure everything is fair between the kids, he may be a little upset if 3 months from now big brother gets a big birthday bash! A special day with his family and grandparents sounds like fun. A scavenger hunt for him and his brother would be cool too! My sisters and I use to make up ones when we were kids. You could do something like this, with his birthday card a little slip of paper that say's go look in the dryer, in the dryer there is another note that states go look under the bathroom sink, and then to the mail box ect, ect... keep him going and at the end he could find one of his gifts or maybe some small suprises along the way, and if he can't read yet let him take big brother along who could help! Good Luck and have fun!

-Darcy