to think that I can't do a child's party for under £450?

[alfabetty]

I know I am

Come and give me some ideas on how to cut costs!

Plan is to do a leaving party for my 2 DCS (3 and 6) as we are moving house and leaving the area. Will be 50 children (2 classes) plus any siblings.

Costs -
£150 entertainer (as I'll be on my own, DH will have gone on ahead to new house)
Hall - £60 (also essential as packing/no DH etc)
Food - £100 (£2 per head? bearing in mind siblings and tea/coffee/biscuits for parents)
Party bag/sweets - £3 a head so £150

How can I reduce the cost? With 50 children even the party bags/sweets etc add up.

ditch the party bags

I'd scrap the party bags for starter..it's not a birthday party so no need IMO

Ummmm, cancel it and take them out for the day instead?

I did a party for 50 kids once, it only cost me about £150

No entertainer, as had a bouncy castle and did the games myself.

Part bags I managed way under your budget. A wee bag with a box of raisins, a wee toy & a bit of cake! No need at all for anything more.

Food Im sure cost me lass than that, bulk buying. Little children do not eat a lot at parties! 2 quarter sarnies each, 2 sausages, some grapes/strawberries, handfull of crisps (1 packet per 2 or 3 kids) bread sticks and a fairy cake.

ditch the party

How about a take home thing from the 99p shop each? Thats cut your party bag price by 2/3.

Oh, its just a leaving party, not a birthday! So scrap the party bags!

£60 for hire of a hall is a bit steep. Is there another one nearby that is cheaper?

I think it is about £35 around here.

Also ditch the party bags or make them cheaper...

Try eBay

Thanks. I was feeling a bit twitchy about the bags, all my DCs are ever interested in are the sweets so I might just hand out some sweets as prizes etc.

I had thought about a bouncy castle, but not sure I could run a party, put out food etc as well as entertain that many children. I guess a bouncy castle, some balloons, some toys in a corner and some colouring/sticking might enable them to entertain themselves? The a few party games?

MaDuggar's food selection sounds manageable...

Are leaving parties usual?

Could you be adding to the possible difficulties of moving for your children?

What about a few close friends at home.

How about doing chips and hotdogs/fishfingers?
£5 on rolls, £5 tinned princes hotdogs (8 to a tin), few quid on oven chips. Then a cake for afters. Parents get hot drinks ad biscuits.

more money than sense

entertainer?? what's wrong with a music tape and pass the parcel/musical statues???

surely a few of the 100 parents can help you out??

since when did cheese sandwiches and multipacks of crisps/sweets cost £2ph? are you ordering the parents starbucks coffees?

re:bags- as above

Or if the hall has a kitchen do oven chips and fishfingers...

YABVU!!!

Costs -
£150 entertainer (as I'll be on my own, DH will have gone on ahead to new house)

Why have one, how old are the children?

Hall - £60 (also essential as packing/no DH etc)

Food - £100 (£2 per head? bearing in mind siblings and tea/coffee/biscuits for parents)

Invite fewer people and cut the per head budget by doing the food yourself.

Party bag/sweets - £3 a head so £150

as above.

Get some of the parents of the invited children to help out - presumably some of these parents are your friends?

Just because DH is not there doesn't mean you have to do every single thing yourself.

Definitely scrap the party bags. How well do you know the other kids mums? Could a few choice people be asked to 'bring a plate'?
I would never go to a child's party without asking the mother if we could bring something. Mostly because I love baking, and kids food is so much more fun! I bet there are some mummies who'd be glad to help out.
Also, do you live near a costco for bulk buying on a budget. Ask around if anyone has a membership so you can go with them.

Don't do food as such? We went to an afternoon party a few weeks ago that was timed so that the "meal" was afternoon snack. It was pirate themed so they did a treasure hunt, at the end of which were thair party bags which contained a couple of sweets, crackers and other nibbly bits for an afternoon snack.

You don't need an entertainer do you? At their age I'd have thought a few playground games, a round of musical statues and a pas the parcel should be enough

Wouldnt it be better to spend the money on getting to know the new area and children? Perhaps wait till they are at nursery and school and do a get to know everyone get together.
The children you are spending money on you wont probably see again. And if you make a big deal of leaving them then your kids are going to feel more upset about going.
Just a thought.

Yes, oven chips & fishfingers or hotdogs would be good and perhaps more economical and easier than sandwiches/cakes.

We have the money (some sense, I hope), but I thought a party would be nice, to say goodbye - we're moving for a 2 year secondment so will see these children again, eventually, when we move back - but the costs seemed huge.

To be fair, its 50 kids! Not that easy to entertain en masse, so I can see why she wants an entertainer! Imagine pass the parcel with 50

£3 a head a lot for party bag. Also do you need it? Just give them all a couple of bags of sweets.

Entertainer £150 that's £££, can you shop around and find someone cheaper?

Food: £100 sounds a lot, have you costed it out? Remember that 5yos eat only crap at parties; buy lots of crisps and cater for half a sandwich a head. A bit of cucumber and tomatoes, some party rings and you're done.

I would say (local to me) entertainer maybe £100; hall deffo only about £40 for 3 hrs; food about £70 max (no need for anything for parents); sweets £25. Total £235, still plenty!

You may live in a more expensive area tho...

Do you need to do a leaving party? When we moved, the last thing I was thinking about was a leaving party.

I get v stressed about parties. And about moving. Think the two together would have finished me off.

I do think an entertainer is a good plan for 50 kids tho.

You can't organise party games for 50 kids aged 3 and 6. Or at least I wouldn't want to...

I think you would need to give the parents something to eat tho; its crap being stuck at a party starving! And I'm guessing the parents that stay would be friends anyway? And that its a goodbye to them as much as the kids? it wont cost much for a barrel of biccies.

np party bags and cheaper entertainer